Democratic Congressional Leaders have been steadily backing away from Anthony Weiner over the past week. In the last 24 hours, they've turned tail and broken into full-on sprints --
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi on Monday called for an ethics investigation into Rep. Anthony Weiner's admission that he held inappropriate online relationships with half a dozen women over three years. "I am deeply disappointed and saddened about this situation; for Anthony's wife, Huma, his family, his staff and his constituents," Pelosi said in a written statement.
Is anyone surprised that Democratic "insiders" are pegging Weiner's chances of political survival as "slim"?
The embarrassing scandal inevitably raised the question of whether the career of a politician -- even one as skilled as many thought Weiner was -- could survive it. A quick poll of New York politicos and D.C. pundits found few saying he could. But they also noted a geopolitical factor that worked to his advantage: This is New York -- stranger things have happened.
And it doesn't really seem like New Yorkers are in a forgiving mood:
Recommended
A new SurveyUSA poll taken yesterday finds that by a 46 percent to 41 percent plurality, people living in New York City say Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-NY, should resign rather than remain in office, with an additional 13 percent unsure. But the numbers in favor of resignation in Weiner's own congressional district are likely higher, because it is less heavily Democratic than the city at large.