Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying, as in the case of this summer's surreal race for
When TheDirty.com published an illicit exchange between Weiner and a woman named Sydney Leathers, Weiner admitted that he had continued to have inappropriate online relationships after resigning from Congress, but opted to stay in the race.
On the one hand, it's pretty disheartening that the battle for mayor of the largest city in America has been overshadowed by political slapstick. On the other, some of the stuff that's emerged from this scandal is so ridiculous you can't help but laugh.
Here are the ten most absurd things to come out of the Anthony Weiner sexting scandal, round two.
#1 Slate's "Carlos Danger" name generator
Nothing was more preposterous about this scandal than the pseudo-Spanish pseudo-superhero pseudonym Weiner picked for himself. Why shouldn't everyone be able to get in on the fun? Thanks to Slate, now everyone can have a sexting alter ego.
#2 The Sydney Leathers porno, "Weinergate"
In less-than-shocking news, the woman on the other end of Weiner's messages abandoned her desire for privacy in a matter of days, signing a deal with Vivid Entertainment to make a nude video describing all the things she and the mayoral candidate talked about doing to each other.#3 The re-emergence of Formspring
AP
#4 The word "slutbag"
REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
#5 Profiles of Huma Abedin (and her lipstick) that seemed shocked she could walk and talk
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#6 Press Conference Floating Heads
NY1 Screenshot
#7 The Sydney Leathers "10-Step Guide to Sexting Politicians"
They say it's only a mistake if you don't learn if you don't learn from it. On Tuesday, Leathers published her own guide for seducing and sexting politicians, complete with examples from her Formspring conversations with Weiner to back up her expertise. She reminds aspiring seductresses: "don't be too proud for a selfie."#8 Anthony Weiner's shoe fetish
The exchange between Leathers and Weiners makes multiple references to shoes, specifically high heels, shining light on one of the politician's personal preferences. At one point, he expresses disappointment that Leathers didn't give him a sneak peak of a shoe picture; at another, she references "very tall gold wedges" when he asks for a description of her outfit.
#9 A complete disregard for numerical accuracy
REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
#10 Headline Puns
They were practically unavoidable, but some were definitely better than others. The New Yorker won hands-down for concept and art, with a cover featuring Weiner as King Kong trying to sext while straddling the Empire State Building, but others, like the Daily News, were a little more on the nose.