Howard Fineman: Democrats Didn't Like Weiner Going On Fox News

Now that disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) has resigned, the media are not only trying to help resuscitate his career but also coming up with reasons why he wasn't that well liked anyway.

Jumping on the bandwagon was the Huffington Post's Howard Fineman who told MSNBC's Chris Matthews Friday, "I also don't think a lot of people loved the fact that he was on Fox a lot" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: I didn't know this but I learned it the hard way, that people in politics don't like it when some member of Congress is always on television. They don't like it.

HOWARD FINEMAN, HUFFINGTON POST: No, they don't. And it's one thing if you get to that position through your work for others as well as yourself. It's not just expanding your own Twitter ranks and your own Facebook page and your own prominence on television and your own fundraising prowess. It's your willingness to work in the House and work on the committees and help other people raise money and do all that other kind of thing. And he wasn't widely regarded as somebody who wanted to do any of that. Now, he was a great arguer and I felt, I also don't think a lot of people loved the fact that he was on Fox a lot. You know, he would say he went on Fox to fight the fight and, you know, make the battle and join the against the conservatives, but he was also looking for eyeballs to be in front of and giving credibility to a network that a lot of the hard core Democrats in the House don't like.

MATTHEWS: I believe that's where he could probably end up in the next few months, by the way. If Spitzer found a home at CNN, I think he may well find his home with Roger Ailes. Just speculating, I don’t know anything about it I think it's the kind of liberal that I think Roger would love to get out there and say here's the guy with the dunce cap on. But he has to wear the dunce cap. You know what I mean guys? John Harris, do you think that’s too wiseass to think like that?

JOHN HARRIS, POLITICO: Well, I think on Fox they’re looking for somebody like the Washington Generals who lose every time to the Harlem Globetrotters.

FINEMAN: Yeah, and that's not Weiner.

MATTHEWS: They lose to the Globetrotters.

So, in Harris's view, all of the liberal contributors to Fox are shills hand-picked to lose to the conservative commentators. I wonder if he'd say that to Bob Beckel, Mara Liasson, and Juan Williams.

As for Matthews, this is the second time in two days he's floated the idea of Weiner going to FNC. Makes you wonder if this isn't his way to help the embattled former Congressman.

As for Weiner, he sure did like appearing on Fox. Who can forget his knock down drag out fights with Megyn Kelly such as this one back in March:

Now that's must-see TV.