[BluH2o]

An arrogant, wounded sex pervert would be the ultimate albatross around the democrats’ collective political neck in 2012 ...

Really? Didn't have any effect in the last several election cycles having Barnie Frank around ...

[Oceander]

Really? Didn't have any effect in the last several election cycles having Barnie Frank around ...

Not a valid comparison. First, just because Frank is a pervert doesn't make him a "pervert" in the eyes of the public. Had Frank been caught in the same position as Weiner and been made the butt of so much humor and criticism, and still prevailed without a hiccup, then you might have a point; as it is, you don't.

Second, Weiner's district is a different demographic than Frank's, and to all accounts they are a lot more dismayed by his bahaviour than Frank's constituents are.

Third, Frank's proclivities are a matter of general knowledge and therefore there is no shock or dismay when those proclivities are revealed. A lot of the reaction to Weiner is as much shock and dismay at the fact that a clean-cut member of the "best and brightest" has such a taste for the sexual gutter.

Finally, I never said having Weiner stick around would make us a shoe-in - this is the Soviet Socialist Republic of New York, after all - however, we would have a much better chance of winning against Weiner than we would against his replacement.