Is Anthony Weiner running for mayor ? He just may be, a new in-depth indicates, which would be one of the most ambitious comebacks of recent recall.
Anthony Weiner was an up and coming lawmaker may believed was headed straight for Mike Bloomberg’s spot at the end of his term, but a Twitter sexting scandal spearheaded by the late Andrew Breitbart led to harsh recriminations from higher ranking Dems including Speaker Nancy Pelosi and even President Barack Obama.
Ultimately, Weiner left office during a tearful press conference and faded from public view. His wife, Huma Abedin, subsequently gave birth to the couple’s first child, and now Weiner sounds very keen on reigniting his political career. (Kind of a given, as he was one of the more passionate elected reps in Congress during his tenure.)
But it’s been nearly two years for Anthony Weiner and his former constituents, and New York Times Magazine posted a lengthy piece this morning in which the comeback kid says he wants a “second chance” because “it’s now or maybe never for me.”
The story covers Weiner’s post-scandal life and current day-to-day activities in his Queens neighborhood, contrasting the public persona of a man who wasn’t afraid to use New York-style invective to verbally batter his critics and to great effect with a low-profile family man who rarely leaves his ‘hood.
Last month, it was revealed that Anthony Weiner had sunk 100 large into pre-mayoral race polling, and the Times says the poll’s question centered around a basic question:
“Are voters willing to give him a second chance or not, regardless of what race or what contest?”
The mag quotes his pollster, describing the outcome:
“There was this sense of ‘Yeah, he made a mistake. Let’s give him a second chance. But there are conditions on that, and there are a couple of things we’re going to want to know: What have you been doing since this incident occurred? Did you learn anything from this mistake? How did you deal with it?’ They want to know that they’ve put it behind them.”
As for Anthony Weiner, it seems he’s ready to face the verdict of the court of public opinion — he says:
“We have been in a defensive crouch for so long … We are ready to clear the decks on this thing.”
Despite the ramifications of what Weiner calls “one fateful Tweet,” he says he is very strongly considering Gracie Mansion. He explains:
“I don’t have this burning, overriding desire to go out and run for office. It’s not the single animating force in my life as it was for quite some time. But I do recognize, to some degree, it’s now or maybe never for me, in terms of running for something. I’m trying to gauge not only what’s right and what feels comfortable right this second, but I’m also thinking, How will I feel in a year or two years or five years?”
Weiner continues:
“Is this the time that I should be doing it? And then there’s the other side of the coin, which is … am I still the same person who I thought would make a good mayor?”
He adds:
“Also, I want to ask people to give me a second chance. I do want to have that conversation with people whom I let down and with people who put their faith in me and who wanted to support me. I think to some degree I do want to say to them, ‘Give me another chance.’ ”
You can read Anthony Weiner’s full New York Times Magazine profile if you click here .
