Nine people had to be  evacuated from Anthony Weiner’s office in  Kew Gardens today, because of a letter with “white powder” and a note that told him to “drop dead”. The Powder will be checked thoroughly, but initial tests deemed it to be neither fun nor dangerous. The FBI called the note potentially threating .
Aside from the fear that this might cause the representative, it’s probably a good thing for his political standing and for the Democrats in general.
As the anger of the right takes concrete form in hateful letters and telephone calls to supporters of health care, it serves to highlight a distinction between the two parties in terms of identity: The Democrat’s relatively principled handling of recent political conflict, versus the seeming incitement to lawlessness by the Republicans.

Since the coming mid-term electoral battle is for voters from the political center, Weiner and the Democrats stand to gain from lawlessness in two ways.
First, despite their general anti-inside-the-beltway sympathies, Independents probably will not be swayed by the insistence of Republican leaders that they have in not played a part in stoking these ugly displays. Democrats being attacked for voting their principles are likely to be seen in a sympathetic light.
Secondly, If one accepts that part of the purpose of the recent Republican obstructionism was to make the Democrats seem incapable of governing, the association of the Republican Party with lawless behavior by people inspired by their rhetoric will not help them earn the mantle of authority and stability.
The mid-term elections seem to be breaking badly for the Democrats, but if they do seem to benefit at the polls from ongoing outrageous displays from the right. Weiner, being one of the lighting rods for these developments will perhaps enhance his stature within the Democratic hierarchy, which is an important consideration for a politician who is widely seen as having ambitions beyond the confines of his current role.
The 9th District is fairly reliably Democratic, and many of the more conservative elements are likely to be Orthodox Jews, who will not be pleased at the sight of a fellow Jew being threatened, so it probably also benefits him locally.