The Week: Most Recent Democratic Party:"Weinergate"

Can Anthony Weiner make a comeback?

The Week — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 12:57:00 -0400

Former congressman Anthony Weiner, who resigned over an embarrassing sexting scandal last year, is reportedly considering a bid to return to elected office. Ignoring analysis from some political experts who say the incident was a career-ending implosion, Weiner has been contacting local power brokers and his own former staffers to discuss a comeback, possibly with a run for mayor of New York City. Weiner, once considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, still has the support of his wife, Huma Abedin, a high-ranking aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Could Weiner really claw his way...

Should Anthony Weiner help choose his successor?

The Week — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:52:00 -0400

The New York Post is reporting that disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), who resigned two weeks ago after a sexting scandal spawned a media circus, is now hoping to have a hand in picking his successor. He's reportedly reached out to Queens party chairman Joe Crowley to discuss the matter, and has also contacted a number of possible politicians who might want to run. A special election for the seat will be held September 13, and while local party leaders will choose the candidates, Weiner is reportedly angling to "play a role" in that selection process. Is Weiner's attempt at playing...

5 lessons from 'Weinergate'

The Week — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:29:00 -0400

The news media has gone from obsessively asking when Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) would resign his House seat to obsessively extracting "lessons" from the weeks-long sex scandal that involved no sex. In fact, says Kathy Riordan in Salon, "if you were inclined to Google 'lessons' and 'Weinergate' this week you'd find enough to complete your summer reading." To make it easier, here are just five key takeaways from Weinergate:

1. The media has hit a new low
Weinergate "demanded so much media oxygen," says Chris Cillizza in The Washington Post, that "virtually every other political story shrunk...

Anthony Weiner's 'cringe-inducing' resignation

The Week — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:50:00 -0400

The video: Nearly three weeks after he set off a sexting scandal by accidentally tweeting a photo of his bulging underwear, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) resigned Thursday, saying he had hoped to stay on but "unfortunately, the distraction that I have created has made that impossible." (Watch Weiner's announcement below.) In a brief appearance at the same senior center in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, where he first announced his run for New York's City Council in 1991, the congressman again apologized to his constituents, and to his wife, Huma Abedin, who reportedly convinced him to step down. (Abedin...

Anthony Weiner's resignation: Did he have any other choice?

The Week — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:24:00 -0400

Sext-scandal-plagued Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) will announce his resignation Thursday afternoon, according to The New York Times. Weiner reportedly came to his decision after lengthy conversations with his wife, Huma Abedin, who recently returned from a trip with her boss, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Given the rising tide of criticism, with Democratic leaders calling for his resignation and planning to strip him of his congressional committee assignments, did the New York Democrat have any other choice but to step down?

Weiner had to resign: "I'm generally of the view that...

Should the press be paying for sleazy Anthony Weiner photos?

The Week — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 13:51:00 -0400

Ann Coulter wasn't trying to be literal when she congratulated ABC News for "owning" the Anthony Weiner lewd-tweeting story, says Poynter media ethicist Julie Moos. But ABC did buy its scoop interview with Weiner sexting partner Meagan Broussard, "in the form of a 'licensing fee'" for her damning photos of Weiner. Paying for interviews and photos is common in Britain, and for U.S. tabloids, but has long been frowned on by America's more reputable news organizations. Now ABC and NBC News are defending "checkbook journalism" as a necessary evil. Should the press really pay people for their...

The 'bizarre' underwear-clad Anthony Weiner doll

The Week — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 11:23:00 -0400

The image: Who knew "Weinergate" could be so profitable? The sexting scandal surrounding humiliated Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) has spawned Weiner-themed condoms, T-shirts, and, now, an "anatomically correct" action figure. HeroBuilders — the same Connecticut company that produced the "Rambama" Obama Navy SEAL doll — is now selling two versions of an Anthony Weiner action figure. (See the photos below.) Both dolls sport a white T-shirt and boxer shorts branded with the phrase "Tweet This." One, however, is a "Ken" version, while the other "comes fully equipped with a crotch bulge....

Can rehab save Anthony Weiner's career?

The Week — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 09:22:00 -0400

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) must have misplaced his "Scandal Management Handbook," says E.J. Dionne in The Washington Post: When caught, "fess up immediately" then "go into treatment and disappear for a while." Weiner eventually took the latter piece of advice — though he waited more than two weeks after his sexting scandal broke — checking into a psychiatric facility for undisclosed treatment on Saturday. But that didn't stop a swarm of top Democrats, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, from urging Weiner to resign. Will the rehab "'Hail Mary' pass" allow...

When did America begin its 'decadent' decline? 4 theories

The Week — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:30:00 -0400

"At what point do we decide that a political system has become decadent?" asks Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne. For Dionne, America lost its last shreds of dignity and restraint a la ancient Rome during the media "circus" over Rep. Anthony Weiner's (D-N.Y.) sexting scandal. Others believe our tipping point came earlier. Here, four alternate events that signaled our point of no return:

1. The outsourcing spree (1990s)
"Americans' addiction to entertainment," be it sex scandals or reality TV, is our version of the "bread and circuses" that lulled underworked Romans into decline, ...

'Weinergate': Winners and losers

The Week — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 09:33:00 -0400

Things aren't getting any easier for busted sexter Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.). He faces a House ethics investigation, several Democrats are calling for him to resign, and a decidedly not-safe-for-work photo, allegedly of Weiner, made its way onto the web, after a now-"mortified" Andrew Breitbart shared it with two camera-wielding shock jocks. Still, not everyone involved in this scandal took a beating. Here, a brief look at some winners and losers:

WINNERS

Andrew Breitbart
The "big winner" in this loser-filled scandal is Breitbart, says Rupert Cornwell at The Independent. Taking down Weiner...

Anthony Weiner and the 'ewww' factor

The Week — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:36:00 -0400

Ewww.

I hate to open on such an inelegant note, but when the word of the week is "Weinergate," how else to start? "Yuck," "ick," "you've got to be kidding," "not again," "his poor wife," and "how can anyone be so stupid?" just don't seem to fully capture it.

Not that the present national mood of revulsion vis-a-vis power and prurience should be blamed solely upon the distinguished gentleman from Oscar Meyer. On the contrary: Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) would appear to exhibit by far the mildest strain yet seen in the alarming outbreak of toxic crotch syndrome that is now imperiling...

Anthony Weiner and other pols ruined by sex scandals: A slideshow

The Week — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:20:00 -0400

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) is being hounded by calls to resign in the wake of his "Weinergate" sexting scandal, and even if he hangs on to his congressional seat, his long-held dream of becoming mayor of New York City seems dashed for good. But Weiner's no pioneer when it comes to political sex scandals. Inappropriately lustful statesmen have suffered irreparable damage throughout American history. Here are eight.

Can Anthony Weiner survive?

The Week — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 09:12:00 -0400

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) says he won't resign over his sexting scandal, but the jury is still out on whether he has much choice in the matter. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has formally requested a House ethics investigation of Weiner's conduct, and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and other top Republicans have called on him to resign. Even Tim Kaine, the former head of the Democratic National Committee, says Weiner should step down. New York City voters, meanwhile, are almost evenly split on the issue. What are the odds Weiner stays in Congress?

It looks pretty grim...

'Weinergate': Vindication for Andrew Breitbart?

The Week — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:10:00 -0400

Conservative pot-stirrer Andrew Breitbart demanded an apology Monday from supporters of Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), saying they wrongly accused him of inventing the "Weingergate" sexting scandal to damage a prominent Democrat. Moments later, Weiner held a news conference, and tearfully confessed that he had sent lewd photos of himself to women he met online, and that some of the "inappropriate" exchanges took place after his marriage 11 months ago. Many have questioned Breitbart's integrity after he allegedly stretched the truth in both the ACORN and Shirley Sherrod scandals. Does Weiner's confession...

What's next for Anthony Weiner? 5 predictions

The Week — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 09:45:00 -0400

Congress now has its first full-fledged sexting scandal, featuring Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) and the half dozen women with whom he traded sexually explicit photos and text messages over the last three years. During Weiner's half-hour "apology-fest" press conference on Monday, he insisted that he will not step down. So, what does the future hold for the humbled New York Democrat? Here, five predictions:

1. Weiner will get a date with House ethics investigators
A "deeply disappointed and saddened" House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has already called for the House Ethics...

Anthony Weiner's emotional mea culpa: Will it be enough?

The Week — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:50:00 -0400

The video: Finally, the truth comes out. In an emotional press conference Monday, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) admitted to online relationships with six women over the last three years. (See the video below.) Though Weiner has been hounded by reporters for more than a week over a crotch shot of a man's bulging underwear sent from his Twitter account to a Seattle coed, he's repeatedly insisted a hacker was responsible. But on Monday, more inappropriate photos and damning claims surfaced, and Weiner came clean. "I have made terrible mistakes that have hurt the people that I cared about the most,...