Yup, in a lengthy and fascinating to run in this Sunday's New York Times Magazine (and online now), Weiner talks about his life as the stay-at-home dad, his sexting that cost him his job as a Congressman, and how he and his wife are rebuilding his life. It's all great - the stuff of human drama and foible. And then there's the headline. A wordy profile boils down to this: Anthony Weiner is thinking of running for Mayor of New York.
Get out, you say?
Political analysts say the field of candidates isn't the strongest, and Weiner was the leading contender before the less-than-brilliant sexting scandal undid his otherwise strong political career. Now, two years after the scandal broke, 13 months after the birth of his son, and time spent in therapy, Weiner has apparently scanned those who would be Mayor, and decided he might give it a shot.
We like stories of redemption, right? Love the saga of the guy who works hard and rises to the top and seems to have it all and then proves that he's as human as everyone else. Maybe more so. And we love the downfall. And then the attempt at resurrection.
Fame and success can be fleeting. What's the old Hollywood tale about the four stages of celebrity? 1. Who's Joe Jones? 2. Get me Joe Jones. 3. Get me a young Joe Jones. 4. Who's Joe Jones.
As if to signal he understands some of that, Weiner told The Times, "I do recognize, to some degree, it's now or maybe never for me, in terms of running for something."
His political committee spent $100,000 on research and some polling about the possibility of a comeback. And his interview with The Times - with a powerful back story and the emotional pull of redemption - seems a huge first step.
So what do you think? Would love to hear. We'll have the latest on the Weiner possible entry, tonight at 11.
Also at 11, what's up with these people who are running Rutgers University. Last week, after the men's head basketball coach Mike Rice was fired after that scandalous video was made public of him abusing - physically and verbally - his young players at practice, and after the athletic director had resigned, Rutgers President Robert Barchi said that the interim senior v.p. and general counsel John Wolf had also resigned. Now it turns out that Barchi was only telling part of the story - because Wolf is still on board, pulling down nearly $300,000 in salary paid by taxpayers, as the university's lawyer. Say what? After Gov. Christie put his political weight behind Barchi and said he shouldn't be fired? The same Wolf who saw the damning video and decided Rice shouldn't be fired? Wow. We'll have the latest, at 11.
And we're waiting with baited breath for a possible mid-range missile launch tonight by North Korea.
We'll also have any breaking news of the night, plus Meteorologist Amy Freeze (in for Lee Goldberg) with her AccuWeather forecast, and Rob Powers with the night's sports. I hope you can join Sade Baderinwa and me, tonight at 11.
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