A rather peculiar thing happened on CNN's "Reliable Sources" Sunday: Bill Maher trashed liberals.
Speaking with Howard Kurtz about how he always gets booed when he tells an Obama joke, Maher said "we get a very supersensitive liberal audience" on HBO's "Real Time," and "it's always that limousine liberal crowd that just has their finger on the politically correct button...That's what bugs me the most about liberals is that they just -- they object before they even know what they're objecting to."
Despite Maher also claiming that "especially on campuses in the last 10 or 15 years, the repression of speech has come more from the left," one got the feeling the "Real Time" host wasn't being completely honest about his distaste for liberals when he later complained about Democrats: "We don't really have a party that represents me or any progressives."
As you'll see from the following partial transcripts, Maher's positions were rather hypocritical (video embedded below the fold, relevant sections at 24:00 and 31:30):
(Video available here for Internet Explorer users.)
HOWARD KURTZ, HOST: You have feasted for a long time on George Bush and Dick Cheney. We're in a new era now. On your program a while back, you told a joke about President Obama.
(VIDEOTAPE)
BILL MAHER, HBO: You know who's superstitious about Friday the 13th? Republicans. They say the country is having bad luck because we let a black cat in the White House.
KURTZ: Do you remember the audience reaction?
MAHER: Yeah. Well, they boo me a lot when I talk about Obama.
KURTZ: Why is that? What does that tell you?
MAHER: It tells me that we get a very supersensitive liberal audience. You know, I mean, this is one reason I always have trouble doing charity events. I'm all for charity, but the events -- you know, it's always that limousine liberal crowd that just has their finger on the politically correct button. You know, they're just ready to -- ooh. Yeah. That's what bugs me the most about liberals is that they just -- they object before they even know what they're objecting to.
KURTZ: Aren't these your people, Bill?
MAHER: No, not when they do that. I'm much more of a -- you know, I'm a free speech person. And I would say especially on campuses in the last 10 or 15 years, the repression of speech has come more from the left.
In sum, he doesn't like liberals because they object before they know what they're objecting to and they repress free speech.
Yet, after a commercial, Maher had the following exchange with Kurtz:
MAHER: You see, this is my point about the Democrats. We don't really have a party that represents me or any progressives. The Democrats really are what the Republican Party used to be. I think the Republican Party, which is at record low levels, that should go away entirely. The Democrats are what the Republicans used to be. A corporatist party that represents big business and doesn't stand up for progressive issues. And then we need a whole new party which is what the Democrat Party used to be. Because, again, Obama has not said anything about gun control. Ever since Al Gore lost Tennessee in the year 2000 Democrats have not had the...
KURTZ: They have died away.
MAHER: ...guts to stand up on this issue.
Fascinating: Maher hates liberals but wishes there was a whole new party further to the left than the Democrats.
Doesn't add up, does it?
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.
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Woa ! Somebody get Maher
May 24, 2009 - 11:04 ET by BlazerWoa ! Somebody get Maher some Kool-Aid quick.
I actually agree with him for the most part here. Hey, even a busted clock is right twice a day.
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
What Does Maher Mean...
May 24, 2009 - 16:27 ET by farstar99Whats does he mean there are no parties representing him and the progressive moonbats?
Last I heard there are still plenty of his fellow Nazis and Communists around.
When one is only a socialist...
May 24, 2009 - 19:27 ET by gopcongressWhen one is only a socialist compared to the average of absolute communist as personified by Obama, then of course there is someone who is going to make him seem like Ronald Reagan, or at least Zell Miller, from their point of view.
It still doesn't excuse that person from being an outright socialist idiot.
______________________
Moderate... Democrat... Liberal... Progressive... Socialist... Communist—The progression is clear as day.
OK, let's think ... WHY IS IT
May 24, 2009 - 11:08 ET by KC MulvilleWhy is it that Bill Maher attracts a supersensitive liberal audience? Hmmmm, why could that be?
That was a joke?
May 24, 2009 - 11:20 ET by slickwillie2001I would hardly call what is in the transcript 'a joke about Obama'. It's more of a shot at Republicans which I expect from this loon.
The Bamster is a rich field for comedy hunters, they are just too terrified to go there.
Actually, Jay Mohr
May 24, 2009 - 11:26 ET by BlazerActually, Jay Mohr ripped on Michelle Obama real hard last week on Jim Rome's smackoff and he's a known lefty.
Of course his new job in the near future will be changing linen's in a run down motel off Rt. 9 in New Jersey, but way to go Jay !
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
Re Jay Mohr
May 24, 2009 - 11:59 ET by slickwillie2001That was excellent; here's Jay on Obama among other things. The downpage of Jay doing Walken is also great.
Jay Mohr Goes There: http://ace.mu.nu/archives/287558.php
Agree that this is dangerous territory for Mohr career-wise since liberals in entertainment have been known to blacklist anything conservative. It points out the hypocrisy of their desire to push the envelope and be daring and all that nonsense.
I like this comment from
May 24, 2009 - 12:14 ET by motherbeltI like this comment from Ace... regarding people ( Supermodel Imam, among others) saying that contrary to the pundits' opinions, Michelle Obama, while attractive (when she's all dressed up) is certainly no Helen of Troy.... (emphasis added)
The problem is this: When the MSM and tabloids push the absurd idea
that Michelle Obama is one of the most beautiful women on the face of
the earth, eveh, comedians, whose job it is to call bull$**tt on
bull$**t, [vulgarity edited] are going to vent the politically incorrect truth. Which is
also their job.
No one would be saying this, really, if it wasn't being insisted
24/7 that Michelle Obama is a supermodel. As I've said, if the media
merely limited the comments on her appearance to the courteous,
obligatory, and occasional claim of "beautiful" -- fine, whatever. All
first ladies eventually get called beautiful, by someone.
It's the constant demand that we accept a glaring falsehood as a
truth which must not be contradicted that pretty much begins demanding
contradiction.
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
As crazy Bill becomes more
May 24, 2009 - 11:32 ET by d1carterAs crazy Bill becomes more and more irrelevant, he is searching for a new target to preserve his lofty position at HBO...tehe
Poor Bill
May 24, 2009 - 11:41 ET by danebramageSo much for the idea some people have that Maher is smart. I think he's being totally honest here and he really doesn't understand what a liberal is, a "progressive" is, etc.
A person who thrives on cheap laughs...
May 24, 2009 - 12:00 ET by wnaegele...should not be expected to be a source of facts or logic.
Maher is a very confused
May 24, 2009 - 12:36 ET by Jack BauerMaher is a very confused individual. He thinks he's a "libertarian" but he's not.
Maher is a libertine socialist -- obsessed with sex and drugs.
He can't possibly be a libertarian because he thinks it's cool to have bloated government governing every aspect of other peoples' lives.
He claims: "I'm a free speech person." But is he, really?
It's his dumb show, so he can have on who he likes. But if he's such a free speech person, how come the vast majority of those on parrot his socialism like good little stenographers?
He already admits his audiences hate any mocking of their Cult Leader. In fact, even an essentially an anti-Bush joke is reviled because it dares mention "his" name.
The Obamabots really are like a skit from The Life Of Brian. Funny and very scary at the same time.
So why does he scrape up his audience from the bottom same scummy pool all the time?
What -- it's not possible to find people who hold a different political viewpoint who want to attend a free TV show.
I guess conservatives and especially BLACK conservatives NEED NOT APPLY.
So he selects his guests. Self-selects his audience. Stacks the decks to give him the desired same old political outcome -- and has the gall to say he's a free-speech person.
I think not.
JB
May 24, 2009 - 13:23 ET by Noel SheppardJB,
I've heard Maher claim he's a libertarian, but what kind of libertarian is for gun control, higher taxes, and bigger government? ns
A communist
May 24, 2009 - 13:27 ET by BlazerA communist libertarian.
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
blazer -- a member of the
May 24, 2009 - 14:03 ET by Jack Bauerblazer -- a member of the Komiterrian.
ns -- yep. That's
May 24, 2009 - 14:11 ET by Jack Bauerns -- yep. That's what offends me most about Maher, his absurd claim to be a libertarian.
I'm a conservative not a "liberatrian," though like most conservatives we share many libertarian tendencies.
Collectivists cannot, by definition, be libertarian in any way. The state via the government will always trump the individual. That's the very foundation of their mindset.
Liberals - ban water.. (sure thing man - sounds good to me)
May 24, 2009 - 12:41 ET by Gary HallThat's great stuff Noel. Another headline for the post, might be:
Of course, it's true. Let's see if the nation's popular left wing columnists jump on that one -- or, rather if it's more likely they will quickly look the other way? Now, if Newt or Cheney had made such a statement - they'd all be all over it.
Another interesting caveat, in the left objecting prior to knowing what it is they're objecting to, is that when they often find out in a conversation, that their own side has been doing the same thing, more or less, they tend to instantly get even angrier as they quicky change the conversation to something else that they object to.
EXTRA: And, remember this - a great example of how quickly the left jumps on the bandwagon - without understanding what they are angry at:
(;~> gary
Starting to change my mind
May 24, 2009 - 13:13 ET by wiwfStarting to change my mind about Maher. Maybe he really does have common sense.
The Rocky Mountain Collegian: Illustrating Idiocy
wiwf.. Maher is all over the place..
May 24, 2009 - 13:42 ET by Gary Hall.. note the discussion above about Maher's claim to be a Libertarian.
Before Bush, Maher was a comedian - and he had a sharp wit which often displayed a bit of sense running thru it. But you know, he reads the same national mainstream newspapers and watches and listens to the same MSM that the bulk of America does, and in addition, he's exposed to probably nothing but liberal hate - because of his associations in the industry.
He started "objecting before he knew what he was objecting to;" a victim of his own worst fears. A couple of months of the other side, and perhaps he woke up and felt like someone slapped a bit of sense back into him.
OK, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt - just a weeeeeee bit here.
(;~> gary
Gary
May 24, 2009 - 13:32 ET by Noel SheppardGary,
I actually tested both headlines to see how they looked and I liked this one better. Although the speech repression issue is a stronger criticism, I didn't think it would attract attention in a headline.
Just tested it again and still feel this one is stronger.
Headlines are a touchy, highly-subjective matter. I'm always playing with them to see what sells. As we're up to 3,000 reads on a holiday-weekend Sunday, I'm hesitant to switch at this point. If this was still under a thousand, I'd be changing it in a heartbeat. :-) ns
Noel..
May 24, 2009 - 13:42 ET by Gary HallHonestly, it wasn't a critique of what or how you chose it. And, I'm not surprised at all that you massaged it around... but yea, I guess in the back of my mind was the potential impact of a notable journalist out there being blindsided by the boldness of it.
Cheers - (;~> gary
Gary
May 24, 2009 - 13:45 ET by Noel SheppardGary,
Didn't take it as a critique. Just wanted to respond that I had considered it, and even thought about changing it now. :-) ns
It does add up
May 24, 2009 - 13:29 ET by reasonsjesterProgressives are lunatics who feel reality is a prison. In their eyes, conservatism is like the bulwark that stems the tide of history, which carries the flotsam and jetsam of humankind toward their return to Eden. To the progressives, Democrats are like an anchor because they work within an institutional framework of big labor and self-interest, which is not "truly" radical change. The progressives are like the twin fan turbo engines carrying humanity over a waterfall yelling, "Woo hoooo!"
Not that I believe Maher that he's such a "progressive." I sense in his chat he wanted to use the term "libertarian" but checked himself to avoid drawing further ire. In intellectual fashion, freedom, limited government, and individual rights are so 1780s.
I only have two words for Maher
May 24, 2009 - 14:00 ET by jefflebowskiAnd the two words are: Shut the **** up! You preach unbridled socialist crap. Once you see what socialism does to our dollar, people, country, allies, you immediately turn on your unwashed leftist followers.
You made your bed, now lie in it! You and your ilk will receive the full condemnation of an angry nation. Deservedly so!
Angry White Dude
www.angrywhitedude.c...
Glad this segment was
May 24, 2009 - 14:03 ET by bigtimerGlad this segment was summed up for me here regarding Kurtz/Maher...I saw where he was coming on and clicked it to 'Face the Nation' with wonderful RINO Powell expounding his own self- righteousness.
I just love Sunday talking head shows.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Maher may be a far left Lib
May 24, 2009 - 17:31 ET by karris56Maher may be a far left Lib but he is not an idiot.
He does Political Comedy He knows the Dems control everything.
Obama, for 4 maybe 8 years. Dem congress for a couple, maybe more.
How much longer with the Bush jokes? He is a comedian and has to be relevant.
I also think he has seen, how Olbermann has plunged like a rock with the same
tired Bush, Cheney, crap. Olby was on the show awhile back and I think Maher
tried to get thru to Olby that the Mission Accomplished,day whatever ,was old.
Maher gets it.Olby might, but there is nothing he can do. There is no one even in
the middle that would take him serious.The far left is all he has and he can't make
them mad.Maher can at least claim he is a comedian. Nothing personal he would say.
Maher doesn't seem to think
May 25, 2009 - 00:00 ET by RR GOPMaher doesn't seem to think that the current administration/Dem party is Leftist enough for him.
In itself, so what...but multiply him by millions and considering how Leftist the above actually are and it's scary.
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 61% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory (yep...approval for Congress now at 39%...do you believe that!?).
As much as Maher
May 25, 2009 - 01:05 ET by ImAllRightis a dic*, I'll come to his defense on this.
You said and implied that he "hates" liberals and then accused him of being a hypocrite, when all he said is that many are way too PC when he makes fun of Obama and that it gets on his nerves when they criticize before even fully listening what he just said.
You really twisted his words on that one, which kind of defeats the purpose of exposing bias in the media.
- Sounded to me like he thinks today's Democrats = Republicans of the 1970's, that he wants the current GOP to go away and become known as the Democratic Party.
And for a newer leftist party to form that isnt called Democrats at all.
With that said, Maher is still a dic*.
I'm sure 95% of the post was woven with sarcasm, but still...
"Democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man." - Ronald Reagan
My knee-jerk response to
May 25, 2009 - 17:08 ET by mattmMy knee-jerk response to this was, "Duh, Bill."