Weiner As Dark Horse For Mayor

Today's NY Times Democratic mayoral hopeful profile of Congressman Anthony Weiner (the last one in the set of four) portrays him as "scrappy," "stumbling," and a possible "dark horse." It also mentions Weiner's "rough and tumble" Park Slope youth (we suppose it was rough and tumble thirty some years ago, versus the Starbucks and Barnes and Noble Babyville it is now... still, Gothamist would prefer to say "down at the heels"), not getting into Stuyvesant, and how Senator Schumer Weiner to run for Congress in Brooklyn and not Florida. An interesting quote occurs when the Times suggests that Weiner has been "frustrated" in Congress (his "does not have a long list of significant legislative achievements"):

"I frankly in some degree have found my voice as a member of the minority party with Bush in the White House. When you are the 200th person following the president's coalition, like I was to some degree in my first term under Clinton, to some degree you're a foot soldier. When you're a third-termer or a fourth-termer in the minority party, it's much more entrepreneurial. You kind of have to think a little bit about how you're going to approach the job, and I think I really found my voice."

What do you know, there is some benefit to Bush in the White House! And of course, no article about Weiner is complete without mention of the Vanity Fair article that implied he was romancing Beltway babes by saying he was "Anthony, an auto parts salesman." One thing is for sure: If Weiner were Mayor Weiner, it would be a funnier administration...though we're not sure that's a mandate.

In the meantime, the Times reports there's a mystery as to who may have commissioned poll canvassers to imply Fernando Ferrer, the Democratic mayoral candidate in the lead, has been "divisive" and was "handpicked by a political boss" to the be the Bronx Borough President. It'd be easy to assume Mayor Bloomberg, but, really, any of the other other Democratic candidates would have motive to make sure Ferrer wouldn't be able to get the 40% of the vote during the primary. For more about the Democratic candidates, check out Newsday's guide.

Photograph from Anthony Weiner's campaign website; Weiner does have the best signs