MSNBC Hosts Spin Wildly After Weiner Fesses Up

June 9th, 2011 6:35 PM

In a desperate attempt to save Rep. Anthony Weiner, who has even been abandoned by the leaders of his own party, MSNBC is still refusing to acknowledge that Weiner's actions should jeopardize his House seat.

Lawrence O'Donnell, host of "The Last Word," ridicules the idea that lying should be grounds for resignation, Rachel Maddow, host of "The Rachel Maddow Show," describes the situation as "more gossip than news," and Cenk Uygur, MSNBC political commentator, says that "he lied, so what."

(Videos after the break)

While the remarks from MSNBC are not all that surprising, their refusal to even consider the idea of Weiner's resignation are, following many prominent Democrats calling for him to step down.

In O'Donnell's take on Weinergate, he thinks American politics are is moving in a "more prudish direction" following "a brief detour in the 90s toward the French and accepting everything Clintonian."

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Maddow similarly says Weiner should not be held responsible because he did not win his seat based off his sexual morality, which is apparently not necessary for good judgement in other areas.


Finally, Uygur maintains that even though Weiner did lie, it doesn't compromise his overall political standards. He references his own past when sympathizing with Weiner, asking, "You know how many times, when I was single and I had girlfriends, you know how many times that I lied to them? What does that mean? That you're not responsible on any other issue?'


The same misguided talking point is espoused from each of these MSNBC journalists: Weiner's lapse in moral judgement should not reflect an overall lack in political judgement. Of course, if the same story was unfolding about a Republican congressman, their opinions would be much different.