Another NY Democrat Caught With His Pants Down

You won't be reading this story in any national news outlets since the offender is a Democrat. Put an "R" behind his name and it would go viral. While there isn't anything necessarily criminal or as crude and lewd as an Anthony Weiner crotch photo, you have to question the judgment of a politican keeping nude photos of himself on his website.

Monroe County Legislator Stephen Eckel abruptly removed two nude photos of himself from a personal website on Friday after being questioned about them by a television reporter.

Eckel, 46, a Democrat from Rochester in the midst of a re-election campaign, said in a phone interview that he took the photos of himself in 2000 as a student at the Visual Studies Workshop while working on a master of fine arts degree at The College at Brockport. He received the degree a year later.

The sepia-toned photos, taken with a wide lens at an elevated angle, were full frontal nude shots of Eckel, but were not sexual in nature. He described them as art.

I could see if the guy was in his 20s he may not know better, but for a guy getting a master's at age 35, what is he thinking. Then when he's running for office he thinks it's still OK to have nude shots of himself online?
Naturally, he blames the evil Republicans for his problems, as if they posted the nude shots.

"This is nothing more than a Republican stooping to a new low in order to distract the public from the real issues facing Monroe County taxpayers," Eckel said. "These were taken 10 years ago as part of a portfolio that helped me earn a master's of fine arts. Clearly, they have nothing to do with my service in my district."

Eckel said he removed the photos because they would "deflect attention from the true issues of the campaign." Asked if he would post them again after the campaign, he said that would be something he would have to consider.

Tony Micciche, who is challenging Eckel for the seat in the 26th District — which covers parts of Rochester, Gates and Greece — said such photos, even as artistic works, show poor judgment.

"How do you trust someone who posts naked pictures of himself on the Internet?" Micciche

asked. "He's an elected official. He should be held to a higher standard."

Democrats being held to high standards? There's a laugh.


Posted over at HumanEvents