海角大神

On Wednesday morning in a diner deep in Queens, a group of New Yorkers are discussing the future of their former congressman, Anthony Weiner. Just hours earlier, he and his wife, Huma Abedin, had stood before a frenzy of New York media, admitting that he had been 鈥榮exting鈥� again, even after he resigned his seat.

Locals have been kvetching about politics for decades at the Shalimar Diner, an old Queens haunt in Rego Park that sits in the heart of Mr. Weiner鈥檚 former district, where 3 of 4 residents are registered Democrats. He won seven straight elections here by whopping margins, and these are his people: wage earners, lunch-pail union workers, life-long residents. Archie Bunker鈥檚 fictional house sits just a few blocks away, and the CBS sitcom 鈥淭he King of Queens鈥� is set here.

As some patrons might say of Shalimar: 鈥淚tsa place fuh tawk of Noo Yawk pahlatics.鈥� But it's also a place that Weiner in all likelihood needs to hold if he is going to have any future prospects as mayor, since the people here say they have always been big Weiner supporters.聽

Yet on this morning, not a single voter voices support for their former congressman.

A few of the patrons are hunched over their bacon-egg-and-cheeses on a roll, sipping from New York鈥檚 iconic-blue . A stack of Newsday tabloids sits near the entrance, it鈥檚 headline 鈥淪tand by your man鈥� blares between a picture of a grimacing Weiner and a distraught Ms. Abedin.

But Denise Guardascione, who has been a waitress at Shalimar for 24 years, is not standing by Weiner.

As she flies from the kitchen鈥檚 flipping doors with a row of plates in her hand, she stops to talk to David Schantz, a former community board member and a worker active in 32BJ, a local chapter of the Service Employees International Union.

鈥淚 was all for this guy 鈥� I really wanted him as mayor, I really did, because I figured he was the best they had,鈥� says Ms. Guardascione, a 47-year resident of Queens. 鈥淵ou cheat me once, I can forgive it, but I won鈥檛 forget it. But the idea that you did it a second time? The second time? You鈥檙e history, honey. You鈥檙e with the fishes, someplace else. You鈥檙e gone.鈥�

Mr. Schantz, another long-time Rego resident who鈥檚 been dining at Shalimar for 16 years, agrees.

鈥淚 really feel for Huma much more than I do for him,鈥� he replies. 鈥淚 liked Anthony; I liked his policies, his political positions. But not to be forthright about it, and cover it up, and then say, 'I鈥檓 ending it,' and then doing it again? That concerns me, as far as his temperament is concerned.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 not a therapist and I鈥檓 not a moral crusader,鈥� continues Schantz, who voted for Weiner every time he ran for Congress. 鈥淏ut here鈥檚 what I think: If you have a certain persona in your private life, it could carry over, particular since he鈥檚 running for public office.鈥�

Shalimar鈥檚 patrons do not simply discuss politics, they rub shoulders with it. Karen Koslowitz, the district鈥檚 councilwoman, dines here, as does Melinda Katz, a former councilwoman now running for Queens borough president. Ms. Katz comes here with her husband, Curtis Sliwa, the pugnacious founder and CEO of the Guardian Angels, an international volunteer organization of unarmed citizen crime patrollers known for their scarlet berets.

Yet for all this political tradition, Shalimar鈥檚 owner, Chris Karayiannis, prefers to keep his restaurant strictly nonpartisan.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e a business, you can鈥檛 take any part in it,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 never take no sides. I can鈥檛. Al Hevesi, he was my best customer since 20 years. One time, when he was running, he comes, he says, 'Chris, I鈥檓 running, can I put up the poster?' I says, 'Al, you know the rules: no.' 鈥�

Alan Hevesi served as New York State comptroller from 2002 to 2006 鈥� the same office Eliot Spitzer now seeks. Mr. Hevesi was driven from office for using state employees to care for his ailing wife in 2006. He was sentenced to a $5,000 fine and permanently banned from holding elective office again.

So the patrons here at Shalimar are no strangers to scandal and controversy. Which makes their lack of support for Weiner telling. The polls will be forthcoming, of course, but given the opinions of some of his own people, Weiner鈥檚 mayoral bid may indeed be sleeping with the fishes.

鈥淚 kind of feel sorry for the guy,鈥� says Greg Keshishian, a management consultant who has been dining here with his brother for years. 鈥淚 mean, honestly, I don鈥檛 have any personal animosity towards him, it's not like I鈥檓 enraged, I just think it鈥檚 a little pathetic, and he ought to let it go.鈥澛�

鈥淓ven if he has the best policies in the world, and he鈥檚 a great manager, he鈥檚 lost his credibility,鈥� Mr. Keshishian says. 鈥淚 think for that reason alone he should just drop out. If he wants to do public service, there鈥檚 many other ways. Let him run the Red Cross if he can get that job, you know what I mean? There鈥檚 other things he can do and really do good in the world.鈥�