Fareed Zakaria: 'Bill Maher One of the Sharpest Observers of American Politics Out There'
As NewsBusters previously reported, Fareed Zakaria on November 5 marvelously exposed comedian Bill Maher's staggering ignorance of politics.
Exactly one month later, on the CNN program bearing his name, Zakaria contradictorily said, "I find Maher to be one of the sharpest observers of American politics and life in general out there" (videos follow with transcripts and commentary):
FAREED ZAKARIA: "Politically Incorrect" was the name of the show Bill Maher hosted in the 1990s. It's also an apt description of the man himself. Now host of eighth HBO's hit show "Real Time", I find Maher to be one of the sharpest observers of American politics and life in general out there. It doesn't mean I always agree with him. I always find him funny, though.
Really?
Well, here's what happened the last time they were on the same set together on HBO's "Real Time":
BILL MAHER, HOST: I thought it was interesting the Blue Dog Democrats who, that’s a nice term, Blue Dog. What it really means is Democrats who act and vote more like Republicans. Very conservative Democrats. They lost on Tuesday. Those people who said, “You know what, I’m not with Obama. I disavow him even though he’s my president in my Party.” They lost. What does that tell you? You know, it tells me that this election was lost when Obama didn’t back the public option. To me, that was the one key thing that said to the people, “You know what? This is no different than Al Gore Democrats, the old Al Gore playbook. Let’s run from our achievements, and let’s not stand for what we believe in."
FAREED ZAKARIA, TIME AND CNN: I think it stretches imagination though Bill to think that fundamentally, if you look at this election and what happened, basically as you, as you mock them, Independents broke, broke for the Republicans. It’s difficult to imagine an Independent saying, “I’m going to vote for extremely right-wing Republicans because Obama wasn’t left-wing enough.” Right? You see what I’m saying? They’re saying, instead of saying, “I’m going to vote for Obama who was left of center, I’m going to go to the extreme right of the political spectrum.” I think it’s more plausible to say that they perceived rightly or wrongly that he had moved too far left. My view, the going doing healthcare itself gave people a signal he was concerned about the kind of things Bill O’Reilly was saying: social justice. Because look, fundamentally, 85 percent of the country has healthcare and worries about cost. Fifteen percent doesn’t and worries about access. What he did was he dealt with the issue of the fifteen percent before he dealt with the issue of the 85 percent.
MAHER: Among that 85 percent that has it, a lot worry that they will lose it.
ZAKARIA: They may.
MAHER: If you lose your job you lose it.
ZAKARIA: They may.
MAHER: Or if the insurance company chooses to screw you because of a spelling error, you lose it. In fact, the public option, the public option in January of ’09 polled at 73 percent approval, wanted the public option. A year later, 53 percent because the Republicans…
ZAKARIA: The healthcare plan was generally speaking not very popular from the get go.
MAHER: That’s not true. That’s still not true.
ZAKARIA: It had between 40, 48 percent support. It never really crossed 50.
MAHER: That’s not, I don’t believe that’s true. I think…
CONGRESSMAN DARRELL ISSA, (R-CALIFORNIA): Those darned polls, they just lie.
ZAKARIA: You think if he had done a single payer system, all these guys who voted for right-wing Republicans would say, “Hallelujah! This is what we wanted. Now we don’t like Christine O’Donnell?” It just doesn’t make any sense!
DANA GOULD, COMEDIAN: No. He campaigned on the healthcare program. He campaigned on healthcare.
ZAKARIA: But why would they vote for right-wing Republicans? They would vote for people who were more left-wing than Obama not people who are right-wing. They would have to be truly confused.
So which is it Fareed: Is Maher "one of the sharpest observers of American politics and life in general out there" or truly confused?
As Zakaria exposed Maher for not having a clue why independent voters broke so strongly for Republicans in the midterms, the answer seems quite obvious.
Maybe Fareed forgot his last "Real Time" appearance when Maher once again showed himself to be nothing more than a comedian pretending to know what he's talking about.
Makes you wonder what else escapes Zakaria's memory when it fits his agenda.
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Comments
Well, with regards to ol'
Submitted by killa37 on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 4:16pm.
Well, with regards to ol' Donkeyface's OWN views on politics and life, I'm sure he's 'sharp'......but that sure as hell doesn't translate into anything of value or importance to the majority of the population......
where's Foghorn Leghorn when you need 'em?
Submitted by wizardjr on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 4:17pm.
"I say... I say, that boy's about as sharp as a bowling ball."
Ha HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Submitted by DaMama on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 5:09pm.
Excellent response. Priceless.
Or
Submitted by diskinetic on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 5:21pm.
"... a sack of wet liver."
Another Foghorn Leghorn favorite.
Maher is doggie poo.
Submitted by Newsbubba on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 4:20pm.
"I find Maher to be one of the sharpest observers of American politics and life in general out there"
Lord help us all if Maher's perception of "life in general" is what it really is. He has the most sullen, cynical, and sad view of life in this, the greatest country in the world, as I have seen in my lifetime!
Sure, we aren't perfect and we will never be, but to hear Maher tell it, we are the worst collection of people who have ever lived on the planet.
This asshole needs to go back in history to ANY other civilization in history to find a people who meet his crappy view of the world. By the way, he would last about 30 seconds after he started crapping on their parade.
Maher is a sad man, and he works overtime trying to depress the rest of us. Ain't gonna happen, Maher!
Socialist Bill Maher...
Submitted by adamsmith on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 5:10pm.
He's a self admitted Socialist. What spells stupid better than that? He's one of the shallowest thinkers on TV, his arguments belong in a seventh grade debate club. His rationale for all life in general is as immature as one can get. The guy never leaves his Hollywood Socialist circle mentally or physically. Insulated MoonBattery......
I've listened to this Zacharia moron a couple minutes a couple of times. The only thing that explains him is a new type of affirmative action. He's one of the dullest knives in the drawer..
Maher is not a socialist
Submitted by ckc1227 on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 7:32pm.
Maher isn't a socialist, he's a libertarian. And Barney Frank isn't gay, he's a real ladies man.
If I even had the slightest respect what Meerkat
Submitted by Redrowan2000 on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 4:33pm.
Zakria said this would bother me. Hey guess what Randi Rhodes thinks Bill is great too. Garafolo also says that Bill is insightful, and Lionel and Shultzy and Brian Williams and Wolf Blitzer and little Katie Couric and Colbert and Al Sharpton........get it . That this excuse for a real journalist whatever that is anymore gives his imprimatur on Bill Maher well if iI had even the slightest scintilla of respect for Meerkat it would just make me want to put my head in the waste basket and give it another refill.
"Don't let the bastards grind you down."
If I had that list of people
Submitted by killa37 on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 4:35pm.
If I had that list of people saying I was great, I'd commit hari-kari!!!!! It's the bland leading the blind.............
This reads like the funny farm chapter of Journolists.
Submitted by needle on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 9:44pm.
- Looking forward to the self-annihilation of the Manipulated Stories Machine.
Zakaria is a leftist, socialist POS
Submitted by ThisnThat on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 4:38pm.
Worse yet, he's part of this country's biased MSM. So what, you ask?
Here's what -- not only does he and his kind lie to us with no remorse at all -- he firmly believes we are the dumbest of the dumb, and simply can't put two and two together. That we can't remember what is being said from day to day. And that we have no set of values to guide our lives. Therefore, he believes that what he says one day, will not be remembered the next -- and that the only truth is the truth he speaks of at the moment. Condemn Bill Meyer yesterday? Never happened when he speaks to us today. The only thing that matters is that we remain under his control -- that truth doesn't mean a thing as long as the agenda is advanced.
I sure hope we're not as shallow, as a nation, as these leftists think we are!
__________
“Didn't win the Medal of Honor? Didn't even serve? Then lie about it. We'll support you." — 9th Circuit Court
Maher only looks like a
Submitted by Newsbusterbrown on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 4:42pm.
Maher only looks like a genius when he's debating a liberal. When he's debating a conservative, however, he looks really foolish.
“There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.” - Ronald Reagan (1964 Republican Convention)
This Guy Is Nuts
Submitted by DaMama on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 5:08pm.
Maher politically astute? Observant? You've got to be kidding me. He is one of the most hateful, ignorant, foolish guys out there, spewing his particular brand of liberal venom all over the place. He has no respect for anyone who isn't liberal.
If you are going to be a respectable, believable political commentator, you need to at least respect both sides of the argument, regardless of your own ideals. Maher has no respect for anything conservative. His hate and disdain for anything conservative, and especially Christian, is so obvious.
Zakaria needs to go back to Communications 101 in community college and learn something.
Not far enough,
Submitted by boomercon on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 6:39pm.
I'd say he needs to go back a bit further than that...say, peel back more years, until he and his are back in their homeland. There he can strive for relevance. See how that works out.
If you limit yourself to
Submitted by lnthomp on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 5:31pm.
If you limit yourself to observers of American Politics who write or broadcast for the mainstream media, maybe it isn't a contradiction after all. None of them can figure out why Americans aren't in love with Obama.
Lee T / USN(ret) /Midland, TX,
Maher is a very little man
Submitted by Captain Repus on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 5:52pm.
Maher is a very little man who attempts to play with the grownups by trying to bring those he disagrees with down to his level.
My prediction of Maher's future is him getting busted in a crack-induced stupor in the back seat of his car with a pretty 11 year old boy.
Fareed Zakaria obviously has
Submitted by 26CX on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 6:01pm.
Fareed Zakaria obviously has very low standards.
Waste of time
Submitted by tampamom25 on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 6:06pm.
Anyone who wastes their time listening to Maher would do really well to try to find some sort of hobby to fill their spare time. I suggest driving nails into your forehead, as it would be less painful than listening to him. He is a shallow minded comedian of the same ilk as Joy Behar who really doesn't say anything worth listening to. He couldn't be sharp if you stuck his head in a pencil sharpener:o(
LOL!!
Submitted by 26CX on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 6:12pm.
Driving nails into your forehead! That's a good one!
Maybe Maher pays well.
Submitted by Red Jeep on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 6:28pm.
Maybe Fareed is hard up for stash cash.
Don't forget what Donkey-face said right after the 9/11
Submitted by no tingly legs on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 6:36pm.
attacks when he referred to the U.S. military firing cruise missiles into Afghanistan as being cowardly, not the terrorists who crashed planes into the WTC and Pentagon.
http://www.papillonsartpalace.com/maher.htm
That alone educated anybody as to Maher's worth as a human being.
E mails to Zeke
Submitted by Jerry Mack on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 7:10pm.
Curious to know how many e mails that Zeke received from the far left Maher crowd after his appearance on Maher's show. Bet that had something to do with his tune change!
Sarpest observer? Maybe...
Submitted by Army Brat on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 7:10pm.
But his interpretation, his ability to draw logical and realistic conclusions from those observations is non-existent.
The "just a comedian" excuse wears thin.
Submitted by drsamherman on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 7:14pm.
Whenever Maher says anything so outrageous that even diehard leftists disavow, he is conveniently written off as "just a comedian" and we are told we don't understand his brand of satire. At all other times, the leftist media elevate him to a level of credibility that would make Murrow blush.
Stewart and Colbert may be just as annoying in some ways as Maher, but at least they occasionally display some backbone and restraint. Maher is incapable of neither. Nobody sent Fareed the memo that Maher is a comedian, and not some kind of journalistic icon.
Zakaria is looking for...
Submitted by P. Aaron on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 7:17pm.
...any other program to go on that gets better ratings than his...that's all.
That whole suckfest this
Submitted by theprofessor on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 8:36pm.
That whole suckfest this morning was disgracefull. Zakaria fed Maher the pablum and Maher mulled it around and spit out some more.
Who?
Submitted by locomotivebreath1901 on Sun, 12/05/2010 - 10:31pm.
Bill Maher?
Self-indulgent, hate mongering, religious bigot Bill "kill Glenn Beck" Maher?
Is that who tool Zakaria means?
These silly Libs. They're so open-minded and tolerant.
So is Maher a "Terror In
Submitted by TCinAZ on Mon, 12/06/2010 - 7:34am.
So is Maher a "Terror In Mumbai" kind of Sharp, Fareed?
I mean, is He an, If Only We would throw More Good money after Bad over there.. And Ya' know, our POTUS should take Another Ankle-Grabbing Apology Tour to the Middle East...And Hey, Islam! Let's Go Space Truckin!, kind of Sharp?
Or is he a Different kind of "Sharp"?
Just Curious.
Maher didn't like this one bit
Submitted by tinydancer on Mon, 12/06/2010 - 7:54am.
He just wanted to shut this guy up. God forbid a liberal should talk this way on Maher's show!
Shock horror!
I hope it spreads to others.
Maher didn't like this one bit
Submitted by tinydancer on Mon, 12/06/2010 - 7:55am.
He just wanted to shut this guy up. God forbid a liberal should talk this way on Maher's show!
Shock horror!
I hope it spreads to others.
Maher didn't like this one bit
Submitted by tinydancer on Mon, 12/06/2010 - 7:54am.
He just wanted to shut this guy up. God forbid a liberal should talk this way on Maher's show!
Shock horror!
I hope it spreads to others.
Bill Maher is as sharp as a
Submitted by Beukeboom on Mon, 12/06/2010 - 12:33pm.
Bill Maher is as sharp as a bowling ball and as useful as a bowling bat.
I'll reluctantly give Fareed the benefit of the doubt...
Submitted by Sasquatch on Mon, 12/06/2010 - 11:01pm.
One definition of 'sharp' is: 'causing intense mental or physical distress <a sharp pain>'.
Maybe Fareed is onto something after all...every time I see, hear, or think about Bill Maher, I feel 'intense mental and physical distress.'
Kind of like when I had hemorrhoids a few years ago.
Yeah--Fareed is definitely onto something.