Remember the old days, when rumors, candid admissions, or salacious photos were how political sex scandals were always exposed?
In the digial age, resources like mobile devices, SMS messaging, and opportunities to stay connected 24/7 have changed the political scandal experience as we’ve come to know it.
Case in point: Anthony Weiner, the embattled New York City mayoral candidate and disgraced former congressman.
Although Wiener has become the butt of many jokes, the real story here is how texting and online/mobile chats have emerged as the new means for exposing the philandering ways of political, business, and celebrity media figures.
Weiner admitted last week to online sexual relationships with at least three women after resigning from Congress in 2011. In total, he estimated that he had online relationships with between six and 10 women both during his time in Congress and otherwise.
“I knew it would be bad. It’s too easy this stuff. The puns. The jokes. The institutional frustration that I was doing well in the race,” Weiner says, according to Business Insider.
“Look at the tenor of the editorials before this second wave,” he adds. “Shaking the voters by the lapels and saying ‘Why are you voting for this Weiner guy?’ They couldn’t understand that my message was reaching people. So now that they have something on which to hang their righteousness. I guess I’m not surprised. I’ve been in this business too long not to know it would be bad. It’s not like some outside force did this to me. I did this to myself. This is my private life that is now public.”
Will illicit text messages continue to lead the way in how politicians are outed in public when their sexual cravings lead them astray? Please weigh in with a thought or comment below.
