Politics may be the most jealous industry outside catwalk modeling. Electeds can and frequently do sharpen their knives to slice and gut rivals, regardless of party. And at times, they can even seek alliances with people in the other party in order to knife those they despise within their own party. Happens all the time. Throw in the fact that Anthony Weiner is known to be interested in the job of New York mayor, a job that hundreds of other New York Democrats are also interested in, and throw in the fact that Weiner has made something of a media star out of himself over the past year or two, and you have a recipe for massive jealousy. Now that Weiner is being roasted, that jealously is curdling into a heaping helping of schadenfreude.
“How much schadenfreude is happening because of this? A lot,” said one Democratic staffer. “In the delegation the level of jealousy of what he’s gotten out of the media is so high – it’s the subject of constant conversation.”
The staffer speculated on what Democrats widely see as an ill-judged cable news tour today: “He thinks he owns you guys.”
So there won’t be any mourning and gnashing of teeth among NY Dems if Weiner burns. If he burns, there is a possibility that his grilling might just offset the after effects of a similar, if less funny, Republican scandal when Rep. Christopher Lee had to resign after sending a shirtless pic of himself to a woman. He got replaced by a Dem in a special election. Hotline says it’s possible that Weiner might get replaced by a Republican.
While Weiner represents a New York City district that’s conventionally thought to be safely Democratic, in reality it has trended sharply in a Republican direction in recent years. If Weiner stepped down from Congress, Republicans would have a realistic shot at putting it in play.
Weiner’s district, spanning mostly white neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn, trended more Republican than any other district in the country from the 2000 to the 2008 presidential election. Al Gore carried the district in a landslide, winning 67 percent of the vote. But it gave John Kerry just 56 percent of the vote in 2004, a striking 11 point dip.
In ’08, Hotline says Weiner won with 59 percent (which they describe as “limp”), because the Republican was underfunded. A good well-funded candidate, combined with a roasted Weiner, though…? Winning Weiner’s seat is not unthinkable.
And don’t miss the videos of Weiner’s disastrous media tour here
Trending Republican? Perhaps, based on one small poll… but anyway, who would want to sit in Weiner’s seat after his sticky little problem? Blecch!
Let’s not get our hopes up too much that we’ll be saying “Bye, bye Weiner-boy” anytime soon.
Remember–Barney Frank and several other assorted Scuzzballs are still in Congress after all these years.
That is because other ‘Scuzzballs’ vote for them.
And that’s because scuzzballs love tube steak.
Gary Studds was my favorite example. I’m sure the folks in New Bedford, MA, would object to being likened to voters in the Castro in SF, but there it is. Again, you need to know that ‘fyover country’ is, in fact, America. The NW, West Coast, and the biggest cities are all anti-America.
Yes, Peoples Republic of California. We even put Gov Moonbeam back in office! But for Rep Weiner, even his fellow DEMoscum are ready for a little ‘weenie roast’.
Wiener won’t step down, though. Democrats do not do honor.
“If you have no sense of shame, you will have no honor. If you have no sense of honor, you will have no shame. Shame and honor are inextricably linked.” – Me
Well said. The 60s mantra was that shame is bad.
No, having no shame is what is bad.
Mark Malone, thanks for stating the truth. One party is accountable, the other is not. The longer Weiner remains in office, the greater the ‘toxic’ effect he will have on the Democrat brand.
The left doesn’t even question acts like this for their corrosive effect, they don’t ask, “Why don’t our guys behave themselves and at least act as though people outside New York might be watching and judging us?”
These are mere indications as to how far we’ve sunk as a society. Big cities are more susceptible to cultural influences that tear at what once was normal. Kill Normal, kill the Constitution, kill Bill, heck, just kill at will- because that makes you hip and keeps you ahead of the pack, leading toward ‘who knows what’, which likely will be tyranny. Can’t spell tyranny without tranny.
Alana Goodmans’s article in Commentary Contentions suggest that Weiner may weather the storm. The link is here: http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/06/01/weiner-story-may-have-hit-a-wall/
My old district. Weiner is one of the most strident, loud and crass leftist gas-bags in Congress (as Ace calls him, “a noxious anteater”). The end of his political career would be most welcome, however it comes. And if a Republican took the seat (even a RINO) that would be icing on the cake.
When officeholders make fools of themselves in public, there are only to options available to the Party at large. They either double down and defend, or they cut them loose (both to eliminate competition and to save the Party itself further embarassment).
When the officeholder is a Democrat, the Liberal media occationally have a further motivation to participate in bringing him down, because they use it to occasionally “prove” that they are not all that biased after all.
In the case of Wiener, anyone that obsequious and devious can’t be very well-liked by anyone, even privately. No one wants to rush to his defense.
He is about to get sacrificed by the Party to the gods of politics. I’d bet money on it.
What about Barney Frank, and Charley Rangel?
The pipsqueak’s a zionist. I just saw Paul Begala self-consciously yawn. He could have sent out a pic of him molesting a 4 year old and Lawrence O’Donnell would be saying get over it.
Weiner actually has moved his rhetoric to the left in the past six years, since losing the Democratic mayoral primary in 2005, it hopes that by becoming the hyper-partisan red meat-throwing face of the city’s congressional Democrats, he could turn that into an election victory in 2013. Since there are a few other Democrats in NYC who want to be mayor, this scandal’s not going away at the local level.
As far as his future, since the state is losing two congressional seats, it will be interesting to see how that plays out for Anthony in Albany — the state’s congressional lines will in general be moving south due to the loss of population upstate, but if the Democrats want him gone, they can add on sections of Nassau County that also have trended Republican, while if he’s got enough support from state Democrats, they can borrow a few areas from the hyper-safe congressional districts in other parts of the city and move some of his GOP-leaning voters to either join Nassau County or the Bay Ridge-Staten Island districts.
Although I’m registered Republican, I hope Weiner doesn’t lose his seat. From all I’ve seen of him, he’s motivated, nd he’s intellectually honest. He reminds me of Feingold. I’m generally an anti-incumbent voter unless the person in power has impressed me, and, well, Weiner has impressed me.
Warning to my fellow conservatives – Weiner voted against the Patriot Act. That’s a good thing. If we dump him for a Republican, there’s a strong chance the next guy won’t even do that.
You really need to do some homework. You obviously have no clue what it means to be a conservative, or you wouldn’t call yourself one and at the same time be “impressed” by a leftist.
It’s nice that he voted against the Patriot Act, but that alone doesn’t make up for all the rest.
“…thinking over a pleasure to come often gave him a subtler satisfaction than its realisation.” – Newland Archer, The Age of Innocence
Of course he will weather the storm. His fellow Democrats stand mute, as this twerp makes a fool of himself and a mockery of Congress. What a low life. And no one calls him on it? Just how many grown men – those past the age of college frat boys – have crotch shots of themselves? And Weiner is unable to say “with certitude” whether said crotch shot is of his crotch. This sounds like an SNL skit – riotously funny and crass – only it’s for real. The joke is on us. We have morons, with no sense of morality or dignity, sitting in Congress. No wonder we are in such a deep pile of….well, you fill in the blank. Weiner can’t stay away from a camerea or microphone. We will continue to see the travesty as long as the good folk of New York continue to seen him to Congress. What is it with the voters of New York?
Which is it? People past the mentality of college frat boys understand that the two are mutually exclusive.
Apparently, “little Tony” can’t stay away from a camera, either . . .
There is very little stimulus in that package. I am of course talking about the 800 billion ARRA.
Why do we demonize this fool Weeener? Afterall he is just a fool. Whom we should be angry with are the morons that elected him. It is time to take this fight to the people!
It appears that even the lefties hate this guy. I clicked through some of the commie networks looking for the ball game and saw news on a couple of channels, including CNN. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought Weiner was a Republican. They completely ignored the Barney Fwank scandal last week but are going after Weiner like he was, well, Palin.
Let me see if I have it right on behalf of those ‘obsessed’ with this topic. You want these kinds of childish ‘tit-for-tat’ nonsense to continue between each party of congress and throughout government. Some elected official on the GOP side breaking NO laws or congressional specified ethics takes a picture of himself and political pundits create a petty media storm and he resigns. Now its time to get even with the pundits on the dem side who perpetuated that event. Thats government at its finest, ‘manipulated’ through the hands and minds of pundits who have no life of real substance and to much time to waste.
Is this what the American people deserve…..petty ideological pundits, playing childish games, attempting to manipulate governments elected officials lives and service at every turn and further creating superfluous and silly, diversions from the real and serioius issues facing the nation?
On the other hand, if these kinds of petty pundits objective is to overturn or influence a states election of an official representing a particular district by nationalizing some petty action of that official, in hopes of changing a seat to another party….that is corruption at its highest pinnacle! Furthermore, it is contrary to the Constitution, stating such matters of elected congressional officials are left to the states and more specifically, to the people of the respective districts.
Unless public laws and constitutional prescriptions of elected officials are violated, its long past time to knock off these kinds of silliness and stay focused on the real and serious issues facing the nation….all parties, pundits and their following!
Morality in terms of vulgarity is subjective and left by law, to the communities of the state. I know of no state or community that prescribes a simple photograph of a person with their genitalia covered by an article of clothing as vulgar or indecent….be they democrat, republican or any other persuation. Likewise, for the exchanging such images between parties…it violates no laws!
So, your efforts are petty, school yard bully mentality, unsupported by any laws and corruption at its finestest!
You would be right about all that if a congressman couldn’t blow a career by engaging in teen age vulgarities but they can and so you’re not.
Would you care to support your comment? Maybe a relevent legal definition for “teen age vulgarities” would be a fine starting point! Then, maybe explain how it is, that defining an elected officials conduct is your repsonsiblity over that of the congressional ethics process and the people of the congressional district whose responsibility it is to elect and or remove their officials the constitutional way.
The constitution states that the election of federal government officials and more specifically congressional officials is left to the States and the respective districts of the States. That doesn’t mean that you cannot disagree with any elected congressman/womans actions, but it does mean that to try and effect or be a part of an ‘organzed motive and effort’ to circumvent the constitutional and congressional process, is wrong!
For all you know the people of Mr. Weenies district, having been made aware of his actions, may not have a problem with it and if they do they can so advise their parties leadership and the congressional ethics committee with any level of persistence they wish. Otherwise, its nothing more than a 24-hour story for a dead news day.
Seeing the high school picture, Weiner looks like Screech from “Saved by the Bell” Maybe he was watching his video of Jesse in “Showgirls” and tried to text her that he was better endowed than Zach and sent it to the wrong number.
I believe even my beloved Ann Coulter in her column on the Townhall site misunderstood the entire Weiner “tiny stub of a male organ” (her words, not mine) situation.
This is what I think:
Mr. Weiner (hey, Ann, why did you call him “nice”? What’s so nice in his crocodile-like lower jaw?) took a photo of his “small stub” exactly as I would take a photo of my damaged car to prove to the police and insurance that somebody had hit my poor beloved vehicle.
And why did Mr. Croco…oops, sorry, Weiner take a photo? To prove what?
I’ll tell you what.
He now realizes that it’s a shame for a Congressman in the obama* days to have such a “tiny stub of a male organ.”
And he decided to file a complaint against the rabbi who, as we all can now see, botched the circumcision.
And of course, he needed a psychological support from a young girl who may have seen much bigger male organs and therefore could definitely sympathize with Mr. Weiner’s personal tragedy.
That’s why Mr. Weiner didn’t ask for an official FBI-led investigation.
He just asked that Sears girl if she saw somewhere that unprofessional rabbi…
P.S. * the “obama” stands for Organized Bastards And Marxist Agitators
A little pipsqueak, loudmouth, with a name like Weiner, would do anything to make himself look bigger. I have not seen the picture, did it look like an oscar meyer weiner?
Bob Turner ran a fine campaign against Weiner in 2010, whose NY9thCD once again had the lowest turnout – and no one ever followed up on the final vote returns for this contest after all those missing votes from Queens appeared. Turner walked door to door, and made a very positive impression – just could not get past the local media blackout on all NYC congressional contests. That media blackout extended to Weiner’s wedding last summer. The NYT somehow failed to notice a local congressman married Hillary’s muslim staffer at a ceremony officiated by a former president? Not even one sentence in the Metro news.
the 9thCD IS far more conservative than it used to be, but the complexities of not wanting to offend the Dems in Albany make it harder for a GOP win.
As to the redistricting? The ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods of Brooklyn are already gerrymandered to dilute their vote. It is far more likely that Carolyn McCarthy’s Long Island CD will be the one chopped up for the downstate deletion because population growth has all been in the five boroughs.
The NY and national GOP were really stupid in 2010 – barely noticed Michael Grimm while gazing upstate. HALF the registered voters in the five boroughs of NYC do NOT bother to vote, and it isn’t because they are happy liberals. You have no idea how many conservatives register as Democrats solely to vote in the primary.
The NY GOP has got to stop being a two-man party (Giuliani and Pataki) and stop believing that NY is deep blue.
just to clarify – I vote in Engel’s NY17th, but followed the 2010 congressional contests downstate very closely, especially Weiner’s NY9th and all of Long Island, because I know the demographics well, and was looking for signs of GOP life outside NY1.
Don’t bet that Weiner is toast. Bill Clinton wasn’t, neither was Arnold S,etc, despite overwhelming evidence. If sexual dalliance was verboten in Washington, surely Barney Frank would have been canned for getting his lover boy, Herb Moses, a cushy boss’s job at Fannie Mae despite his utter lack of experience, beyond gay sex, and notably, in financial mgt.