Bill Maher Wants to Decide a House Race

[ca3799]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/arts/television/maher-wants-his-show-to-decide-a-house-race.html?_r=2

Mr. Maher and his staff plan to ask viewers to make a case for their individual representatives in the House to be selected as the worst in the country.

After some culling and analysis, one member of Congress will be selected, and the show will follow up through November with examples of what it considers terrible work by that representative. Mr. Maher will make occasional visits to that member’s district to perform stand-up and generally stir up hostile feelings toward the show’s target.

“This year, we are going to be entering into the exciting world of outright meddling with the political process,” Mr. Maher said in an email message.

The project — which the show is calling the “flip the district” campaign — is intended to get real results, said Scott Carter, the show’s executive producer. Among the criteria for selecting a representative, other than some degree of outrageousness in statements or voting record, is that the member be in a truly competitive race. Those running unopposed will not be selected, no matter how egregious the show’s fans may claim them to be.

“We want the chance to win,” Mr. Carter said. The choice may be a Republican or a Democrat, though he acknowledged, “with our viewers voting, I imagine it is much more likely we will pick a Republican.”

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Fascinating idea.

[packman]

2. I like Bill

I DO NOT want to see him spend the rest of his comedic life in Georgia and Texas

[oldandhappy]

3. Saw this

Hilarious. He introduces the idea and then turns to Issa who is on the panel and says something to the effect of 'not you'. Issa would be my first recommendation of a sitting representative to defeat. He has a challenger but not sure how effective that will be.

[Hippo_Tron]

5. Issa actually isn't really the worst of them...

He's actually a supporter of DC budget autonomy and his partisan with-hunts have been milder than expected. Trying to hold Eric Holder in contempt was a little ridiculous, but really it just demonstrated that contempt of congress is meaningless for executive branch officials.

[Mz Pip]

4. There's got to be a flippable district in TX

I would vote for Stockman but that district is so safely gerrymandered that Jesus Christ could run and lose.

There must be some low hanging fruit on the GOP side that wouldn't take too much effort to take down.