Wednesday morning, the day after the election, Anthony Weiner stopped by for a cup of coffee.

Actually, he was driving on the L.I.E. service road in a sound truck loudly thanking voters for returning him to Congress and decided there may be a free cup of coffee and some actual feedback inside.

It’s been a long time since I’ve interviewed him and since almost all of Wednesday’s discussion was on background or off-the-record, there’s little I can share with you. Except, Anthony is running for Mayor next year.

I interviewed him back in 2002 and strangely little has changed. A quick look back to my column of 6/13/02, Anthony Weiner: A Political Hot Dog Tackles Queens, reveals perceptions recorded then and still accurate today.

My lead then:

Anthony Weiner is a fine Congressman.

Anthony Weiner is an exceptional politician.

We’re not attempting to detract from his hard work, principled commitment and driven representation of his district, however, to this writer, it is his political prowess that sets Anthony Weiner apart from the pack.

My words, not his: Anthony Weiner is a consummate politician. He is analytical and driven. He is a student of the political game, which he loves. He plays it hard and well. He understands political trends and grasps political nuances. He knows that working hard to get elected is a full-time job — and he loves doing it. He obviously acquired a great deal of his political drive and wisdom from his mentor and Congressional predecessor, Senator Chuck Schumer – a political killer in his own right.

And while in 2002 he did not acknowledge that he was planning to be a candidate for Mayor in 2005, we discussed the potential race where Weiner wound up surprising the city with his strong finish in the Democratic Primary before throwing his support to Fernando Ferrer in order to avoid a divisive run-off.

Back then, while denying his candidacy he said of the Mayorality of New York City: “It is the only job better than the one I have now . . .It’s good to be king.”

Claiming to have not discussed a Mayoral run with any advisor except his cat Matisse, he admitted in 2002, “I started thinking about it the day I was elected to the City Council. I looked across the hall and realized how powerful the Mayor is in this town....He can pick up the phone and do things.”

Weiner clearly feels the same way and can tell you why and how he can succeed in his run. Only this time he is not reluctant to proclaim his candidacy.

Expecting a Primary against New York City Comptroller Bill Thompson, the political analyst Weiner explained that a September Primary would accrue to the benefit of the Demcratic winner – him or Thompson – by shortening the General Election Campaign – making Bloomberg’s financial advantage less significant.

He identified areas of Bloomberg vulnerability including the damage done to his reputation by the term limit override but is glad to have time now to return to the job of Congressman.

And the close to the six-plus-year-old column seems as accurate today as it was pack then: Frankly speaking, next time you see Anthony Weiner, he’ll be there working hard for you. Just don’t get in between him and the path to Gracie Mansion.



Silly Putty Economy

No this perceptive take on the economy is not the idea of Anthony Weiner, the deep analysis and whimsical take comes from Lillian Schenkler, the young lady who obviously has been living with this writer for a long time.

Lil related her take on a Newsday brief describing the battle small business is facing in today’s economy. A neighborhood hardware store owner related a small incident indicative of the local lack of consumer confidence.

At the check out counter the woman who had a $4.79 can of spray paint which was the reason for coming into the store and a $2.39 Silly Putty for her young son, rethought her purchase and put back the Silly Putty.

“I really need the paint, but I don’t need the Silly Putty,” she told the cashier.

Now Lil and I can’t look into the purchaser’s pocketbook but most of us have not experienced any change in cash flow. Yeah, maybe some stock holdings have fallen terribly and maybe a 401(k) or retirement account is less than it was but unless you’re selling and retiring, it really doesn’t affect you – at least not today.

Most of us have the same cash in our pockets and the checks coming in every week. It is fear that is impacting our local economy – our Main Street. It is fear that is keeping our poor shopper’s son Silly Puttyless. It is not the economy.

The local solution is simple. Until the economy actually affects you and your family, cast off the doom and gloom bringing us all (and the economy) down. Buy your kid some Silly Putty; eat out as often as you always did; and do your holiday shopping locally on Main Street.

Eventually, the $830 billion bailout money will make its way to Queens banks. By Feb 1, the Obama economic team will be engineering the recovering. And history shows us that sooner or later the stock market recovers and we’ll go back to our bad habits again.

But in the meantime, we can do it in Queens. Now everybody, overcome you fear and go buy some Silly Putty – it’s a great holiday gift and a lot of fun – buy several.

The holidays are coming!

Me, I was planning on making my fortune by buying stock in the company that manufactures Silly Putty. But that company, Binney & Smith, changed its name to Crayola LLC, to reflect the company’s leading brand brand and is a subsidiary of Hallmark, which a privately held, family run company.

Guess I’ll have to keep on working.