Weiner’s Scandal, America’s Problem

After nearly three weeks of muckraking, allegations, denials, reallegations, and redenials New York congressman Anthony Weiner is finally stepping down.  I applaud him for making the right decision, but his failure to take the high road and resign immediately after his story came to light severely damages his integrity, and exposes a moral problem for America.

We love public scandals.  Not only do they give us reasons to dislike those whose politics we disagree with, it provides a public measuring rod to which we can sanctimoniously hold ourselves and move on with life assured that we’re not as dirty as “that guy.”  We’re also doing more than that.  The public disgrace and scandal that is layered on public figures who find themselves in situations similar to Weiner’s paints these individuals as having no character and integrity, and what is created is an impossibly high bar of moral perfection for our leaders.  But is integrity measured by moral perfection?  I don’t think so.

For an example I look to the ancient Israelite King David.  In one of the great scandals of the Judeo-Christian tradition, David slept with Bathsheba, another man’s wife, got her pregnant, tried to cover it up, and, failing that, murdered the husband so that he could marry the woman.  Weiner is a novice at scandal compared to this guy.  However, the biblical story does not end there.  When confronted with his crime, David immediately acknowledges his wrongdoing as being a violation of God’s moral law, and humbly accepts the consequences.  He’s not called a man after God’s own heart for just being a morally upstanding figure, but also because of how he responds to his mistakes.

Now those among the Republican party, giddy over another scandal to knock the Democrats with, and having the potential to pick up another seat in the 9th District may mockingly say that Weiner has no integrity, which is why he was behaving the way he was.  However, I disagree with such a suggestion.  Integrity does not mean perfection, but somehow it has come to mean that in our political landscape and its created a larger moral problem for America.  We have become so cynical that we accept the reality of individual’s sexual dalliances, but still require the more public among us to somehow live to a higher standard of perfection.  In applying such a double standard, we lose our understanding of integrity, and our ability to show mercy. 

Men and women of integrity are not perfect, but are humble enough to quickly acknowledge their failings when confronted with them, correct them, and receive the consequences without complaint.  Is Weiner such a man?  Hard for me to say, but the reactions this scandal has engendered leaves me wondering at our capacity for mercy when a public figure fails to meet our impossible standards.

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