Self-Inflicted Weiner Damage

It's pretty amazing how quickly even the blogs on our side are washing their hands of Anthony Weiner.  Mistermix at Balloon Juice:

As we watch Nancy Pelosi and Steve Israel beat the Wenis into a bloody pulp, consider this: Weiner’s district is a D+5 District in Brooklyn and Queens. It was previously represented by Schumer and Ferraro (in her prime, before she was reduced to ugly PUMA racism). Though it’s mainly white and older, it has an above-average percentage of college-educated residents, a much higher-than-average percentage (40%) of foreign-born residents, and whole bunch of traditionally Democratic Jewish voters.

In other words, NY-9 has been an incubator for quality Democratic politicians, and if Weiner quits at the end of his term, it’s pretty likely that another quality Democrat, hopefully with a little better Twitter-fu, will take his place. This isn’t NY-29, where Eric Massa’s extraordinary two-cycle race garnered an against-all-odds win in a tough R+5 district, and Massa’s resignation almost guaranteed a turnover. A Republican hasn’t represented NY-9 since 1923, so it’s pretty easy for leadership to push Weiner under the bus without thinking twice.

Right.  Because it's been so effing easy to find outspoken, passionate advocates with a spine on the Democratic side.  We'll just get another one, New York is apparently pregnant with them.

Look, I've had my problems with Weiner before, mainly on his eagerness to go after the President on Israel whenever possible.  But on the balance of the whole I'd rather have Anthony Weiner in the House than say, Heath Shuler or any number of his Blue Dog pals.  The situation in Washington  for progressives won't improve if we drop actual working, advocating, effective legislators because they don't meet the puritanical standards of the DC political press corps.

Weiner did lie.  I'm angry at the guy, I spent more than a few columns defending the guy and I feel like something of a fool for doing so.  I learned a major lesson.  I hope he has too.  That's a big, huge mark on his record and he will have to face the voters on that.

But if we let Weiner go under and say "We'll find somebody else in the future" then why should anyone in the House on the donks side stick their necks out and make noise about anything when they not only know the GOP will target them, but that they also know that we won't support them, either?

That's exactly what the right wants:  pliable, scared Democrats that believe they can't count on their base to back them up.  Why should they be "fierce advocates" of anything in that case?

And it's not like the other side hasn't done much worse and gotten away scot free, without even the heartfelt apologies that Weiner made in his too long press breakdown.  If only tweeted junk pictures were involved in Darrel Issa's case.

Weiner was targeted, and the GOP figures we'll do their dirty work for them.  Hell, guys like Ed Schultz are glad to comply.

So let's get all emo about Weiner while the GOP plans to destroy Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, our environment, science, and our economy in order to obtain and maintain political power.  Time to find some goddamn perspective, people.