I can see forgiving a politician for some sexual misconduct and reelecting the politician. If New York voters want to make Eliot Spitzer their next Controller, this might be a fair deal–getting an overly-qualified individual in return for forgiving past indiscretions. It is harder to see electing Anthony Weiner, especially to a higher office than he previously held, after finding that he continued sexting with at least three women since leaving Congress. It might be argued that this has nothing to do with the duties of mayor, but it is a sign of stupidity, and who wants a stupid mayor? New York voters appear to be thinking along similar lines. Initially he led in the polls, undoubtedly helped by name recognition (and perhaps recognition of other things). With the revelations of his on-going stupidity, his lead has evaporated in the polls. The latest Marist poll has him narrowly holding on to second place, nine points behind Christine Quinn in the Democratic primary.
Nancy Pelosi has described Weiner’s behavior as reprehensible: “It is so disrespectful of women, and what’s really stunning about it is they don’t even realize, they don’t have a clue. If they’re clueless, get a clue. If they need therapy, do it in private,” she said.