For added views/click-thrus, Bill Maher or his producers have decided on a ‘sweet 16’ format for his “Flip A District” campaign. Warning, Politico link:
Liberal comic Bill Maher revealed Friday that the two congressman first nominated “by popular demand” for his “Flip a District” campaign are Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) and Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas).
Maher, who announced the first picks Friday during his HBO program “Real Time with Bill Maher,” has been urging viewers to take part in “Flip a District,” which aims to find the worst member of Congress. Viewers can nominate a representative, who is facing a competitive race, that they want to see voted out in 2014. For Maher’s part, once a lawmaker is picked, he’ll showcase examples of what he thinks is terrible work by the politician.
Grimm and Farenthold are the first two of Maher’s “Tweet Sixteen,” with 14 more lawmakers to be revealed. Displaying a NCAA-like bracket on the show, the eventual 16 nominations will be narrowed to one member, who Maher will then focus efforts on his or her race. Introducing Grimm and Farenthold, Maher called them the “first two public embarrassments.”…
… Maher said he is personally “pulling” for Farenthold to win.
“He’s the poster boy for why we are doing this. He won in 2010 by 799 votes and then they redistricted it. They gerrymandered it and in 2012, he won, going away, by 18 points,” the late-night host said….
If you don’t want to look at ugly Republicans (and the photos of Grimm and Farenthold are certainly enough to put one off dinner), the ladies of Go Fug Yourself are annoucing the second round of their 2014 Fug Madness, so you can go look at pictures of people getting paid to look bad in public, instead.
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Apart from picking on people who richly deserve it, what’s on the agenda for the evening?
MikeJ
Since when is Maher a liberal?
Liquid
Is he really an anti-vaxxer?
J.Ty
I, for one, will be attending a farewell happy hour my friends are organizing before I head off to Germany for two weeks.
Mike with a Mic
@MikeJ:
He’s socially liberal and shits on flyover and the bible crowd. Passes my litmus test and that’s what the “liberal” party brand is now anyways.
Mike with a Mic
@Liquid:
No, but he tolerates them and gives them a voice just as he does libertarians and pro-pot establishment Republicans.
But that’s not the issue, it’s urban vs rural. And he’s firmly on the right side and all about crushing and dehumanizing the right targets.
cokane
Farenthold is a good choice to flip… in 2016 (or 2020).
He had the highest Latino population of any Texas Congressman, and one of the highest in the country. His district is actually, imo, the canary in the coalmine that is the dream of a blue Texas. Once his district flips, Democrats can begin to shoot for wins in statewide offices — aside from cases where Republicans nominate awful Todd Akin–esque candidates.
He’s also got one of the more conservative records in the House and he has a conservative radio show. It’s not going to happen in 2014. Efforts would frankly be better spent holding Pete Gallego’s tenuous seat.
Liquid
@Mike with a Mic: Rather like when he hosted Our Mother of Gummymint Oversight. I didn’t expect him to actually hold Issa’s feet to the fire but I suppose calling someone a liar to their face is a bridge too far…
Citizen_X
Then it’s not a competitive district.
@Mike with a Mic: I’ll take the Moral Mondays “Bible crowd” in NC over King Dudebro (HAH!) and his vaxxer pals any day of the week, especially if he doesn’t know what a competitive district is.
LanceThruster
This is such a wonderful public service
jeffreyw
Next! Mrs J helps some of the pups out of their coats.
Anne Laurie
@jeffreyw: Another few shears, Mrs. J will have enough to make a whole extra pup, too!
jeffreyw
@efgoldman: Nesting material.
J.D. Rhoades
@MikeJ:
Bill Maher is identified as a liberal when the wingnuts need someone to tut-tut and clutch their pearls over and Maher says something inflammatory and/or stupid, which is often.
IowaOldLady
If Steve King doesn’t make the cut, I’m going to be very disappointed.
mdblanche
And GOP outreach to Latinos has scored another triumph in Florida.
schrodinger's cat
@jeffreyw: How are your kittehs? Haven’t seen any photos of Bitsy of late. How is the new kitteh?
schrodinger's cat
A brief primer about Indian elections, a depressing snapshot, in case anyone is interested.
Marc
@Citizen_X: Yeah, Farenthold is great if you’re looking to poke fun at Republicans but a terrible pick if you actually want to flip the damn district.
I also wonder about Maher’s “Sweet 16” brackets. If he only reveals two congressmen a week he won’t be done with his first round until May (when the March Madness gag will no longer make sense anyway). And then you have the round of 8, and 4, and 2, and you’re looking at the summer, when it will be far too late to make any difference in organizing the district (and when Maher will be off the air).
This is a good way to milk a weak gag for all it’s worth, but it won’t accomplish jack shit unless he takes it seriously.
kc
Is Bill Maher a dudebro?
jeffreyw
@schrodinger’s cat: Here’s Ginger kitteh tormenting Toby. Toby puts up with stuff from Ginger that he would tear up Homer for. Bitsy is fine, Bea is still the Haughty Queen. (We are NOT amused.)
schrodinger's cat
@jeffreyw: Ginger kitteh is getting really big!
Mike with a Mic
@kc:
Not really. He hates flyover/rurals/christians… which is bog standard for Democrats in major coastal cities. He’s stated he doesn’t give a shit about the NSA fiascos several times and thinks the entire freakout is over the top.
It’s standard coastal city liberal through and through. He’s wise enough to realize this is a regional war. Flyover delanda est!!!!!!!!!!!
Liquid
@kc: A definitive answer, from an embedded DudeBro, would be “negative.”
Baud
Holy moly.
Could our long national nightmare soon be over?
schrodinger's cat
@Baud: Don’t worry, the outrage and purity brigade will find something new to obsess over.
Mike with a Mic
@Liquid:
He’s a host, if he savages his guests he won’t have any of them. Issa is a coastal Republican and as fucked up as he may be that quasi makes him on our side. Every job killed in flyover that results in profits to an NYC banker lets them spend that money combating Christianity and buying cultural liberalism in areas it’s not wanted in. It also takes money out of the church and cultural conservatives hands making them weaker to fight us back.
There’s a certain amount of joy in “we stole your job and used the profits to buy off politicians to pass gay marriage and you can fucking suck on it”.
MikeJ
@Mike with a Mic: Flyover states like Iowa that continues to elect Tom Harkin and voted for Obama? Or Ohio that elects Sherrod Brown and voted for Obama? New Mexico that elects Udall and Heinrich and voted for Obama?
Salting the earth doesn’t get you votes. Congress still exists and we need to take it over.
Baud
@schrodinger’s cat:
But, but, but…surely this will convince them…
Mike with a Mic
@MikeJ:
We own the country when it comes to money and culture. This isn’t about helping people, it’s about destroying enemies and ruining their legacy for all of history. It’s not enough to win, someone else must lose. I don’t play straight party politics, the coasts should dominate the rest, and Christianity must be turned into a scarlet letter of damnation.
I’m a coastal corporate Democrat, I make no bones about this. More Mark Warner, less Elizabeth Warren please. Break flyover economically to dominate it culturally. This has been working for us. We can worry about ruined redneck once saying your a Christian gets you laughed at in public. Till then, fight and keep in mind economics is the best warfare we can use against them. Broke people have no power or voice, break flyover permanently.
Mike with a Mic
@MikeJ:
Or we can just break them economically and funnel all the money into urban centers in blue states. Vastly more effective.
Liquid
@Mike with a Mic:
I don’t expect him to savage his guests but when it’s a member of our government I would hope for a little more than jokes and pleasantries.
This is a losing argument as nothing is going to change until we’re staring into the abyss.
hildebrand
Maher always picks the easy, most ridiculous, targets. Religulous was the functional equivalent of me playing 1 on 5 against the Globetrotters. Fun for a minute, and then you realize the joke is already stale. Hitting Farenthold is essentially the same – his audience will laugh, but you shouldn’t expect anthing other than a cheap comedy routine from it.
Comrade Mary
Bill Maher often supports the most ridiculous targets, too.
Liquid
@hildebrand: It’s why I never bothered with “”Religulous.” It was described as “shooting fish in a barrel.” The cinematic equivalent of the “elbowing your friend/saying “Eh,eh?”
Anyone wants to form an opposing argument I invite to you head over to rationalwiki.org.
hildebrand
@Mike with a Mic: That may be the most short-sighted, mean-spirited thing I have heard in quiet some time. Admit it, you are a libertarian, aren’t you. That kind of antipathy for fellow human beings only flows from disciples of Ayn Rand.
trollhattan
Maher has a lot of holes in his Cred Cape, and refuses to learn details about some big fundamental issues that he then lets liars lie about, unchallenged, but when he’s on he’s devastating.
And, he gave OFA a million (millyun!) bucks, so at least he’s a checkbook liberal.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
I want to thank anyone who donated and/or publicized the Goathouse Refuge’s fundraiser today. They hit the goal for the matching funds a couple of hours ago!
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@hildebrand: Sarcastic troll is sarcastic. He doesn’t like what he thinks is the neo-liberal obsession with gonad issues
ranchandsyrup
My wife’s post on how people choose to describe their friends
With bonus Too $hort.
hildebrand
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: My bad. Guess my snark detector is a wee bit low on juice.
Liquid
It’s the difference. If Maher (or anyone else) spouts bullshit we call them on it.
If O”Reilly/Hannity/etc. lie well that’s par for the course, But then it’s obvious and attempting to defend this position is useless.
mainmata
@Liquid: No he is not. He’s also not a conservative. He’s a sort of pseudo libertarian-Liberal Hollywood mix. I watch his show because he mixes up liberals, conservatives and artists, authors, etc. sort of like Colbert but in a different format. I”m a progressive but I appreciate where Maher comes from even when I really disagree with hm, especially on women’s issues. We don’t have enough intelligent debate shows that are also entertaining, given the average American audience.
JoyfulA
@MikeJ: That was going to be my comment. When I saw his show, admittedly a few decades ago, he was clearly a libertarian.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@JoyfulA: HE’s changed a lot since the Bush years, I think. He’s definitely mercurial. In 2000, he went from Bradley to McCain to Nader, iirc
burnspbesq
Meanwhile, on issues that actually matter to people’s everyday lives, the Supremes will hear oral argument tomorrow in Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood, the so-called “contraceptive mandate” cases. Marty Lederman is continuing to do yeoman work blowing up the lame arguments being advanced by plaintiffs and the usual stooges. In today’s episode, he eviscerates Stephen Bainbridge, who is badly in need of evisceration.
http://balkin.blogspot.com/2014/03/hobby-lobby-part-xiii-shareholder.html
JoyfulA
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Initially, Maher had a group of smart, knowledgeable guests. Then, maybe to boost ratings, he started mixing in dim, “famous” people, and I didn’t bother watching anymore.
Liquid
@mainmata: You’re right. It’s just an uncomfortable feeling about Maher acting as an actual *_______*. It’s not like he is (or has) considered an important political source.
cokane
@JoyfulA: maher has always mixed in dimmer guests. hell if anything he leans more towards overtly political intellectual people and has fewer actors or other celebrities on.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@cokane: HE said when he moved his show to HBO, it meant he no longer had to invite dimwitted celebrities with shows or movies with ABC or Disney or connected agents. He has said he tries to avoid having all liberal panels, which I agree with, but he’s far too deferential to conservatives, lets loudmouths (Reihan Salan and the hyper-caffinated Stephen Moore comes to mind) shout down other guests, and most of all, as Trollhattan said, he’s far too often lazily ill-informed about issues, and sometimes not above sneering dismissals of people who actually know what they’re talking about, if it doesn’t fit in to his (sometimes adolescent, especially where women and race are concerned) worldview.
And for all that, I consider myself a fan. Sumbitch can be really funny.
Joel
Blake Farenthold. Does he represent the Radiohead or the Stone Temple Pilots version?
Former 2012 Campaign Staffer in TX-27
@Citizen_X: It is a competitive district. The candidate the Democrats ran last time (I was on her staff) was the worst possible candidate you can imagine. I could give you a full list of things, but let’s just say she had no money, no contact with voters aside from signs and her occasional (and often late) appearances at events around the district.