PANAMA CITY - U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Panama City, has turned election year criticism from a comedian into a fundraising appeal.
Bill Maher, the host of HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” is holding a contest called “Flip-A-District” and asking his audience to identify the worst U.S. representatives in the nation. Different representatives are added to the bracket each week and eventually Maher and his audience will pick the worst member of Crongress in the country, at least according to the left-leaning host.
The “winner” of this dubious honor will face targeted ads from Maher’s SuperPAC and will be featured in unflattering segments on “Real Time.”
Maher said Southerland, who led Republican efforts to add an amendment to the farm bill that would have allowed states to add a work requirement to food benefits, wants to “embalm” food stamps.
Maher added that Southerland is an “evangelist who believes strongly in Jesus’ message to the poor: ‘Shut up and get a job.’ ”
In an email blast to his supporters Thursday morning, Southerland wrote that Maher should be sent packing because of his own offensive comments.
“Like when he claimed religion is detrimental to the progress of society or when he said the GOP was committing treason by standing up to Obama,” the email states.
Southerland added that if the campaign raises $5,000 by the end of the day Thursday, he would respond to Maher with a tweet: “@BillMaher Try not to flip out too much when we win in November #flipadistrict #sayfie.”