Is Rep. Anthony Weiner Of New York The Toughest Boss In Congress?

It started as a routine conference call. But at some point during the call, Representative Anthony D. Weiner became furious, convinced that his scheduler had not given him a crucial piece of information.

His scheduler, John J. Graff, who was in the next room, suddenly heard the congressman yelling at him through the wall.

Then, Mr. Graff recalled, Mr. Weiner started pounding his fists on his desk, kicked a chair and unleashed a string of expletives.

Two weeks later, Mr. Graff, a Navy veteran, became the latest of a sizable number of staff members who have resigned after an abbreviated stint with Mr. Weiner, a Democrat who represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens.

"I push people pretty hard," said Mr. Weiner, who acknowledged getting upset at Mr. Graff. "And there are, from time to time, staffers who don't take to it or just don't like being pushed that hard. But I really regretted him leaving. He was a marine. I'm like, 'How bad is this?' It's even worse than boot camp."

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[RIPHRC]

Is Oscar here your main weiner man?

[WRPrintz]

There must be something else here. Some people just love constant emotion, and enjoy working in an atmosphere charged with this kind of tension. Working for a tough boss, I don't have a problem with. Working for a chair thrower and phone breaker....nah. Pass.

[JJeff88]

Best boss I ever had was a bland, mild mannered uninspiring guy who didn't impress me at the time. I was pretty much left on my own to do my job. He remained pretty much in the background; serving in the role of advisor and occasional cheerleader.

It was only later that I came to realize that, under his watch, I worked harder, smarter (and enjoyed it more) than any other job I 've held since.

Conclusion: Whips and clubs are overrated as "management tools."

[lafrance]

I recall watching this guy during the primaries and he struck me as a real p*****. He has zero personality and is so intense and acts like he is so great when in fact he is someone that automatically causes people to turn away.
I can't imagine working for such a loser.

[geobushono]

little fish dumped into the BIG, pond filled with venerable piranha.........it's one thing to bully your staff, but it's probably not good for it to become water cooler scuttlebutt.
NY, YOU can do better.

[MoMan]

you can be an effective, successful, competent boss
without being a d&*k...
something Weiner should look into
if he plans on continuing his political career..

[Tropiholic]

a little bit of power really goes to some peoples' heads. I would bet that if an employer spoke to his children the way he speaks to his employess he wouldn't be too pleased.

[DaphnesDad]

Weiner sounds like a MAJOR A**hole. Yes, it's frustrating dealing with bureaucracies who don't answer questions or who take their own sweet time to give you an answer or provide incorrect information. I'm a DC resident, so believe me I know how frustrating it is to deal with such people.

But if he thinks that screaming and cursing people out is going to change things, or get him his answers any quicker, he's got another thing coming. All it does is breed enormous amounts of ill will. It's just poor management style and will be his undoing should he ever get elected as Mayor.

It sounds like what Weiner really wants is a staff of marionettes, who can read his mind no matter what he is thinking. (Good luck to him finding such people, b/c human communication is almost always a flawed endeavor, due to the different meanings people ascribe to words and gestures, both written and oral).

And if his staff turnover is as high as this article says it is, the more the acts this way, the less likely he will have staff around him long enough to be able to decipher his own communication style.

Of course, he's not the only Member of Congress to have developed such a reputation. If Chuck Schumer is anything like him, my respect for him is instantly diminished.

[arvay]

The man comes across on TV as a crazed ferret. people like this should be removed from management. Most of us have worked for bosses like this, and they habitually screw things up and then put the blame on their staff.

[arvay]

The man comes across on TV as a crazed ferret. people like this should be removed from management. Most of us have worked for bosses like this, and they habitually screw things up and then put the blame on their staff.

[ROBOT8]

TONI WEINER????????OH YEAH! OSCAR'S SON.........

[Wildcatdiva]

Weiner.

[NTO08]

What is the point of this BS?

[Wildcatdiva]

I don't know, you wrote it.

[OverIt]

Poor Huma.