On July 3rd, Anthony Weiner held a press conference to discuss his “Declaration of Independence from Albany.”  As a political subdivision of New York State, New York City is, as a legal matter, a creation of the state government and only has rights and powers as granted by the state government.  In his campaign, Weiner is highlighting this under-known fact and seeking to galvanize a push for greater city autonomy.

In this first clip, we go off-topic to bring you Weiner’s reaction to a reporter’s statement that Weiner had received the support of six-time Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest champion Joey Chestnut.  Ross Barkan first broke the news at Politicker.com – we’re adding the video clip.