The latest news is the sexual harassment scandals plaguing San Diego Mayor Bob Filner is that one of the best-know businesses in the area, Hooters, is refusing to serve him at their establishments.

San Diego State University student Kenneth Leonard is unimpressed with the mayor’s subsequent handling of recent events, especially Filner’s recent press conferences. Leonard offers this assessment in The Daily Aztec:

In his apology, Filner said, “It’s a good thing that behavior that would have been tolerated in the past is being called out in this generation for what it is: inappropriate and wrong.”

Here is where Filner’s strategy is revealed. You see, Filner’s semi-apologetic statement attempts to propagate a narrative wherein the victims in this scenario aren’t the women who were allegedly harassed by the mayor.

Filner continued by saying, “I am also humbled to admit that I need help. I have begun to work with professionals to make changes in my behavior and approach. In addition, my staff and I will participate in sexual harassment training provided by the city. Please know that I fully understand that only I am the one that can make these changes.”

What we are meant to take away from Filner’s statement is that he is the victim. Filner is playing himself as the victim of an era where casual misogyny was culturally acceptable, but now, in 2013, he is suddenly aware of his transgressions. We are supposed to feel sorry for him. The poor mayor who didn’t know what he was doing, and who is now exceedingly eager to step into this strange new world where women are actual people with feelings and rights and stuff.

The best-case scenario is that the mayor of one of the largest and most diverse cities in the U.S. is a solid fifty years behind the curve when it comes to women’s rights. This is only a relevant option if Filner’s apology was entirely sincere, which would be pretty pathetic.

On the other hand, the worst-case scenario is that our mayor is a power-hungry reptilian creature, devoid of compassion, who will pretend to be a hapless boob so he can maintain his position atop the local political ladder. It’s important during times such as these to remember one essential truth about politicians: They are guided entirely by interest, and not by empathy. Filner will do what a politician does. He will grip the mayor’s seat with all the fervor of a drowning man clinging to a life preserver. He will do this at the expense of the city, and nobody should be surprised.

As scandalous allegations tear through city hall and mid-level local politicians step on each other in a laughable competition to determine who is the most morally superior to Filner, let’s all remember Mark Twain’s witticism, “Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason.”