White House bubble? Fundraising Obama boasts he 'could not be prouder' of his presidential record

Did somebody say political disconnect?

When Barack Obama became president of the United States, the national unemployment rate was 7.3%. Today, it is 9.1%, almost 14 million American workers idle. Millions more if you count those who've surrendered to no paycheck.

This despite the spending of $787 billion in stimulus money that was promised to keep unemployment below 8% and generate hundreds of thousands of jobs each month by last year. In May the private sector created 54,000 new jobs.

The Federal Reserve estimates unemployment by the fall of 2012 will be somewhere between 7.8% and 8.2%. No incumbent president in 75 years has been reelected with unemployment above 7.2%.

When Barack Obama became president, the national debt was $10.6 trillion. Today, it is $14.3 trillion, a 35% increase in 885 days. Borrowing of nearly $4.2 billion every day, photo op or not.

On his second day in office when Barack Obama signed that executive order to shut down the Guantanamo Bay detention facility within one year, his job approval was 69%.

Yesterday, according to Gallup, Obama's job approval was 43%.That's down 25 points among whites, down 24 among seniors, down 23 among independents, down 22 among men, down 21 among women.

Fifty percent of Americans disapprove of his job.

The latest Bloomberg National Poll finds 2 out of 3 Americans believe the country is on the wrong track. Only 23% see signs of economic recovery.

Only 10% expect employment to improve within two years. A plurality favor repealing Obama's trademark healthcare legislation, and Gallup found Americans' economic confidence plunging again this month.

Gallup's latest generic 2012 presidential ballot reveals Obama losing to some Republican 39%-44%.

With his wife, daughters, mother-in-law, niece and nephew on safari in Africa, the president was baching it on the road for a four-speech Thursday. The campaign's first quarter of fundraising totals are due to the Federal Election Commission in early July. His Chicago organization plans to raise $1 billion before Nov. 6, 2012.

So with budget talks with congressional Republicans near collapse and VP Joe Biden off duty at home Friday, Obama was back in New York City on Thursday to do another three Democratic fundraisers. He opened at a quiet restaurant soiree with Wall Street bankers, private equity investors and hedge fund managers, who paid $35,800 per plate to dine with the man who's publicly bashed them so often.

The evening's last Obama event in Manhattan was at the Broadway Theatre, hosted by TV yapper Whoopi Goldberg. The Real Good Talker from the White House promised the 1,400 enthusiastic audience members he wouldn't give a long speech. But during his 21-minute oration he did utter one amazing boast:

The track record of the last  2¹/₂  years is one that I could not be prouder of.

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-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photos: Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press (Top, Obama boards Air Force One in New York. Bottom, he embraces Whoopi Goldberg at one of three Democratic fundraisers he attended Thursday night in New York City).

Anthony Weiner, serial sexter, opts for ground service to deliver House resignation letter today

Four days after Anthony Weiner promised to quit, copies of his letter of resignation to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo arrived on the desks of House leaders today.  It takes effect Tuesday.

It is now up to Cuomo to call a special election for his state's 9th Congressional District, covering parts of Brooklyn and Queens, most likely to coincide with November voting.

In case you've been over on MySpace, last month the married, seven-term congressman accidentally tweeted a photo of an enlarged private portion of his body to his entire Twitter audience instead of a direct message to one woman.

Weiner at first said he had been hacked, but his refusals to deny they were his gray briefs raised questions among those who could spot their own underwear if it appeared online. And the Democrat finally admitted serial sexting and sexual conversations on cell, Twitter and Facebook with at least half a dozen women around the country over the last three years.

Weiner said he was sorry and would seek treatment for something.

But after two days in seclusion, more shower self-portraits emerged of Weiner's package as did word that Weiner had exchanged private messages with a 17-year-old Delaware high school girl.

Even if they were discussing the newest X-Men movie, that ended the patience of Democratic colleagues and calls for his resignation grew.

Weiner's future career plans are unknown. Larry Flynt offered Weiner a job in his porno empire.

However, after his own sex scandal, resignation and a period of out-of-sight contrition, Weiner's fellow New York Democrat, ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer, got a job judging other pols on CNN.  Also, after another recent alleged New York sexual incident, the International Monetary Fund's top job is open.

Although short for self-justifying resignation letters that end up in the National Archives, Weiner's departure missive was way too long for Twitter -- 212 characters.

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-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photos: ABC News (one of the photos Megan Broussard said she exchanged with Weiner); Timothy A. Clary / AFP-Getty Images (Weiner's head).

Lessons of the Anthony Weiner sexting saga

Finally, we can all be rid of that awful Anthony Weiner scandal that had many of the elements that so disgust humans and their pandering media representative that they simply can't avert their eyes or mouse: power, sex, attractive women, dirty talk, lies, online infidelity, perversion and did we mention sex?

Like virtually every American, we really had zero interest in any of the sordid, sexy parts of the long Weiner story. All we cared about, quite frankly, was the potential for abuse of public resources by an elected official. And his truthfulness. That was key. Really.

Honey, we truly had no desire interest in reading any of the blackjack dealer's explicit texting transcripts until professional obligation called required. The Dallas bathrobe pic, towel shots, strategically placed cellphone can honestly say we did not see them much.

Same for watching the news conference of the porn star  stripper featured dancer with Gloria Allred that L.A. lawyer.

The Weiner saga did, however, reveal how amazing are the connective networkings within the human mind.

Once you raise erect establish that the subject is sex and a man, almost any word immediately takes on unintended pair of double meanings.

How, candidly, do you handle describe something as innocent as the national pastime without now snickering over balls the spherical objects they play with toss around throw? Or an on-deck player swinging his big bat. Reaching second base. Striking out. Scoring.

Suddenly, any sport is susceptible. A whole new meaning to sacking someone. Jockeys. Boxers. Diving. Breast stroke.

We won't insert detail fishing. Or golf. But you get the point subject matter.

This Weiner story, bottom line at the end of the day, was really about a pedestrian flasher who talked good and took advantage of his powerful position to attract female attention in certain parts ways from the presumed safety of his office chair.

We were pondering if this particular scandal would have had the same endurance  lasting power timeframe if Anthony's last name wasn't Weiner. If he was Anthony Solovitz. Or Tony Pesce. Would the late-night comedians still be doing their Oscar Mayer thing?

Just then the cell rang. FedEx with a package delivery.

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-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photos: BigGovernment.com (Shirtless man identified as Anthony Weiner by BigGovernment.com); Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times (Weiner's resignation announcement, June 16).

Can Anthony Weiner survive this? He admits online exchanges with a 17-year-old female

New York Democrat Anthony Weiner maintains his refusal to resign his House seat this weekend. But that may become even more difficult with Friday's new admission that he had exchanged private online messages with a teenage girl in Delaware.

Local police said they interviewed the high school girl Friday, and news reports said police were examining her computer.

A Weiner spokeswoman said, "According to Congressman Weiner, his communications with this person were neither explicit nor indecent."

Of course, according to Rep. Weiner at the start of this lewd imbroglio two weeks ago his Twitter account had been hacked, and he never sent any lewd photos or messages to anyone.

Then, last Monday with questions persisting over his prevarications, the married politician confessed that he had participated in explicit online sex with half a dozen women around the country over the last three years.

Those identified then were over age 21.

The 46-year-old New York native, who is married to Huma Abedin, who is pregnant and a top aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is in his seventh term in the House representing parts of Brooklyn and Queens.

About a dozen members of Congress have now called for Weiner's resignation, which he has so far adamantly refused. Weiner has received backing, however, from fellow New York Democrat Rep. Charles Rangel, who's had his own ethics difficulties.

Friday in San Francisco, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the departure decision should be up to Weiner and his constituents. She has asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate.

Police in New Castle, Del. have questioned the teen, whose name was not released. They said she provided no evidence of wrongdoing but their investigation was continuing.

Other news reports said the girl had first contacted Weiner after hearing him speak on a school field trip in April. He followed her back on Twitter and their exchanges began. At his public confession Weiner said, "I know that I never had any intention of having an interaction with underage women, and no information that I have now shows that I did."

However, the exchanges with the teen girl occurred in April and May and, as reported by the N.Y. Times, might seem innocent enough were it not for the other revelations about Weiner's chronic online behavior. In response to the girl's praise for his speech, Weiner replied, "My true love."

In another exchange with the girl, Weiner said, "I came back strong. Large. Tights and cape."

And the high school junior replied, "My favorite Congressman."

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-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Craig Ruttle / MCT (Weiner); Charles Dharapak / Associated Press (Weiner visits the White House).

Bathroom mirrors and cellphones, a lethal mix in modern American politics

Who knew that bathroom mirrors would become such a politically potent item in this leadup year to a presidential election?

Especially when paired with a cellphone camera.

Some voters well beyond the age of 18 can remember when those reflective things were dinky squares of glass on the back of a little knobbed door opening to a modest medicine cabinet.

The personal closet behind the mirror held medicinal and other secrets that sometimes attracted the curiosity of visitors who were supposed to be using bathroom facilities.

Fathers and grandfathers stretched up their chins to see in that mirror where they were shaving a vulnerable throat. And women did whatever they do in front of those things.

But no one in those days envisioned mirrors stretching the entire wall width of the room, across two sinks and an expansive counter. And no one envisioned taking instant photos there, let alone transmitting such private images to a wider world.

Twitter profile pages would be blank, it seems, without bathroom mirrors to allow members to photograph themselves in all kinds of interesting positions.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who's the Dumbest Rep of All?

But here we are in 2011 with a flurry of seemingly otherwise intelligent folks photographing themselves or parts of themselves and sharing them electronically with strangers they will likely never meet.

Which may actually be the reason for the false sense of security that comes with many of today's electronic goodies. The false sense of privacy and distance, much like those casual airplane conversations with adjacent passengers you know you'll never see again.

A few months ago we had the New York Rep. Chris Lee using his cell and bathroom mirror to photograph his own bare chest and abs -- and, worse, his actual face -- to post for an online date. How does a married man -- and a Republican at that -- explain that away?

He couldn't. So he was gone from Congress rather quickly.

Now, comes another representative who drinks New York water, Anthony Weiner. Despite initial denials, it turns out the married Democrat had serial sex by Twitter, Facebook and phones with at least six women across the country, including Meagan Broussard, a single mother in Texas (see photo).

Weiner has decided he does not need to resign, despite mounting calls for his departure.

The motivations for such public sharing are likely as diverse as each individual involved, prompted by the false sense of privacy and security from being alone, perhaps intrigued by the interest of a famous or attractive person and the seeming safety of distance, though surely not anonymity. And apparently fueled by a sense of omnipotence in the minds of some pols.

According to the TMZ website, Weiner was aware two weeks ago that some blogger was contacting his female correspondents about his electronic liaisons. Yet he continued his exchanges, including posting to Twitter the now notorious cellphone photo of his bulging underpants.

Thank you for sharing.

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 -- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Courtesy of @MrTruthIsHere (Lincoln); ABC News (Broussard); Associated Press (Lee).

Anthony Weiner should stay in office, New Yorkers say

Anthony Weiner may have embarrassed himself when lewd photos and conversations surfaced recently. The lawmaker may have dug himself in a deeper hole when he originally lied about the matter. But now that the Democrat has come clean about the scandal, his New York constituents seem to want to "fuhgeddaboudit."

According to a poll released Thursday by New York 1 and Marist College, 56% of registered voters in  New York’s 9th Congressional District think their congressman should stay.

Despite the lies and sexual nature of the drama, only 1/3 of those polled think Weiner should step down while 12% are undecided, despite the fact that 60% said that what he did by exchanging lewd photos is cheating on his wife.

In fact, of those surveyed, half say "they would not forgive their partner if he or she sent sexually charged photos of themselves to someone over the Internet," according to the poll.

Perhaps this is the reason the embattled congressman seemed so affable to a New York Post reporter this morning when he told the journalist on video that he would not resign.

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-- Tony Pierce
Twitter.com/busblog

Photo: Rep. Anthony Weiner waits on an elevator after leaving his office in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill. Credit: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Anthony Weiner still says he won't resign, doesn't rule out more photos

Rep. Anthony Weiner, confronted with a New York Post reporter armed with a video camera, explained Thursday that he was on his way to his community office and was not going to resign from Congress.

"I've betrayed a lot of people and I know it, and I'm trying to get back to work now, try to make amends to my constituents and of course to my family," a contrite Weiner said.

Yesterday Weiner was in the news for several reasons, the most salacious being the appearance of an X-rated photograph allegedly of the congressman. The image was on conservative Andrew Breitbart's cellphone and photographed by the Opie & Anthony radio program where Breitbart was a guest.

When the reporter from the Post asked Weiner on Thursday if there are any other photos of him that may surface, Weiner did not say no.

"As I said when I spoke in my press conference on Monday, I exchanged inappropriate things with people and I think that I've got to now deal with those consequences," he said.

Yesterday the New York Times reported that three sources confirmed that Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, an aide of Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, is pregnant. Today when asked about the....

Anthony Weiner's resignation now sought by a growing list of people who were not sexted by him

There are at least three prominent Democrats out there who have not yet suggested that fellow Democrat Anthony Weiner should resign from the U.S. House of Representatives -- Barack Obama's White House, ex-Speaker Nancy Pelosi and CNN's Eliot Spitzer.

They all have good reasons to steer clear of the Weiner mess. Why would a president, even one out of the Chicago machine, want to touch such a thing? Pelosi needs all the Democrats she can hold in her minority caucus -- and anyway she's from California.

And as the notorious Client No. 9, Spitzer walked into his own public sex scandal for patronizing prostitutes after prosecuting them, moving from one political scandal in office to another of spouting DNC talking points on CNN with low ratings.

However, elsewhere, the $174,000 congressional salary of the New Yorker Weiner seems in distinct jeopardy since he suddenly became more famous for his underwear (briefs), for what they were covering or not, for what he was sexting while on duty and for lying and concocting a phony hacker plot when confronted with the distasteful news.

Tim Kaine, former chairman of the Democrat National Committee, Wednesday suggested Weiner's public lying was "unforgivable and he should resign."

Admittedly, Kaine is himself running for office again (albeit only the Senate). So he could hardly be expected to endorse or ignore behavior involving even consensual sexually explicit online messages.

Then, Wednesday afternoon, Rep. Allyson Schwartz, a senior official of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said Weiner should go. This one is serious.

"Having the respect of your constituents is fundamental for a member of Congress," Weiner's House colleague suggested. "In light of Anthony Weiner’s offensive behavior online, he should resign."

As his opening ploy to avoid joining the unemployment line after 10 days of lying, the seven-term Weiner this week appeared tearful at a news conference admitting his falsehoods and the allegations and sexting. He did claim that the half a dozen or so ongoing online and telephone relationships with women across the country were virtual affairs, not physically consummated.

While not suggesting Weiner resign, the often-speaking authority on pop stuff Dr. Drew confessed to his CNN audience that he had serious concerns for Weiner. "My fear," the doctor said, "is when all this really rushes in those moments that you see him looking so overwhelmed and so ashamed, that he could develop a severe mood disturbance."

In previous pathetic political news, Republican Rep. Chris Lee, who also drinks New York water, immediately resigned merely for posting a shirtless bathroom photo of his amazing abs. Weiner, however, is from New York City, which makes him far more important than upstater Lee.

Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, suggested that Pelosi's response, a simple call for a House Ethics Committee investigation, was empty and silly. "Do we really need an investigation to determine if this guy's a creep or not," Priebus said.   

Priebus, whose party now controls the House and is in position to take over the Senate next year, may want to rethink this approach. If creepiness becomes a bipartisan disqualification for Congress, neither chamber would likely ever have a quorum.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who represents Nevada, home to one of Weiner's more explicit virtual mistresses, candidly said he would like to defend Weiner.

But he could not.

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-- Andrew Malcolm

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Top photo: Anthony Weiner holds a sign to verify his identity in a photo sent to Meagan Broussard. Credit: ABC News. Bottom photo: Spitzer. Credit: Associated Press

Anthony Weiner's drama opens the door for Alec Baldwin to consider NYC mayorship

 
Anthony Weiner's spectacular fall from grace has some speculating that the best liberal chance for mayor of New York is Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin.

In January, former New York governor Eliot Spitzer asked the "30 Rock" star if he was ready to "get into this [political] game." The award-winning thespian of both the silver and plasma screen replied in the affirmative. 

"The answer is: Yes, it's something that I am very, very interested in," Baldwin said on CNN's "In The Arena."

"People would say to me all the time, 'Why would you want to do that?' And sometimes I don't want to do it because to leave what I am doing now would be extremely painful," Baldwin said.

Wednesday, The Daily quoted a friend of the actor's who said that in the wake of the Weiner scandal Baldwin might now seriously consider running for mayor of New York City in 2013. The congressman was, in most people's minds, the Democrats'  frontrunner.

"Alec said, 'Hey, maybe this changes the race. The dynamics have shifted,' The Daily reported Baldwin's unnamed friend as saying.

The current Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, (who was elected as a Republican but left the GOP in 2007 and is now an Independent) will be stepping down from office in 2013 due to term limits.

"It's a long way till November of 2013," Baldwin tweeted Wednesday.

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-- Tony Pierce
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Photo: Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin at the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Jan. 30. Credit: Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times

According to Democrat Anthony Weiner, he lied, had numerous lewd exchanges, is sorry and won't resign

According to New York Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner, who for the moment represents Brooklyn and Queens in the House of Representatives, he actually did lie about his Twitter account being hacked last week to send a lewd photo to a female college student.

According to New York Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner, who is married to a top aide to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton,he did in fact engage in serial online exchanges of lewd photos with other women during the past three years.

According to Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner, he has engaged in online conversations with perhaps six women in recent years. He says he never actually met any of the women.

According to Maegan Broussard,a 26-year-old single mother in Texas, she was one of those women. She said she received the above photo (note wedding  ring) from Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner during their online exchanges, ABC News reports.

According to Rep. Anthony Weiner, "I have not been honest with myself, my family, my constituents, my friends, my supporters and the media" and he is "deeply ashamed."

According to Andrew Breitbart, who broke the original Twitter story last week, numerous other photos involving New York Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner have been made available to BigGovernment.com, at least one of which he will not be publishing becayse if its graphic nature.

According to House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi,she is "deeply disappointed and saddened about this situation" for the following people: "Anthony's wife, Huma, his family, his staff and his constituents."

According to Pelosi, she is seeking a House Ethics Committee investigation to see whether any official resources were used or House rules violated.

According to Rep. Anthony Weiner, he has no intention of resigning.

According to recent history, Rep. Anthony Weiner is dreaming.

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-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: ABC News