Anger at Obama: The Race to Succeed Anthony Weiner

[amborin]

In the Race to Succeed Weiner, a Surprising Anger at Obama

snip

Instead, the race has become something far more unsettling to Democrats: a referendum on the president and his party that is highlighting the surprisingly raw emotions of the electorate.

National Democrats, alarmed by a poll that showed the contest far closer than anticipated, are privately fretting that even a close outcome in a working-class swath of Brooklyn and Queens may foreshadow broader troubles for the party in 2012.

snip

On paper, Mr. Weprin seems like a sturdy candidate; he is the former chairman of the City Council’s Finance Committee and the son of an Assembly speaker. His message seems tailor-made for the district: he promises to protect Medicare and raise taxes only on the super-rich.

snip

“The issue defining this race,” said Robert Zimmerman, a member of the Democratic National Committee from New York, “is the confidence that the electorate has in this district about the national Democratic agenda.”

snip

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/22/nyregion/for-weiner-seat-gop-hopes-for-upset.html?ref=politics

[xchrom]

1. invisible rec. nt

[WI_DEM]

2. yeah but look at the second paragraph where a "democrat" wants to cut spending and medicaid

But it was there that Dale Weiss, a 64-year-old Democrat, approached the Republican running for Congress in a special election and, without provocation, blasted the president for failing to tame runaway federal spending. “We need to cut Medicaid,” she declared, “but he won’t do that.” She shook her head in disgust. “He is a moron.”


Certainly the GOP candidate had known he would have a NY Times reporter tagging along--I wouldn't be surprised if that person was a plant.

BTW, this district is not hugely liberal, though it is democratic. It's an Archie Bunker type district.

[whathehell]

12. She's probably a plant. n/t

[MannyGoldstein]

3. I am reminded daily on DU that this is impossible

That our President is loved broadly and deeply, beyond the fringe Teabaggers and Firebaggers. The Times is clearly in a league with FDL, stirring up poop.

[whathehell]

14. Heh heh. n/t

[ProSense]

4. "'We need to cut Medicaid,' she declared"

Of all the places to hear fulminations against President Obama, one of the least expected is the corner of 71st Avenue and Queens Boulevard, in the heart of a Congressional district that propelled Democrats like Geraldine A. Ferraro, Charles E. Schumer and Anthony D. Weiner to Washington.

But it was there that Dale Weiss, a 64-year-old Democrat, approached the Republican running for Congress in a special election and, without provocation, blasted the president for failing to tame runaway federal spending. “We need to cut Medicaid,” she declared, “but he won’t do that.” She shook her head in disgust. “He is a moron.”

After nodding approvingly for a time, the Republican candidate, Bob Turner, signaled for an assistant to cut off Ms. Weiss. Frustration with Mr. Obama is so widespread, he explained later, that he tries to limit such rants to about 30 seconds, or else they will consume most of his day.

“It’s endemic in the district,” Mr. Turner said. “You can’t stop them once they get started.”

<...>

Nice RW article!

[WI_DEM]

6. Exactly--probably a plant since the GOP candidate had a NY Times reporter with him.

[daa]

8. What REAL democrat is saying that? nt

[Rex]

15. What a garbage article.

For once, you and I agree on something.

[amborin]

31. you think the Sienna poll is bogus, then? it's pretty neck and neck

"The Siena College poll, conducted early this month, showed Mr. Weprin with an advantage of 6 percentage points, within the margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 points."

[whathehell]

16. Medicaid?...Oh, so she wants to cut healthcare for poor people..How democratic of her. Not.

[amborin]

20. Obama: "difficult choices....re: entitlement programs like Soc Sec % Medicare...".

"Obama said that he has made clear to his advisers that some of the difficult choices–particularly in regards to entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare – should be made on his watch. "We’ve kicked this can down the road and now we are at the end of the road," he said.

http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/12/obama-social-security-and-the-diamond-orszag-plan/

[ProSense]

28. "'We need to cut Medicaid,' she declared"

Relishing an article about anger at Obama for not wanting to cut Medicaid is a sheer sign of desperation.

[Dawson Leery]

21. Dale Weiss needs to get off her ass and get a job then.

If she feels that government spending is out of control on healthcare, then she should lead by example and get off of it.
Perhaps she is a teabagger plant by the GOP.

[Rex]

26. I wonder how these people can complain about govt spending

on social programs when they all know DAM WELL how much money we waste on the MIC. Stupid priorities.

[eilen]

5. I often hear a lot of senior citizens complain about

Medicaid, as though it were a contest -- medicare or medicaid. One lady was so resentful of medicaid, I had to remind that many seniors get medicaid too. Her granddaughter had to quickly explain that she meant just poor young people "who take advantage of the system." I had to explain that even poor young women who are pregnant need healthcare, and their babies do as well. People are just turning on each other.

[daa]

9. The sad thing is most of them don't understand that even

if they are on Medicare they may need Medicaid for a nursing home.

[amborin]

18. having fractions of Dem voters pitted against other fractions of Dem voters serves TPTB

intra-class struggle....the supposedly zero sum battle over the New Deal

it distracts voters and focuses their venon on one another, instead of directing it toward the real culprits: the ruling elite that wants to "save" the New Deal and refuses to raise taxes on the wealthy, etc....

[PoliticAverse]

7. Former NYC mayor Ed Koch endorsed the Republican to send a message to Obama

http://www.wnyc.org/articles/its-free-country/2011/jul/25/why-ed-koch-endorsed-republican-turner-weiners-seat/

[hfojvt]

11. the only message I get is that my Uncle Ed is a putz

Ed Koch has been a huge Bush/Republican fan since 9-12-2001. He might as well be another one of the Koch brothers.

[dameocrat67]

10. looks like teaparty astoturf.

n/t

[amborin]

30. even the Sienna poll? you'd think the Dem would be way ahead

"The Siena College poll, conducted early this month, showed Mr. Weprin with an advantage of 6 percentage points, within the margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 points. "

[sabrina 1]

13. Anthony Weiner was very popular in that dist. and the

WH coming out and asking him to cave to the Breitbart 'sting' when it was so obvious why they went after him (do we hear as much about Citizens United man on the SC since Weiner stepped down? didn't sit well with a lot of people). His dist continued to support him, not particulary worried about his personal life, but the Party stepped in and removed their right to decide.

Meantime the Repubs continue to stand behind their politicians caught, hypocritically, prancing around with Prostitutes etc. People are noticing how the Dems seem to cave on everything.

Meantime, SC Justice Thomas is basically off the hook. Nice going Dems. As if a man engaging in some cyber sex is a greater risk to our Democracy than a badly compromised bought and paid for tool of Corporate America on the highest Court in the Land.

At least they could have picked up where Weiner left off, but that would take actually caring about this Democracy rather than just 'winning' and holding on to power, and money of course.

[AtomicKitten]

17. Weiner got caught literally with his pants down. He wasn't pushed, he jumped.

[sabrina 1]

22. Pure nonsense. He was doing nothing wrong

other than going after Thomas, relentlessly as he should. He was targeted because of that, by Thomas' good friend, Breitbart.

When Repubs are caught with their pants down, their Party leadership stand by them. Even when they break the law, which Weiner did not do. And his Dist did not want him to quit. I guess they figured his personal life was his business. But Thomas is grateful for the help he got from the Dems I'm sure.

[AtomicKitten]

24. So there was "nothing wrong" with broadcasting his wang in cyberspace?

Weiner has taken responsibility for his inappropriate behavior, as he should. I have as much sympathy for him as I had for Bill Clinton diddling Monica in the WH. Both men knew the wingnuts were out for blood, but they did what they did anyway.

[sabrina 1]

29. Is there a law against what he did? He didn't 'broadcast it'

Breitbart's thugs did that. Are you in favor of criminalizing personal sexual activities that currently are not illegal? Since when did the Democrats become the moral arbiters of other people's perfectly legal sexual activities??

I am absolutely stunned at the change in 'principles' of this party since they won the WH. I have never seen anything like it, I don't recognize this party anymore. NOW, WE are the hypocrites who are going to use people's personal sex lives to get them out of politics?? Wasn't that the Republican Party?

I am truly confused sometimes since Dems won in 2008. It's hard to keep up with what we now stand for.

[Ikonoklast]

32. If Weiner was a Republican you would have called for his head.

Please.

[sabrina 1]

33. Um, no, I would not, and never did call for the heads of anyone

who was caught in personal sexual activities. I did laugh when hypocrites who preached against such activities were caught, but Weiner was not one of those, he is a Democrat.

I always opposed the Republican politics of personal destruction using people's private sex lives to do so, as they did with Clinton. So I do not know where you got that from. I don't change my principles depending on which way the wind is blowing.

I have pointed out and will continue to do so, the hypocrisy of Republicans who went after Clinton and demanded he step down because of private sexual activities while many of their own are still doing the same thing.

What I hoped for was that they would abandon using these tactics and become more like Democrats who did not go around lecturing people on morality and stay out of people's sex lives.

But the opposite to what I had hoped for has happened, Democrats are now doing what Republicans did, judging people on their personal sex lives. Republicans actually had little to say about Weiner. I guess they have learned their lesson, to an extent.

So who was Breitbart aiming at? Repubs would not have had the nerve to go after Weiner considering the number of sex scandals in their own party, many of them ongoing, some of which, unlike Weiner, involved criminal activity.

No, Breitbart knew that Democrats would quickly dump one of their own. And he was right. Democrats btw, have not demanded that Republicans caught in sex scandals step down. I wonder why that is?

Now, as predicted, we may lose what was a pretty safe seat in that district. But Thomas is off the hook. Why would Dems want to facilitate losing a seat and saving Thomas from his most vocal critic?

[jeff47]

23. So what?

Consenting adults do what consenting adults do. I am not aware of any complaints filed by the women who received his pictures...they may have been creeped out, but they didn't think it was bad enough to pursue legally.

So why, exactly, should we care?

[amborin]

19. +1 Obama asked Weiner to step down but lets Thomas off the hook

[Name removed]

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[in_cog_ni_to]

27. Weiner could have Primaried Obama.

*sigh* Maybe he should give it a go anyway! :) I don't give 2 hoots what he did in his private life. I really doubt most people do. We have Bill Clinton as example number 1....left office with a 65% approval rating. Weiner should Primary Obama. :bounce:

[sabrina 1]

34. He would have made a good president. Maybe he will

someday. A real fighter. But he will need to remember that people in powerful positions have many enemies and are just waiting to find something to blow up out of proportion to take them down. If he has learned that lesson, then he would be a great candidate for the presidency.