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Weinergate: Weiner's Wiener Problem Hard To Forget, Harder To Let Go
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 2, 2011
Modified Jun 2, 2011
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 2, 2011
Modified Jun 2, 2011
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Rep. Anthony Weiner told reporters this morning that he was "desperately" hoping to get back to work as a Congressman today: “This prank has apparently been successful. After almost 11 hours of answering questions, any that anyone wanted to put, today I'm going to have to get back to work doing the job that I'm paid to do.” But just because he isn't talking about it doesn't mean that everyone else has stopped talking, gossiping and joking about the strange ongoing saga that is Weinergate.
House Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor became the first member of House leadership to comment on the incident: “I think the American people are sick of seeing their elected officials tied up in the scandals like this. My advice would be to come clean and clear it up. I mean, perhaps he’s trying, but I know there’s a lot of explaining going on without a lot of clarity.”
All that explaining certainly isn't helping his political cachet right now—the Times spoke with several political analysts who weighed in on Weiner's political future. David S. Birdsell, dean of the Baruch College School of Public Affairs, warned that even if it turns out Weiner was telling the truth about not tweeting the crotch shot, the issue could “begin to frame a narrative about Weiner’s response to challenges to his behavior and integrity.”
And according to Politico, the vultures are circling Weiner, even among his NY Democratic colleagues. As a result, his formerly bright hopes for a 2013 mayoral run are looking duller and duller as Weinergate drags on:
Weiner’s flat refusal to engage may or may not serve him well in Washington’s totally partisan environment, in which Democrats will defend him, and Republicans attack him, as usual. Back in New York, meanwhile, allies of his rivals - former comptroller William Thompson, Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Democrats all - are licking their chops.
“This is New York - he’s in deep doo-doo when it comes to future aspirations,” said a pleased adviser to one of his rivals. “You’ve got every enemy of his, and interested political reporters, all digging, because there’s something too weird about this.”
If you are still confused by all the alleged events on Twitter surrounding Weiner's alleged penis pic, you can checkout a full Twitter timeline of those tweets here. For a look at why some believe Weiner when he says his social networking was hacked, check out some articles about anatomical Blackberry tweeting and the ease of hacking yfrog.
Huffington Post has a breakdown of all the awkward interviews Weiner has given since the story broke—they conclude that although Weiner was consistent in terms of his major points (he didn't send the photo, he was hacked, people like making "weiner" jokes), he had too many head-scratch inducing moments to ignore, such as his already-infamous defense, "You know, I can't say with certitude."
And it is on that last point that people are having the most fun: Politico reporter Jennifer Epstein tweeted, "couldn't Weiner put on some gray shorts, get to the same, uh, level, and then take a photo and compare?" If the shorts don't fit, you must acquit? And then there's Stephen Colbert, who has been having a lot of fun with the statement—he has been vigorously tweeting random pictures (everything from balloon ties to his own tie to whatever this is) with the text, "I cannot say with certitude that this is not part of my body"—just like he did when Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl gave his infamous "was not intended to be a factual statement" statement.
Tagged
anthony weiner
certitude
crotch shot
weinergate
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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