Why Weiner Should not Resign

I firmly believe that Rep Anthony Weiner (D-NY) should not resign from his House seat, despite all the furor that has surrounded his recent sexting scandal. My opinion may surprise some of my audience, but I firmly believe that he should not resign. To put my opinion another way, he should not be allowed to resign: He should be expelled under Article 1, Section 5, Clause 2 of the Constitution of the United States. This clause reads simply:

Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member. (Emphasis mine)

At this point, several members of the leadership of both parties in Washington have called for Weiner to resign. How convenient: Let's just allow him to walk away with his dignity intact, at the time and in the manner of his choosing? No! It is time for the United States House of Representatives to take a stand on principle. A recent Rasmussen poll shows that only 9% of respondents think Congress is doing a good or excellent job. (By contrast, 50% rate their performance as "poor".) While a stand on principle may not change how they do their job, it may let people know that the body is actually willing to stand up for something!

At present, the Representatives calling for Weiner to resign include Nanci Pelosi (D), John Boehner (R), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D). According to National Journal, 21 Democrats have called for him to step down. This may be a far cry from the 2/3 majority required for explusion, but surely the Speaker of the House can rally the majority and the House Minority leader can herd enough Democrats to give him this guy the old "heave, ho". (Surely, if that's still not enough, the Anointed One, Barack Hussein Obama, can whip the rest of his party into following along.)

If the House isn't willing to step up and take a stand on principle, than I have to call a spade a space and conclude that ALL of these guys (the Republicans included) calling for him to step down are just giving lip service to what they know the American people want to hear. It's time for the House to step up and start policing their own scandals. Maybe if they were willing to kick someone out for their indiscretions, our Congressmen may think twice about their actions.