Determined Anthony Weiner keeps eye on his future career
Many believe the disgraced New York mayoral candidate should quit, but he has other ideas
Why doesn't Anthony Weiner just quit?
It is a question angry voters, pundits and fellow politicians have been asking almost non-stop in the nearly two weeks since the New York City mayoral candidate's latest sexting bombshell, which has sent his poll numbers plummeting and turned his campaign into a chaotic sideshow.
Weiner, who is married to Hillary Rodham Clinton aide Huma Abedin, was forced to admit two weeks ago that he continued to trade sexually explicit online messages with women even after he resigned from Congress in 2011 for similar behaviour.
Weiner, one of a crowded field of Democrats vying to succeed Mayor Michael Bloomberg, insists he is staying in the race no matter what. And experts say that beyond the former congressman's well-known ego and combativeness, his stance may just be rooted in political calculation.
A leading theory is that Weiner takes his hits on the campaign trail, gives the media a chance to ask every sexting question and essentially punch themselves out on the issue. And even if he loses, he emerges with the scandal mostly behind him and his political career refreshed to run for higher office again.
"All along, there has been a school of thought that Weiner was running in part to rehabilitate his image," said Wendy Schiller, a Brown University political scientist. "Even now, he stays in the race, takes his lumps and shows some character," Schiller said. "That might resonate with New Yorkers. And if he does better than people think he should, that helps for the future, too."
With fewer than 40 days until the Democratic primary, Weiner has been leaving events with more applause than when he entered.
When a man at a Bronx campaign stop last week questioned the viability of Weiner's campaign, asking: "When do you say 'Enough is enough?'" the candidate's hoarse voice roared to life.
"If you become the mayor of the City of New York, you've got to put up with this every single day," Weiner told the crowd. "People saying to you, 'You know what, you did something we don't like.' Cameras in your face. 'Change your mind, back down. Quit.' That's not the kind of mayor I'm going to be."
The next night, Weiner travelled to a Queens neighbourhood that was once part of his congressional district. A man asked how voters could ever trust him again.
"I've dishonored my wife, but sir, I didn't do anything to you," Weiner said. "If you think you're a better person and a better candidate, why don't you want to let me run? Let the citizens of this city decide."
At yet another Queens event, there were boos from the crowd, but they were directed at longshot Republican candidate George McDonald for calling Weiner "a self-pleasuring freak".
"I'm facing some tough challenges now, and one thing all of my opponents agree upon is they'd rather I wasn't running," he said. "Well, tough," he said to applause from the audience.
Other factors may explain why Weiner insists on putting up with all this, not the least of which is money.
Because of city campaign finance laws, Weiner is eligible for US$2.1 million in matching funds, money he would have lost if he did not run this year.
Another factor keeping Weiner in the race is the ballot itself. Because it has already been finalised, voters would see Weiner's name on primary day even if he did drop out.
Weiner had soared to the top of the Democratic polls last month only to fall after the recent revelations. A Quinnipiac College poll released last week had him in fourth place with 16 per cent, trailing frontrunner City Council Speaker Christine Quinn at 27 per cent.
The redemption strategy is risky. It was already dealt a blow by last month's revelations and could be derailed entirely if more scandalous behaviour was to be uncovered.
"He said it was in the past, but obviously it wasn't the past," said Steven Cohen, a political scientist at Columbia University. "People will have a hard time believing him the next time, too."
