Former representative Anthony Weiner, who resigned in disgrace in 2011 after lying about sending illicit sexting messages to a number of women, has formally announced his candidacy for Mayor of New York.
Weiner did so by way of a video that was posted in the early hours of the morning.
“Look, I made some big mistakes,” he says in the video. “And I know I let a lot of people down. But I’ve also learned some tough lessons. I’m running for mayor because I’ve been fighting for the middle class and those struggling to make it my entire life. And I hope I get a second chance to work for you.”
The NY Post reports that the video was actually supposed to be released later in the day.
The video — which came out just a few days short of the second anniversary of the day Weiner tweeted a sext of his bulging undies — ends with a logo: “Anthony Weiner for Mayor.”
Sources told The Post that the oddly timed video was legitimate, but that campaign staffers intended for the announcement to come out later today.
The video was posted on a campaign Web site and was then taken down, and then put back up. It also could be seen on YouTube.
But not everyone believes Weiner deserves a second chance.
The Daily Beast was out Tuesday with a scathing article on Weiner’s character flaws that go well beyond his creepy sexting habit.
Here’s a guy who regularly condescended to every member of Congress but whose intellectual talents were such that he originally aspired to be a weatherman. In Congress, he was the political equivalent of a minor celebrity, famous mostly for being famous: in 12 years, he was the lead sponsor of one bill. He narrowly won his first race, for a seat on the New York City Council, after anonymously sending voters race-baiting fliers. That’s never a pretty sight, but considering he did it immediately after the Crown Heights riots, it puts him in the same slime bucket where anti-Semitic tax cheat Al Sharpton wallows.
The article also highlighted examples of Weiner’s hypocrisy.
Right before he resigned from Congress, Weiner took time from his sexting hobby to go after Clarence Thomas and his wife. Writing on his blog, he ripped into Justice Thomas for failing to disclose that Virginia Thomas, a private citizen, worked at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. (Everyone in Washington knew Thomas’s wife worked at Heritage—that being part of the point of her being hired—and Thomas amended the financial disclosure forms.)
Okay. But then The New York Times uncovers that Weiner’s wife —a State Department employee working as Hillary Clinton’s chief of staff—is getting paid handsomely on the side for consulting with private clients and not reporting it. That’s an abuse of public trust. […]
Right now Anthony Weiner is trying to build a future based on money taken from people he fooled. That’s called a scam. I don’t know if Weiner deserves better, but New York sure does.
Forgiveness from the electorate may take time. At a candidate forum on Wednesday morning that Mr. Weiner did not attend, there were ample reminders of his precarious place in the mayor’s race and the difficulty he may face winning over skeptics.
“I have two daughters. I wouldn’t vote for him,” said David Pollack, an attendee who runs a taxi industry trade group and speaks frequently with politicians in New York.
His nascent campaign has struggled to attract marquee political strategists, as it has faced the rejection of many potential recruits and instead hired Danny Kedem, a 30-year-old with little experience in New York, as a campaign manager.
“Secretary Clinton knows all of the candidates, she has worked with many of them, and is close with many of them, so won’t be weighing in one way or the other,” Hillary Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said in a statement to POLITICO.Likewise, Bill Clinton spokesman Matt McKenna said, “President Clinton has too many friends in this race who have been good to him and his family. He wishes them all well, but won’t be getting involved.”
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Comments
Well, he’s gained big league experience in behaving like an idiot and lying about it afterward, and you’d expect in the future he’ll know better how to get away with it, how to cover up his crap, therefore he’s more than ready for a top-level NY/NYC government position.
What a great candidate for mayor of NYC. Better jump on this, citizens.
Absolutely nothing that New Yorkers might do would surprise me.
The campaign ads should be awesome!
Sometimes it’s the little things that keep us from going off the deep end.
Funny, all the things that he states are wrong with NYC have come about are because of liberal policies. Even ones that cannot be touched by the mayor. Remember the outcry when Giuliani decided to clean up the city and make it more hospitable to tourism? Wiener’s list of what ails the city seems to be a plea for conservatism.
Aww come on, NYC. Be His Bun..
Like how much worse could this dude be, then/than (pick one) Bloomin’ Idiot?
The guy can’t manage a twitter account but he is going to manage the city of New York? If New York can’t find someone better than the Weiner, heaven help them. Partisanship aside, the guy has no credible claim he is qualified to run a city as vital as New York. He was a grandiose Congressman who loved to give the crazy soundbite MSNBC audience members crave. Alan Grayson has a more credible claim to that office as he at least ran a company in the private sector. Weiner could only match Grayson in the crazy soundbite competition.
It’s been quite a while since New York had a Dem mayor and it was looking like this was the election to change that. I would bet the R’s are thrilled he has entered the race. This should be quite entertaining if nothing else.
After all these years of pompous, whiny lecturing from Nanny Bloomberg, how refreshing would it be to have an ALL-NEW New York with Anthony “Baby, Look At My” Weiner?
Campaign slogan: “The Big Apple Wants My Worm”
The Official Mayoral Tweet Line alone would be worth it.
And his wife’s close connections to the Muslim Brotherhood and jihadis would “let the healing begin” as NYC forgets 9/11 and embraces sharia law.
Yes, if the City would do that to itself, who else could it blame. But then, they loved Bloomie, too, so who can say?
“The Big Apple Wants My Worm”
LOL. You owe me a new monitor.
Alternate slogan:
VOTE WEINER – SIZE MATTERS!
The Teachers Union picks NY City Mayors. Bloomberg was consumed by them, at one point bragged about alleged improved test scores which were later found to be faked by teachers and administrators. Then you have the global warming industry which is run by billionaires. That was Bloomberg’s main reason for wanting to be Mayor. He was key in a Mayors against global warming group that got billions from Obama stimulus. The NYC council is trying to pass a law allowing the many NYC illegal immigrants to vote as well.
Just a word of warning to our friends in New York. Just as the Obama Administration is demonstrating daily, character does matter. It matters very much!
Will wiener make the trains run on time?
They get what they deserve if they vote him in.
I agree with texan59 with an additional side of Schadenfreude. After all, it is not like New York City has anything in common with America any more.
Subotai Bahadur
What is it about this pervert that warrants a second peek? (Pun intended.)
What has this putz (no pun intended) ever accomplished to warrant his being the mayoral candidate even if no psychologically disturbing incidents of his repeatedly exposing his genitals occurred? The answer is, nothing.
If NY elects him, NY deserves him.
The man proved he is a pervert. If that’s the kind of guy New Yorkers want, that’s their bed to lie in. It may also show that the citizens of NY are perverts also.