It's hard to imagine that not long ago Weiner was one of the bright stars in the Democratic Party. He certainly was one of my favorite representatives in the House. His firebrand style of legislating was a force to be reckoned with. He earned the respect of his colleagues and was feared by his adversaries. When the Democrats lost the House in the 2010 midterms, the conventional wisdom was that Weiner would at least keep the fire lit. As progressives, we were counting on him to put up the good fight and mitigate what we all knew was going to be pretty significant flack from the right.
What we didn't count on was that Weiner's career would end in disgrace in June of 2011 after it was revealed that he sent lewd photos of himself on his Twitter account. There is no way of knowing what Weiner's presence might've meant to House Democrats during the heated debt-ceiling debate that summer. But this much is certain; the void he left behind still has not been filled.
And while I'm not one to scoff at redemption, it's clear that Weiner has not learned anything from his fall from grace. Just this week, it was revealed that the former congressman and New York mayoral candidate tweeted yet more lewd photos of himself within the last year.
I say this will all due respect: Anthony Weiner doesn't need a job as mayor, he needs a 12-step meeting and fast.
Standing with his wife at a press conference, Weiner seemed oblivious not only to the seriousness of his actions, but to the gravity of his situation.
"I have posited this whole campaign on a bet, and that is that, at the end of the day, citizens are more interested in the challenge they face in their lives than in anything that I have done, embarrassing, in my past."
What has happened to Anthony Weiner is tragic and sad. But the only thing that could be sadder would be if he were to actually win this election and become New York's next mayor. His supporters may point to Mark Sanford as justification for backing him. I would say two wrongs do not a right make.
I feel sorry for him. He is obviously sick and I'm praying he comes to his senses, drops out of the race and gets the help he desperately needs, if not for his sake, then for the sake of his wife - who looked shell shocked at the press briefing - and his family.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/07/24/pressure-mounts-on-anthony-weiner-to-quit-nyc-mayoral-race-after-sexting/#ixzz2a0V07Gcj
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