[Saya]

Originally Posted by Ben Lahnger

Viewing porn alone is the ultimate private act. When you engage in an illicit behavior with another person, it's only private as long as the two of you both agree to continue to keep it private. Once one party decides to make it public (as the women here did), it's no longer private. There is no right or wrong to that. Since Weiner was violating the trust of his marriage, he hasn't got a leg to stand on complaining that the women he was sexting to violated his trust.

Was he violating the trust of his marriage though? He said she knew about the sexting, just didn't know he lied about the twitter pic. I could be wrong but I haven't heard that his wife has said anything so far. Admitting to a somewhat open marriage though would be political suicide, so even if she was fine with it I don't think she'll ever say so.

I just don't see why this should hurt the women's vote unless he really did sexually harass the woman by sending that picture unsolicited. This may hurt the "Anything outside absolute monogamy is evil" vote, though.

Also, what if he went to a strip club? Thats more intimate than sexting, the person is right there in front of you naked as the day she was born.

And the rest, whether you like it or not, whether you think it's right or not, is politics 101 in the USA. Don't do something scandalous and the public never has to hear you've done something scandalous.

Actually, I'm starting to think that if Weiner was a woman he'd be able to play the victim card, like when a celebrity's sex videos are released without their permission. "It was private! I feel betrayed and humiliated!" And then on tv we'd get the lectures to young women the dangerous of sexting because men will use it to hurt you. And I think the only reason this is scandalous is because people like to consume other people's dirty laundry.

I'm okay with someone wanting to engage in sexting, if that trips their trolley (although, in this age, since no text message or email is actually any more private than a post card, I wouldn't). If they are married, then the violation of trust is an issue between the two married parties, and nobody else. But if you want to engage in that kind of behavior, don't enter a life of public service. Just don't. It's not going to work. These things always come out.

I think people who serve in politics are entitled to some amount of privacy.