Weiner learns that few people know you when you’re down and out
Have you noticed how few Democrats are standing by their man Anthony Weiner? The NY Times has noticed.
Weiner may have calculated, from observing the loyalty most Democrats showed Bill Clinton during his impeachment crisis, that he would likewise retain allies. But in this regard—as in so many others—Weiner may have miscalculated. Being a New York Congressman from the 9th District is not quite the same as being president.
And then there’s the little matter of personal popularity. Weiner may have overestimated his:
Expressions of support from Democrats, many of whom have long grumbled about Mr. Weiner’s chest-thumping, go-it-alone style, were conspicuously scant.
Making others look like fools and dupes for defending you doesn’t usually enhance your standing in their eyes, either. It’s not just Weiner’s wife whom he betrayed; it’s everyone else whom he allowed to stick up for him while he lied through his teeth.
In a delicate irony, some of the angriest may be those who’ve already been there—on the perp side:
One of Mr. Weiner’s most emotional apologies was delivered to former President Bill Clinton, who officiated at his wedding in July and is extremely close with the congressman’s wife, Huma Abedin, an aide to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The Clintons are deeply unhappy about the situation and with Mr. Weiner, people who had been told of their thinking said. Mr. Clinton declined to comment.
And then there’s this video, where Joan Walsh probably speaks for many when she says that in defending Weiner she looks “kind of stupid,” as well as Harry Reid’s tight-lipped refusal to help Weiner.
Weiner might start singing this song sometime soon:
The difference in position – President vs. Representative – cuts both ways.
I suspect that the major difference is that Clinton is an engaging, lovable-type scalawag, whereas merely watching one YouTube clip of Weiner makes clear he is a first-class a-hole. Probably lots of Dems are secretly thrilled at his contretemps.
Weiner has made enemies with his tactics including his surreptitious seeding of the Brooklyn city council district # 48 with leaflets right after the Crown Heights riots in August 1991. The leaflets encouraged voters to think that his opponent had links with Mayor Dinkens, who, it was charged, refused to properly protect whites.
And something even more essential than tactics presents: Even though Weiner is as liberal as they come, I don’t underestimate the Antisemitism of the Left, a large portion of which has reason to detest Weiner.
What Occam said. As Occam said, Bill Clinton is a likable salawag. Who would you rather schmooze with at a bar? Bill Clinton or Weiner? No contest there.
While atttack dogs like Weiner are useful to one’s cause, very few people really like them, because attack dogs can turn on you.
I liked Harry Reid’s remark when asked what advice he would give Weiner if he called. Dingy Harry said he would tell him to call somebody else.
Being President means being the de facto leader of the party.
Beside, Occam is on to something. If you recall back to the days when Jim Wright was Speaker of the House, he ruled with an iron fist. But the problem with that is you make a lot of people angry with you. And when some relatively junior member of the House decides to file an ethics complaint, you find yourself lacking friends…
Clinton was in his second term as POTUS. By standing by Bill, the left was standing by Gore for the 2000 election. At that point, the left had no downside to standing with Bill.
I don’t think it is that the left loved Bill. They loved that he “showed Gingrich the back door”, and won the early budget fights, and banned “assault rifles”. And they loved his popularity with moderates. But there is much they didn’t love.
Neo,
The breadth of your music knowledge never ceases to amaze me. Otis Redding is special, indeed. B.B. King has a nice version, but Redding’s is as good as it gets.