WATCH: The Daily Show finds the upside of the Spitzer-Weiner surge

(Image credit: Daily Show)

last updated 8 January 2015

Former politicians non grata Eliot Spitzer and Anthony Weiner have apparently overcome — or perhaps are benefiting from? — their respective sex-related scandals. A new Quinnipiac poll shows both men leading in their respective political comeback races, Spitzer for New York City comptroller and Weiner for mayor. Not everyone is pleased with these second acts, including Daily Show summer host John Oliver.

Oliver spends the first segment of Wednesday night's show (watch below) explaining why Spitzer's resurgence is disturbing, and Weiner's laughable. (Hint: His name.) But the more interesting part of the show hits when senior political correspondent Samantha Bee comes on to talk about the races.

Her take: Spitzer and Weiner are a godsend for today's children. Oliver is incredulous, but Bee explains that in the age of obsessive sexting and posting online of sexually explicit images, politics is no longer out of reach for a whole cohort of potential leaders. "What President Kennedy did for Catholics and Obama did for African Americans," Bee says, "Spitzer and Weiner are doing for Generation Junk-Shot."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Oliver gives the wild card section of the show to comedian Lewis Black. He uses it to take pot shots at Texas, and defend the honor of New York City. As somebody who has lived in both places, I can say with some authority that Black knows almost nothing about Texas (or, probably upstate New York). But with Gov. Rick Perry (R) taking his own pot shots at New York and other states, Black gives as good as Perry gets. Texans, prepare to be gratuitous insulted:

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.