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Anthony Weiner Talks Israel, Finance Reform, "Weiner" Jokes On Reddit
By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 24, 2011
Modified Mar 24, 2011
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 24, 2011
Modified Mar 24, 2011
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In honor of the one-year anniversary of Obamacare passing yesterday, Rep. Anthony Weiner decreed it, "Ask Me Shit On Social Media Day." And more than anywhere else, he was inundated with questions on Reddit, in a thread which got more than 4000 comments by the end of the day. Some tough issues were addressed, some "weiner" jokes were made, and there were no awkward moments regarding his alleged mayoral aspirations. Here's a sampling of some of his responses to those hard-hitting questions on Israel, healthcare, his fear of The Count from Sesame Street, and bike lane jokes gone wrong:
On his "unconditional support" of Israel:
i dont think i let anyone slide - including my own beloved nation. but i proceed with a set of values that leads me to support Israel strongly: i support democracies. i support nations that have thriving debate and press freedoms. i support nations that respect women. and i support nations that support the rule of law.
Israel is not perfect. but they are surrounded by violent enemies.
the plight of the Palestinians is untenable. i pray for two states living side by side in peace. but that can happen only through negotiation.
He also discussed the differences between Democrats and Republicans:
my colleagues are mostly good and honorable people but the gop has a fundamentally different view of the world than I. i see the disparity of income and the pressures on the vanishing middle class and i line up to help those struggling. im a democrat.
they line up to defend the status quo and the winners in the deals. they are Republicans.
Weiner said he was against a long term extension of the Patriot Act, and "certainly against a permanent extension." He said that he thought President Obama is "doing a great job leading the nation and an average job leading our fight. i think when the president looks out his window he sees a cacophony of disparate voices shouting at each other and feels the need to quietly pursue the best deal for the american people." He went on to criticize the President for compromising too much, and for not coming to congress before taking action against Libya; he also said he regretted his own great compromise, voting for the Iraq War.
On the subject of "weiner" jokes, he said:
i heard my last original weiner gag in the 5th grade. "vote for weiner, he'll be frank" (thank you. please tip your waitresses)
About his controversial bike lane quote, he said it was a joke-gone-wrong: "first it was a joke. but it make the story because we now have open and unnecessary warfare over bike lanes. its a false choice : bike lanes and true civic planning." Someone brought up Weiner's sardonic Click and Clack speech, and jokingly asked if he would fight to take away funding from Sesame Street, "a show about street hoodlums and cookie junkies." He responded: "I am so with you brother. do we really think that thing that lives in a trash can isnt a freak out to our children? and the vampire that counts stuff?! im scared just talking about it."
To the question of campaign finance reform, he said:
it is the foundation of so much of what ails the nation today.
the supreme court has become an outgrowth of the pro business wing of the gop. we need a couple of things fast : transparency and improved rights of investors to stop public companies from crash landing on political campaigns.
im a middle class guy. if we dont have public financing soon, congress will have no more weiners. uh, let me rephrase that...
Weiner added that he'd keep reading through the thread, and return on Friday to "answer the top 5 upvoted questions via video." So if you have any burning questions for a future mayoral candidate who seems to understand how best to use social media, post your question here.
Tagged
anthony weiner
bike lanes
healthcare
israel
questions
social media
weiner jokes
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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