It's Up to You, New York City

Everybody has fun in their own way. In Prague we have a president and his viruses, the royal baby has tamed London and New York is bewitched by a man whose name, Carlos Danger, would seem to have come from a despondent comic book about the Mexican mafia.

Only this scary Carlos is a serious candidate to become the future mayor of New York City, who will be elected at the beginning of this November. Seriously, no kidding.

Let’s explain that Carlos Danger is the artistic pseudonym under which a man appears on social networking sites, a man whose name in civilian life is Anthony Weiner. Does that mean anything to you? That’s right: In July 2011, Weiner had to leave the U.S. Congress, where he was a representative of the Democratic Party, when it turned out that he had tweeted women photographs of his lovely uncovered body, including his enlarged fly. Other women, to be clear, not his wife.

It’s not just about sexting, but also about how Weiner stupidly lied that someone had hacked his Twitter account before confessing. He was then disgraced. Finally, his wife backed him up — in June of last year, she granted People magazine an interview in which she described how they are rebuilding their marriage. And Weiner has decided to come back.

This spring, he announced his candidacy for mayor of New York City.

And what should New York do but decide to give Weiner a second chance? America loves comebacks, so according to the latest survey taken at the beginning of this week, Weiner would win the September Democratic primary and, in that case, would have a very real chance of actually becoming mayor in the November election.

Only this Carlos Danger simply can’t stop. He keeps sexting and sexting, even when, as Anthony Weiner, he insists he no longer does it. And it was a spectacle in New York Wednesday when Weiner admitted at a press conference that still, at least a year after he left Congress and promised everyone that he would mend his ways, he had continued his amusing diversion.

But, as Anthony said Wednesday, “These reports belong in my past.* I have posited this whole campaign on a bet, and that is that, at the end of the day, citizens are more interested in the challenge they face in their lives than anything that I have done, embarrassing, in my past … This is not about me.” And there you go.

And there you go? Weiner’s spouse stood at his side. They are evidently a very pragmatic, goal-oriented duo. If it doesn’t bother her that her husband repeatedly lies and creates very embarrassing scandals, then shouldn’t it at least bother voters?

It has been said that people everywhere entertain themselves one way or another; maybe it’s a global fashion to elect strange people to important city or state offices. And as Frank Sinatra sings in “New York, New York,” it’s up to you, New Yorkers.

Only to the outside observer will it seem a shame for your wonderful city, where nearly 20 million people live and which has a GDP six times greater than the Czech Republic, to be led by a liar and obvious sexting addict with the alias Carlos Danger.

*Editor’s note: This portion of the quotation, accurately translated, could not be verified.