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For a brief moment last week, the country came together to collectively roll its eyes at the sexting scandal involving Rep. Anthony Weiner. Republicans responded with predictable outrage and liberals conceded and even joined in (after cycling through five stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance). Now, things have shifted to an uncomfortable stage in which top Democrats such as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz want Weiner out but refuse to punish him, as evidenced by a closed-door meeting Tuesday where the House Democratic caucus decided to take no action on the matter. Enter the Wiener defenders. On TV and in print, the New York congressman's allies aren't just downplaying his actions--they're lionizing him as the left's embattled savior. This is a few steps above just defending him to counterbalance a sense of liberal gutlessness, as we saw Cenk Uygur do last week. Observe:
People just hate Weiner because he's such a fantastic politician, writes Victor Kamber, a union activist and political consultant, in Politico:
It is because Weiner has been such an effective opponent of GOP attacks on Social Security and Medicare that Republicans, and even some Democrats, want him to resign. Republicans can’t respond to his withering rebuttals that leave their “talking points” in ashes.
I can’t help but feel that some Democrats now urging Weiner to go feel a bit guilty they aren’t standing up for their party’s ideals the way he does.
Weiner should be promoted, if anything, insists liberal actress and comedian Jeneane Garofalo on Real Time with Bill Maher.
Anthony Weiner deserves to be supported and hopefully he will be mayor of New York one day. I'm serious. He is a Democrat [who] actually fights for the things liberals and progressive and rational people care about.