You have to appreciate someone who can laugh at himself:
http://politicker.com/...
Thousands of people flooded Fifth Avenue this afternoon, decked out in every imaginable shade, waving rainbow flags in varying amounts of clothing for the city’s annual gay pride parade. Edie Windsor, the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case which ultimately led to the dismantlement of DOMA, was among three Grand Marshals who oversaw the proceedings.
Mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner, who was also on hand, sent the crowd into a fervor as he approached the historic site of the Stonewall Inn at the end of the route. Carrying a megaphone and a massive rainbow flag, Mr. Weiner exuberantly rushed down the street engaging the crowd with his energy and championing gay rights.
“Weiner, Weiner!” the spectators chanted as they pushed against metal fences flanking the parade route while the former congressman walked down Christopher Street.
“We love Weiner and you can quote me on that!” shouted 25-year-old Justin Curtis after Mr. Weiner passed, flanked by a slew of supporters who followed in his footsteps, holding a “Weiner!” sign that stretched the length of the street itself.
“You guys know that’s my name right?” Mr. Weiner offered at one point. “We’re not just saying that.” - Politicker NY, 6/30/13
Oh Anthony. Weiner's taste in fashion on the campaign trail has also caught the press' attention:
http://www.nydailynews.com/...
Weiner has been breaking out the brights — red and blue pants — on the trail. And while it doesn’t seem to be hurting him — Weiner vaulted into the lead among Democrats last week in polls — the move has people questioning his bottom line, literally.
“Is it a blatant attempt to get the gay vote?” menswear designer Jeffrey Banks ased regarding Weiner wearing red pants last week to the Greenwich Village rally celebrating the U.S. Supreme Court’s gay marriage ruling. “Is the casual look an attempt to make him seem more accessible?”
He added, “Wanting to be a politician is all about needing attention. With his bright colors, he wants people to pay attention to him. He definitely likes the limelight.”
Weiner’s fashion choices are a stunning contrast to the current mayor, who is so suited up it’s like he’s wearing sport coats with the shorts he dons for his weekend jaunts to Bermuda. - New York Daily News, 6/30/13
Well his bright pants and his jokes are certainly grabbing people's attention and Weiner doesn't care what you think about his style or his past:
http://www.nytimes.com/...
Mr. Weiner groveled briefly when the scandal broke, but today, like the dog with a gun in the “Far Side” cartoon, he’s through begging. He has made it clear that he has gotten the forgiveness he needs (his wife’s) and doesn’t need yours.
There are other things that make Mr. Weiner a curious front-runner — he was a lawmaker who was no good at making laws, who saw his seat as a get-on-TV pass, who infuriated colleagues and abused staff members. It’s hard to imagine a Mayor Weiner using tact and diplomacy to guide the city through a crisis, or attracting a cadre of brilliant and committed policy experts and academics into a Weiner administration.
Weiner administration? Mr. Weiner is an administration of one.
And yet.
Is it possible for people of enormous talent and skill to come together and be collectively uninspiring? (Answer: Yes. The Eagles. And New York’s mayoral candidates.) As the race wades into the murky depths of summer, a half-dozen solid, serious candidates are struggling to outshine a tabloid-tested opponent whose success is improbable only to people, like me, who don’t get it. - New York Times, 6/30/13
However, redemption was the big theme of Weiner's speech on Saturday when he spoke to a graduating class at the Preparatory Academy for Writers in Springfield Gardens
http://www.nydailynews.com/...
“If you think about it, you are not a success despite your obstacles, you’re a success because of them,” said Weiner, possibly channeling his lead in the polls that recently put him ahead of the other candidates.
Students at the A-rated school loved the candidate’s latest missive, which invoked inspirational anecdotes about former President Bill Clinton, current President Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela — and included one of Weiner’s favorite analogies about GPS tracking systems.
“What happens when you make a wrong turn? Does it turn off? No. It simply say ‘recalculating’ and it gets you back on your path,” said Weiner. “There is no reason you can’t recalculate and get back on the road to greatness.” - New York Daily News, 6/29/13
Weiner might be doing well courting the youth and LGBT vote and he's doing well with black and Latino voters in the polls but there's one group he's still lagging with in terms of gaining support:
http://forward.com/...
New York City mayoral hopeful Anthony Weiner is surging in the polls, but he has practically everybody except Jewish voters to thank for his comeback.
Shockingly, Weiner, the only Jewish candidate, has lower favorable ratings among Jews than he does among any other religious group, according to a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC New York/Marist poll. African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians also like Weiner more than Jewish Democrats.
The proportion of Jews who reported an unfavorable impression of Weiner jumped to 52% in June poll from 44% in Marists’s May poll.
Jewish voters appear not yet to have settled on a consensus candidate, according to the Marist poll. The broad enthusiasm among Democrats for Weiner, however, doesn’t appear to be shared by Jewish voters. - The Jewish Daily Forward, 7/1/13
The primary is September 10th. Weiner still has time to win over the Jewish vote which he will certainly need to win the nominee and the general. If you would like to get involved with Weiner's campaign, you can do so here:
http://www.anthonyweiner.com/