Why #GOPdildo Is Trending

Photo ops of candidates holding firearms are practically required, especially for members of the Republican Party. But do you know what's funnier than a picture of Rand Paul posing with a giant gun in his hand? Rand Paul posing with a giant pink dildo in his hand.

Matt Haughey, founder of MetaFilter, has founded a new campaign-season pet project: photoshopping sex toys into photos of politicians holding guns. The results are glorious! Haughey told Twitter about the project, hashtagged #GOPdildo, a few days ago. Since then, we've been #blessed with photos of Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Mitch McConnell, and Marco Rubio toting some very big dildos.

He's also made a Tumblr containing all of the photoshopped images, where he's asking people to submit photos for him to photoshop.

Haughey told Fusion that the idea struck him while searching for images after he “noticed the hilarious positioning in them, how everyone’s eyes are all lit up in photos, and when I would swap something else in, it’d make for a good effect.” If you're asking why Haughey chose to use only Republicans, and not Democrats — some of whom have definitely posed with weapons in the past — he told Fusion, "There’s something about them, how Huckabee and Rand Paul act all tough in the shots, like they genuinely think they’re badasses for holding these ridiculous assault weapons." He added that "there’s something ridiculous in those shots that makes it easy to make light of them."

So there you have it, folks: The new hot trend for anyone running for president is to pose in a photo while holding a giant dildo. But remember, the real beauty of this internet sensation is that it really works for any politician who's ever gently caressed a gun's shaft:

[Opener image: Photo: Richard Ellis/Getty Images.]