Andrew Sullivan: Sexting Shouldn't Exclude Someone From Public Office (NO Surprise Here)

NewsBusters.org ^ | July 24, 2013 | Noel Sheppard

[Kaslin]

I asked my Facebook and Twitter followers Tuesday how liberal media members would save disgraced New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner so he wouldn't have to drop out of the race.

Andrew Sullivan certainly did his part in a Wednesday piece titled "Breaking: Man Gets Off Online" wherein he actually wrote, "In this new Internet Age someone has to be the person who makes sexting not an excludable characteristic for public office."

First, Sullivan set out to explain why sending pictures of your private parts really isn't something to be frowned upon:

With countless interactive hook-up sites, and ever more apps that combine sexting with GPS, a huge proportion of the current and future generations will have sent pics of their boobs or butts or junk as a form of sexual play, fantasy, virtual interactive pornography, and, to a lesser extent, getting laid. That’s simply the reality. Humans are sexual beings, and given a new obsessive-compulsive toy to play with, the Internet, their first instinct was to see how they could use it to get off. [...]

And as long as both parties are adults acting consensually – and in virtual space, no coercion is really possible – I fail to see any scandal. In fact, I see it as a way to blow off steam, without the risk of STDs or pregnancy. It can indeed distort one’s view of sexuality; it can objectify people with ruthless efficiency; it can make actual sex more difficult (see our NO-FAP thread). But it’s nothing different than another arena for us to court, display and preen our sexual selves. It was ever thus.

In Sullivan's distorted view, sending pictures of your private parts is a natural form of flrting in the internet age.

I don't know about him, but I never considered genital exposure as flirting. Quite the contrary, it's called exhibitionism, and is illegal.

Additionally, I quite imagine the overwhelming majority of Americans - even the millenials! - find sexting totally objectionable.

I've got a 25-year-old son and a 19-year-old daughter, and they not only would never consider doing such a thing, they'd immediately cease contact with anyone sending them such electronic messages.

I daresay they're in the overwhelming majority of those their age, and think Sullivan is 100 percent wrong on this.

And now the money section:

He should do us all a favor, if his wife agrees, and plow on until we can all smoke a collective cigarette. In this new Internet Age someone has to be the person who makes sexting not an excludable characteristic for public office. If it becomes one, then the range of representatives we can choose from in the future and present will be very, very different in experience and background than the people they are supposed to represent.

Really, Andrew? Sending pictures of one's private parts is going to be so common in our society in the future that it will become difficult finding electoral candidates that haven't done it?

Exactly what is the color of the sky in Sullivan's world?

[GeronL]

lol.

[Red Steel]

Andrew likes Weiner.

[ZULU]

Unless, of course, they are conservative.

[driftdiver]

Sexting shouldn’t disqualify someone.

Adultry should.

[muir_redwoods]

Being a stump-stupid ass-maggot ought to exclude one from a position where reasoned judgement might be called for once or twice a month. I realize that if a special needs child like Bloomberg can be mayor then the bar is set pretty low but a drooling idiot playing with a cellphone just might not be up to the challenge of dressing himself for important city functions.

[Veto!]

OK. Fine, Andrew. I’m expecting to see Putin sexting Barry next. Mine is bigger than yours.

Soon these cute little personal details will determine elections.

[Calvin Locke]

Exactly what is the color of the sky in Sullivan's world?

I'm pretty sure it's one big rainbow.

[dfwgator]

I thought it would be brown.

[RKBA Democrat]

I have to agree with andrew on this one. Given the illustrious past and current mayors of the great city of New Yuck, I would think that sending pictures of your penis to strangers would uniquely qualify you for the position!

[nascarnation]

Easy to see why he married Huma.
She was a WH intern with Monica “under” ole BJ .

[bigheadfred]

I don’t think there is one.

[Viennacon]

So, in San Antonio, holding a Biblical view of marriage, held for over 2000 years across the vast majority of nations and cultures, indeed, the view held by over 85% of countries today, can exclude you from public office...

Being a filthy pervert sexting minors and Tweeting your junk is A-OK though.

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

To to give this a little perspective: in the days before the internet, guys like Weiner would be flashing people in parks and porno theaters.

[Billthedrill]

Being stupid enough to get caught repeatedly ought to disqualify. But Sullivan is missing the point: Tony "Showmy" Wiener isn't disqualified, he's the front-runner at the moment.

I have a question for Mr. Sullivan: would you be saying this if it were a Republican candidate who was caught trolling the Internet with nekkid selfies? Didn't think so.

[GeronL]

“someone” means “democrat”

[KC_Lion]

Andrew Sullivan?

Rules People.

His PDS meter spikes.

[RetiredTexasVet]

I think The Wiener would be an exemplary Progressive mayor of NYC. People from all over the world will think NYC when they eat a wienie, although some will think of the IRS.

[ottbmare]

Andrew is a gay activist which means his entire existence revolves around his genitals. Of course he thinks this is okay. Everything is okay if it’s about male genitals.

[livius]

Yes, exactly. I honestly don’t want to think that the men I know spend their time sending pictures of their privates to complete strangers or even people they know. I hope they don’t and it really makes me uncomfortable to think that now this is considered okay by our opinion makers. This means that even if average men are not doing this now, most of them probably will be doing it soon because we are so media influenced. I am very upset and disgusted by this.

Since when is this normal? When I was growing up in New York, these guys would be waving their wienies from behind the bushes in the parks - but they knew they were perverts and so did everybody else.

And now it’s just what guys do?