We're tempted to say David Weprin has thrown Barack Obama under the bus, but in the case of Weprin it's more like a tricycle. Although Obama's campaign apparatchiks from Organizing for America tried to get the vote out for Weprin prior to Tuesday's humiliating loss to Bob Turner, Weprin did his best to distance himself from the deeply unpopular president throughout his campaign. To no avail. So now he's pointing fingers at Obama.
Democrat David Weprin said yesterday that President Obama’s sagging popularity among Queens and Brooklyn voters cost him the election for ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner’s congressional seat.
In a stunning upset, Weprin was trounced by Republican Bob Turner, whose campaign had tied him to the president.
“The message of the campaign was ‘Send Obama a message,’ ” said Weprin, a Queens state assemblyman. “I think the problem was that he’s the president and people are frustrated, and it’s just natural to take it out on the top guy - or the top guy’s party.
“As much as I tried to make it about David Weprin or Bob Turner, I don’t think that resonated to voters. I think that voters looked at it as a referendum on the president,’’ Weprin said.
Democrats outnumber Republicans 3 to 1 in the district.
During one press conference, Weprin refused to say whether he backed Obama’s re-election. In fact, he did not mention the president in his literature, nor did he seek Obama’s endorsement.
And Weprin criticized the president’s policies toward Israel.
Indeed, Obama's support among Jews has slipped badly, and who can blame them? Obama's been anything but a friend to Israel, despite denials of reality from the White House. They apparently think people have short memories.
Meanwhile, as we suspected, plenty of Democrats are up in arms over the flailing Obama administration. At the risk of being reported to Obama's new Attack Watch website, House Democrats ripped Obama over his lack of leadership on the mortgage crisis.
Leading House Democrats are accusing the Obama administration of ignoring the lingering mortgage crisis and threatening tens of millions of Americans with foreclosure in the process.
The lawmakers — encouraged by Obama's mention of mortgage relief in his address to Congress last week — were quickly deflated just days later when their efforts to learn the details of the White House plan proved unsuccessful.
"The administration has been AWOL on this issue," charged Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.), "and the American people are suffering because of the mismanagement."
"In my entire political career, I've never seen anything this irresponsible," he added.
Ouch. That's going to leave a mark on Obama's frail psyche. Predictably, we're already seeing stories about buyer's remorse when it comes to Obama, to which we ask, what took them so long? Still, Team Obama continues to deny the obvious. We hope they continue down this path.
In the meantime, the victorious Bob Turner took office Thursday. Or better yet, he actually took Anthony Weiner's office. It appears Weiner didn't remove all his belongings.
Scrub out the stench of Weiner!
Newly sworn-in Republican Rep. Bob Turner’s family ordered a thorough cleaning of the House office space he inherited from his disgraced predecessor, Anthony Weiner, after finding an old “Anthony’’ toothbrush in the bathroom.
The discovery of Weiner toiletries grossed out the newcomers, who requested that the congressman’s bathroom in Office 2104 of the Rayburn building be sanitized, sources said.
Weiner resigned in June amid a sexting scandal in which he tweeted crotch shots and naked photos to young women, including from an office chair.
If I were turner I'd have the place fumigated and thouroughly scrubbed down. You never know what kind of reside a weirdo like Weiner left behind. At least Turner has kept his sense of humor about Weiner's downfall.
But Turner - who upset Democratic Assemblyman David Weprin to win the seat on Tuesday - said he’s learned one lesson from Weiner.
“I do have a Twitter account. But I will use it fully clothed,” Turner quipped.
