Posted on 06/01/2011 2:30:24 PM PDT by Darren McCarty
Much of the attention being paid to Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., is focused on the salacious - whether he sent the lewd picture to a college undergrad or whether he was the victim of a grand hoax. Few are talking about the possibility that Republicans could pick up Weiner's seat.
If the scandal snowballs, however, there could be some serious political implications for Democrats from the incident. While Weiner represents a New York City district that's conventionally thought to be safely Democratic, in reality it has trended sharply in a Republican direction in recent years. If Weiner stepped down from Congress, Republicans would have a realistic shot at putting it in play.
Weiner's district, spanning mostly white neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn, trended more Republican than any other district in the country from the 2000 to the 2008 presidential election. Al Gore carried the district in a landslide, winning 67 percent of the vote. But it gave John Kerry just 56 percent of the vote in 2004, a striking 11 point dip.
The gain was largely attributable to voters' strong support of George W. Bush's counterterrorism policies post-9/11, but four years later John McCain carried the same 44 percent of the vote as Bush, even as President Obama significantly outperformed Kerry across the country.
.......One Republican operative floated the name of New York state Judge Noach Dear as a serious potential candidate. Dear unsuccessfully challenged Weiner in 1998 and 2000 in the Democratic primary, and later ran against him as a Republican.
The district has a sizable Jewish population, including a fast-growing Orthodox Jewish bloc that tends to vote Republican.
(Excerpt) Read more at hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com ...
Looking at the map and 08 numbers it seems the GOP is at least competitive (if not favored) in Howard and Hamilton Beach portions of Queens, doesn't get completely killed in Lindenwood, does well in the white portions of the Rockaways (Irish cops?), and in Brooklyn cleans up Borough Park, Manhattan Terrace, Gravesend, Ocean Parkway, Marine Park, Bergin Beach, Mill Basin, and Gerritsen. It's also competitive in Sheepshead Bay, Homecrest, white parts of Little Odessa and Coney Island.
Hopefully someone good can run and put this seat in play. With Weiner's weiner troubles and Obama's foreign policy dumbness, now's the time.
Vote for Pee Wee Weiner. A Weiner in every e-mail. A vote for Pee Wee is a vote for Weiner.
Weiner? I had a Der Weinerschnitzel Dog at lunch... And the congressman is a real hot dog too. He needs to leave...
I would be shocked if the weak GOP apparatus in NY state could flip this seat. They are incompetent. Hot Dog boy could attack a bus full of nuns and get reelected there.
When Weiner said “I know how the game is played” in his heated interview I could have sworn that soundbite came directly from Chicago or the White House.
That inflation better not go to their heads.
That district hasnt voted for a Republican congressman since 1921:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York’s_9th_congressional_district
And Obama's domestic policy disaster.
The story writes itself.
For those who are wondering about how this could play out if he just hangs swinging in the wind, I assure you it will have no affect on his reelection chances. Yes Bob Turner did a great job of holding wiener under 60 (59%)BUT that was before the redistricting lines that will make his district even more Democrat. Currently his district goes into Gerritsen Beach where he probably got about 12% of the vote (Blue collar Irish and Italian - cops firemen and construction workers). Because of a single New York State Senate race won by the Republicans, the GOP has a 1/3 seat at the table for redistricting. Weiner will be demanding that the Gerritsen Beach Republicans be drown in a Queens Democrat district AND the upper Bay Ridge Republicans be assigned to Michael Grimm’s district in Staten Island which fits very well since the Democrats KNOW it was only Vitaliano’s zipper problems that give the seat to a Democrat in 2008. If weiner is forced to resign another Democrat will hold the seat. If weiner’s picture actually showed his weiner it would make no difference to the brain dead Democrats in his district so all over this is going nowhere except putting him on defense because when you are explaining, you AINT winning!
The voters there need to vote for someone not quite as ‘hard left’.
Sorry make that Fossella’s zipper problem. Eric Vitaliano is not a bad guy for a Democrat and true to his wife.
Few are talking about the possibility that Republicans could pick up Weiner’s seat.”
Does Bawney Fwank know about his seat being picked up?
Yep - if the GOP can’t win there after Obama’s & the Dems economic disaster and a creep like Weiner they never will.
If Weiner had come out right away and said, “Yeah, I did it, I sent that pic. So What!”, he would be done with it. But now that he’s changed his story a few times and refuses to answer any more questions, he tied himself up into knots and he’s becoming damaged goods.
Anthony, it’s not the crime that will destroy you, it’s the coverup. Remember Nixon?
Somehow, I don't think this headline is doing the pubs any favors. ;-)
Funny how the Weiner word of the day last week was “HACKED” today it’s “HOAX” & “PRANK”.
No I hope this goes on and on it is so funny.
Weiner was a future liberal hopeful for Mayor of NYC.
Weiner Blew It!!!!
The farther a Democrat gets away from morality, decency and responsibility the more likely they are to be re-elected.
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