The Democratic dominoes are starting to fall for embattled Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY). Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA), who serves among the leadership of the DCCC, told Politico Wednesday afternoon that it's time for Weiner to go. Schwartz' office confirmed the news to TPM.
As Wednesday evening went on, more Democrats joined the Weiner resignation bandwagon. Sen. Patrick Leahy (VT) and Reps. Nikki Tsongas (MA) and Joe Donnelly (IN) called on Weiner to step down from Congress, as did Reps. Mike Michaud (ME), Mike Ross (AR) and Larry Kissell (NC).
Most of these guys are Blue Dogs who can kiss my black ass and aren't worthy of attention, but Patrick Leahy calling on Weiner to go is a major blow. Leahy is one of the big voices on the D side, and he doesn't speak out unless he feels it's damn important, he's been in the game forever. If Weiner has lost someone of Leahy's level this publicly, he's in serious trouble among his colleagues.
And did I mention Weiner's wife is pregnant?
Tuesday night I would have told you Weiner would survive this. Now I'm not nearly as sure. Do I think it's fair that Weiner is getting pummeled while David Vitter is still a Senator? Of course not, as Rachel Maddow discusses with all people, Michael Steele.
But again, it's one thing for knuckleheads like Reince Preibus and Eric Cantor to defend David Vitter and let him get away with it. It's another thing entirely to have Patrick Leahy not defend Anthony Weiner.
Maybe I'm going to burn for this, but Anthony Weiner is being held to a higher standard than the Republican party, and while that's unfair that he's being held to that, I'm having difficulty saying it's completely 100% a bad thing to be held to a higher standard than the Republicans.
Even the Village is admitting there's a double standard here.
"This is a massive overreaction and I don't understand it," said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
Sloan pointed to the recent ethics case of another New York congressman, Charles Rangel, as an example of the double standard being pushed by some Democrats for Weiner.
The House Ethics Committee found Rangel -- the former chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, which writes the nation's tax laws -- guilty of improper fundraising, inappropriate possession of multiple rent-controlled apartments and failure to pay taxes on a vacation home, among other charges.
"There were very few calls on Rangel to resign and he was censured of serious misconduct involving his office – really serious things that had potential for criminal charges," Sloan said. "We don't have anything remotely like that in the Weiner case."
Sloan explained that the mounting pressure on Weiner may stem in part from the early precedent set by House Speaker John Boehner when, at the first sign of sexual misconduct, he urged Reps. Mark Souder (R, Ind.) and Chris Lee (R, N.Y.) to resign, even though their behavior didn't appear to involve any abuse of their office.
"A lot of people really hate Weiner, too," she said, referring to Weiner's colleagues in the House, some of whom are said to have been rankled by his personality and frequent media appearances.
So yes, there's a legitimate argument that Democrats should hold Anthony Weiner to a higher standard of conduct. And yes, Republicans Chris Lee and Mark Souder both resigned after making similar mistakes, and I wasn't sorry to see either of them go. I think the argument that Weiner should resign over this is outweighed by the circumstances, but I really can't see myself disagreeing anymore with those who are calling for him to step down.
And especially in the light that Democrats are bringing attention to anti-woman legislation from the GOP, Weiner may find himself without a chair to sit in when the music stops.
We'll see how this turns out.
[UPDATE] Anthony Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, says her husband will remain in Congress. She is currently traveling with Secretary of State Clinton on her latest trip to the Middle East.
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