Behold: the Last City, and the Last Democrat

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P J Media:

Behold: the Last City, and the Last Democrat

 

July 26th, 2013 - 8:33 pm By Ed Driscoll

“The Desperate Life of Carlos Danger” is explored by Heather Wilhelm of Real Clear Politics:

 

This week, the Onion featured a particularly timely satirical article: “Unambitious Loser With Happy, Fulfilling Life Still Lives in Hometown.” In the piece, friends express mystification at a happy man’s strange lifestyle choice: “Sources close to Husmer reported that the man, who has meaningful, lasting personal relationships and a healthy work-life balance, is an unmotivated washout who’s perfectly comfortable being a nobody for the rest of his life.”

 

But somebody like Weiner, craving constant adulation, could never accept being a nobody. Neither could his wife, Huma Abedin, who reportedly pushed for him to run for mayor after his embarrassing congressional resignation, posed for a gushy family profile in People magazine while her husband was still sexting, and is set to publish a “vote for Anthony” personal profile in September’s Harper’s Bazaar. And neither, it should be noted, could Sydney Leathers.

 

Those who try to portray the Weiner saga as an issue of gender disparity, oppression, or sexism are reading from an old script. This is, quite simply, a power-hungry couple working together to claw their way up the political ladder, with a large splash of fame-crazed Internet dystopia served up on the side.

[Draggingtree]

Dana Milbank: The McWeiners of the world

 

By Dana Milbank, Published: July 26

 

Over two decades of covering politicians’ scandals, I’ve often been asked a version of this question: What makes them do such stupid things?

 

Based on my extensive experience, I respond with a version of this answer: I don’t know.

 

But I do have theories. And that brings me to this week’s McWeiner controversy.

 

Most news accounts treated these as two separate scandals: Anthony Weiner, the disgraced Democratic congressman and would-be mayor of New York, had been exposed again as a digital flasher, sending “selfie” pictures of his privates to women. Bob McDonnell, the Republican governor of Virginia, was found to be taking gifts and loans from a businessman McDonnell had helped.

 

Their offenses — particularly their responses upon being caught — are much the same.

 

“I want you to know that I broke no laws,” McDonnell

 

Weiner, though acknowledging his misbehavior, quickly pivoted to blaming others

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-the-mcweiners-of-the-world/2013/07/26/bb4895aa-f5fa-11e2-aa2e-4088616498b4_story.html