Filner, the Groper, is Worse than Weiner, the Wagger
As loyal readers know, we occasionally round up the Calbuzz Advisory Board of Leading Authorities on Practically Everything to share their wisdom about the most pressing political, ethical and theological issues of the day. And no question facing our Great Democracy is more salient than this: Who’s a bigger creepo – Anthony Weiner or Bob Filner?
Both repulsive urban politicians have embarassed and humiliated themselves beyond imagination — New York mayoral candidate Weiner with his weirdo obsession with tweeting close-ups of his namesake and San Diego Mayor Filner for mauling every woman who makes the mistake of getting within 20 yards of him.
The consensus of the California Consultanate, with which the Calbuzz Editorial Board is in complete accord: It’s Filner, hands down. (Interestingly, a number of our Democratic consultants chose Weiner as Wurst, perhaps because they’re loathe to see Republican San Diego lose its first Democratic mayor since infamous money laundress Maureen O’Connor stepped down in 1992.)
As one brilliant Democratic consultant neatly summed up the matter:
Weiner is just a pathetic eighth-grader trapped in a grown man’s body. Filner is a predator and a bully who abused the trappings of his office to prey on women and the weak.
The Weiner case: Neither the Consultanate nor we minimize the narcissistic depravity and stupidity of Carlos Danger’s digital deviance. He is, according to the latest Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5 Code 666.69), “one sick puppy.”
And a handful of our consultants (all Democrats) opined that Weiner is the more egregious pervert. Said one:
— First of all, they are pathetic. How do you manage to be destroyed by a sex scandal when you don’t even get to have sex? Filner is a grabber and Weiner a wagger. They both get style points on arrogance, taking it to an Elliot Spitzer level. Weiner wins by a hair because he used the new technology to press his point. Neither deserves a place in politics and do not have the common decency to disappear.
Another Democratic consultant offered a more tactical analysis:
— Weiner is the better scandal because his name leads to a lot more puns. And because it’s a more interesting story. You have the social media angle (how social media is changing and impacting our lives and politics); the Clinton connection/angle; the redemption angle (or failed redemption, rather); and what to do about [Weiner’s wife] Huma?
At first she was a sympathetic figure, but now I’m not so sure, since she was aggressively campaigning for him and behind him and must have known this could have happened. There’s also the fact that Weiner jumped into the race, zoomed to first and is now plummeting.
Filner is a simpler story — he’s a dirty old man who sexually harasses women (and is pretty abusive to people in general).
A couple of other Democrats also gave the edge to Weiner:
— Wow. Who can choose? They are both oblivious, they are both as obnoxious as hell, both disgusting to all women everywhere. The only reason I give a slight tip (ha) to Weiner is because as far as I know he has yet to accomplish much and shows no reason for anyone to give him the reins of power over the City of New York. But by a hair.
— Tough call but I’d have to go with Wiener for now — at least until Filner gets caught again after he has been “cured.” Wiener is dragging down his wife with him, and in a strange way, his net also has caught the Clinton’s up in it. Now I have to go take a shower after just thinking about the two of them.
Filthy Filner: While Weiner has given a bad name to Kosher meat, however, Filner, with his lecherous, toothy Big Bad Wolf grin, his licking and slobbering and grabbing, is an actual hands-on sexual harasser. Twenty-two years after Anita Hill, Filner still hasn’t gotten the memo about what’s inappropriate in the workplace. Not surprisingly, more of our panelists say Filner is worse.
Democrats
— Filner, by a factor of 10 — or maybe 100. Wiener didn’t know and never met the women he was sexting. Filner was sexually harassing women who worked for him or had just had meetings in his own congressional and mayor’s offices. Wiener is sick, but more a voyeur and exhibitionist. Filner is unbelievably sick, and an in-your-face serial harasser and abuser, using his positions of power and official standing to line up and attack victims. Not even close to being comparable to what Carlos Danger was doing.
— Not even close. Filner is far worse.
Republicans
— Filner. He ac
tually used his authority to be a predator. Weiner just took his wiener to the Internet. Or as John Oliver pointed out on the Daily Show, at least Weiner’s dick pics don’t leave a residue on your cheek like a forced Filner kiss.
— Has our public discourse come down to this? I would say Filner is worse because, in many cases, he took advantage of his superiority in the work environment to harass women whose jobs depended on his good graces. Wiener couldn’t even tell if he was being noticed, and his “advances” were easily ignored. Elliot Spitzer and Mark Sanford were veritable saints compared to these two.
— Filner is worse, because what headline writer can have fun with a name like that? Seriously, they are both pig people who are shameless, sick and unrepentant. They should do everyone a favor and just go away.
— Anyone who would defend either of them is worse (SD Building Trades for example, in Filner’s case). However, between the two, it’s Filner by a long shot cause his actions are so disgusting, there are so many women and it’s been a long, long term pattern of behavior.
— Weiner and Filner are both sociopaths but there’s really no comparison on who’s worse: Filner by several dozen headlocks.
Weiner and Filner are both arrogant, narcissistic creeps but what Weiner did was consensual. There wasn’t even any physical contact. Filner, on the other hand, is a sexual predator and bully who systematically used his office to hit on, harass and even sexually assault women with groping, headlocks and other unwanted physical contact. Particularly disgusting is his attempt to leverage his help as a government official for an injured veteran (if he received sexual favors from her nurse and caretaker) as well as using his Veterans Affairs Committee chairmanship to harass female veterans who had previously been victims of sexual assault. Filner has emerged as one of the most disgusting and vile humans to ever hold office in California history — and Calbuzz knows that’s saying a lot.
Finally, both men refuse to exit the public stage because they lack any semblance of grace, self-awareness, concern for others or connection to reality. But Weiner is only embarrassing himself and his wife. Filner is embarrassing both himself and a major city — one whose government is in crisis and leaderless. His refusal to resign a month ago forced some (14 so far out of dozens if not hundreds) of his victims to reluctantly come forward to bravely speak out publicly against him. That is particularly unforgivable.
— Filner. Alvin Toffler once said the future would be “high tech, high touch.” Weiner represents high tech; Filner high touch. Weiner’s conduct, though gross and narcissistic, was consensual. Filner’s is gross, narcissistic and tortuous, if not criminal, as it comes to his relationships with women.
On top of that, you have his general boorish behavior toward everyone (a tie with Weiner), but you also have borderline corruption issues with the shakedown of developers for contributions to pet projects. If Filner were based in NYC, it wouldn’t even be a contest.
Whatever It Takes
Weiner is on the verge of being swept into the dustbin of history – at least as a candidate for high office in New York City. But what to do about Filner, who not only refuses to step down but has even had the chutzpah to ask San Diego taxpayers to pick up his legal bills?
The answer may lie in an obscure provision of the San Diego City Charter, Section 108, approved by the voters in 1931. According to City Attorney Jan Goldsmith, under the provision, “every city officer who willfully approves or allows an unauthorized payment from the city treasury is subject to removal from office.”
So while the City Council may not be able to remove Filner for sexual harassment, they might be able to oust him for using his city credit card on personal expenses like pizzas, a juicer and expensive lunches. Kinda like going after Al Capone for tax evasion.
Bottom line: Yuck.
Though I’m not a qualified shrink, it seems to me that the type of person who runs for office is too often insecure and needy. Holding public office appears to feed their need to be noticed, to be important, to have power.
This mindset can get people in trouble without a high-profile job. Because their huge drive to “succeed” is just a step away from thinking that the rules the rest of us follow don’t apply to them. The ones who don’t run for office appear to opt for careers on Wall Street. You can see the similarity in their risk-taking behaviors and refusal to follow laws.
However, being in public office can also affect even the most level-headed person. I know several people who have changed since winning office. I blame lobbyists, who are always flattering them in attempts to win their favor. Eventually, I think they just start believing it and enjoying it.
None of this is an excuse for preying on people. But I do find it interesting.
just a step away from thinking that the rules the rest of us follow don’t apply to them.
and of course there’s nothing, nothing, about the high-calorie environment in which they marinate that would encourage them to believe that.
Absolutely not! My point exactly.