I listen to the podcast of Real Time with Bill Maher and I have to give him credit for inviting some good guests from time to time, but unfortunately he also gives platforms to people like Andrew Breitbart and Ann Coulter to spread their hateful messages. In Episode 218, available at iTunes, the first 20 minutes or so was pretty good, because it seems like every false meme that Bill spewed was shot down pretty quickly by his guests. He was unusually wrong that night.
He repeated a line that is vintage Bill Maher, catchy, clever, but completely wrong. Here it is…
It would be kind of a tragedy if we got to the end of four years of Democratic rule without having really tried any Democratic policies. – Bill Maher
I’m sure that line appealed to the “where’s my pony” crowd, but for people who are paying attention to more than just the negative spin coming from the loudest voices in the libertarian wing, it is obviously complete horseshit. I’m not referring to Hamsher, Greenwald, Adam Green, Huffington, Moulitsas or the rest of those folks as the left anymore. Anyone who helps Republicans get elected and damages the Democratic Party in our two-party system, doesn’t deserve to hang with us on the left.
Let me help Bill Maher with some reality. First, is it “Democratic Rule” when Republican’s have forced a super-majority of 60 votes on every bill that comes into the Senate chamber? Is it “Democratic Rule” when every single fucking bill that comes before the congress has an ultimatum attached to it by any number of Senators, each of whom can filibuster without even having to drag their lazy asses to the Senate floor? And of course, since 2010, when many who are listed above were either openly telling Democrats to stay home or implying it, Republicans have had control of the House of Representatives, which in case Bill didn’t know, actually writes the bills and appropriates the money. Is that “Democratic Rule” Maher?
He then goes on to say “without having really tried any Democratic policies”, which is the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever heard. He dismisses the Affordable Care Act because it didn’t include the public options or a single payer system, neither of which would have any chance of getting even enough Democratic support. The ACA was the most liberal, “Democratic” legislation to pass since Civil Rights in the 60’s. If that isn’t trying Democratic policies for your ass, I don’t know what is.
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Here is a short list of “Democratic policies”, is Bill Maher just not aware of them?
- How about the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, nothing Democratic about that, right?
- How about the Presidential Memorandum extending benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. I’m sure Republicans would have done the same thing, right Bill?
- And I guess in Bill’s world the Presidential Memorandum protecting gay and lesbian partners’ visitation/healthcare decision-making rights…nothing Democratic to see there, move along.
- Signing the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, not really a Democratic policy in any way. Once again, I’m sure the Republicans would have done that in a heartbeat.
- Repealed DADT you fucking moron, and did it the right way by passing legislation, not a temporary fix – like signing an executive order. Democratic policy, I think not.
- Oh, did I mention The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA): a $789 billion economic stimulus plan, which included money for teachers, children, the elderly, infrastructure, jobs training, education, food for starving children and many different green proposals for clean energy…and on and on. But I guess Bill was stoned when all that went down and he missed it.
- He bailed out the auto industry, saving hundreds of thousands of union jobs and keeping working class people employed. But that wouldn’t be a Democratic policy, right Bill?
I feel kind of silly even proceeding with more examples, I’ll just send Bill and anyone believing his massive lie to this website, which has the President’s actions over the first 2 and 1/2 years catalogued in easy to read categories, with references and written so even Bill Maher can understand it.
The really odd thing about Bill Maher is that he often contradicts himself within the same show. As a matter of fact, in the show that he made the above statement on, he later went on to list some great things the President has done as a set up to a question for his Republican guest. I’m still hunting for the transcript to the episode above, so I can show more of his stupidity, but his website that promises to have transcripts in the Google description, has no such thing. I have the podcast, but I’ll be damned if I want to transcribe it myself.
Look for a future post about the same show where Richard Engle of NBC takes Bill to daycare and schools him on the reality of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He reminds him that President Bush started those wars and screwed them up royally, while President Obama really is getting us out of both of them. Richard Engle is polite about schooling Maher, but it’s still pretty awesome to hear/see Bill get his uninformed bullshit memes crushed. Go listen or watch that episode for some good times.
Cross-posted at Angry Black Lady Chronicles
Extreme Liberal's Blog 
It’s like watching the super villain Two-Face the Harvey Dent side tell us about the accomplishments of the President Obama and how the Republicans are going after the middle class, the burnt the hell up side of him spews the talking points the faux progressives put out there.
I don’t like Maher that much. I watched his documentary Religilous and found it offensive and although I’m not a religious person I felt his disrespecting people for believing things different than what he believes in rather immature and unhelpful. Bottom line religion is not the reason for all the worlds evil, the fantacism and dogma that it sometimes springs from hurts religion but religion itself is not to blame. As a matter of fact religion has done good things such as helping the poor something that Maher hasn’t done.
Again I’m not a religious man by any means and neither is my family but I don’t think its right either to attack others for believing different things than yourself.
Never found that Maher ever contributed anything in the way of logical thinking. Don’t find him any different than any of the others who are in it for a buck, and that’s the only reason they are in the broadcasting/media field. Whatever their tiny brains can think of to say, that’s what they say. Doesn’t have to have any reasoning. It makes a buck for them. Isn’t that the game?
Bill Maher is an openly declared Libertarian where as Glenn Greenwald tries to make everyone think he’s a Democrat. But they are of the same ilk. Maher’s handlers/ joke creators just know if he goes all Hamwald, he’d lose viewers so fast it would it would cause HBO to cancel them.
Excellent post, EL.
About the only reason I was paying extra to get HBO was for Bill Maher’s on-and-off seasons. But having grown weary of his BS and penchant for Obama thrashing guests, dropped HBO for good. I can watch many of his guests on MSNBC for free.
I only got HBO because of Game Of Thrones and True Blood lol I could care less about the political discourse on there. My brother loves Maher but the guy is an ass to me.
I have to say, I can’t hate on the Maher. He’s one of the few Americans I have seen who are truly cynical and I love the cynicism.
I’m with you, Grant. Although previously a fan, I cannot abide Bill Maher now. Like you, once upon a time I paid for HBO just to have access to Real Time. During the healthcare debate (fiasco), I was so pissed each week at either Maher or one of his guests that I figured it was better for my mental health to just get rid of HBO.
Obama can be a lousy negotiator/salesman. The health care is better than nothing but it is still a blow job to the insurance companies and the tax cuts for the rich are still in place.