On Friday’s Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO, during a discussion of Mitt Romney’s recent altercation with rapper Sky Blu on an airplane, host Maher seemed to suggest that Romney might have been motivated by anti-black racism in confronting the rapper as the Real Time host brought up racially tinged quotes from former Mormon church president Joseph Fielding Smith – who died in 1972 at the age of 95 after serving two years as president – as if the words were relevant to Romney’s scuffle. Maher: "I just couldn't help but think maybe this has something to do with the fact that the Mormons traditionally have not had a great relation with the black people."

After reading a quote from Smith that came from a 1963 article in Look magazine, in which Smith contended that "I would not want you to believe that we bear any animosity toward the Negro. Darkies are wonderful people," Maher claimed that the words were only 20 or 30 years old. Maher: "I'm just saying if you're a Mormon and this is the ‘pope’ of your church and he says things like this about Negro and darkies – and this is only like, I don't know how long ago this was, 20, 30 years ago." The HBO host then read a quote from the book, The Way to Perfection, published by Smith in the 1930s, without divulging the date.

Venezuelan despot Hugo Chavez says he's grateful for the support he's getting from actor Sean Penn.

As NewsBusters reported Monday, Penn told HBO's Bill Maher last week:

[E]very day, this elected leader is called a dictator here, and we just accept it! And accept it. And this is mainstream media, who should – truly, there should be a bar by which one goes to prison for these kinds of lies.

According to a report from the Associated Press, Chavez was pleased by this remark: 

One of the left's knocks on conservatives has been claiming they're demagogues that play on emotion to push a certain point of view. It's been said about Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and the Tea Party movement. 

However, HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" host Bill Maher doesn't seem to take issue with using trumped up emotions to push an agenda. The difference - he is approaching things from the opposite end of the ideological spectrum. Maher appeared on MSNBC's March 10 "Countdown" and defended his demand from his own March 5 program that President Barack Obama quit smoking. The reason - so he would get angry and use that emotion to promote his agenda.

"No, what I was - you know, the point of the rule was that when people quit smoking, they get angry," Maher explained. "And I like my president angry, because, you know, considering how much in this country people are poisoned, ripped off and lied to, we should all be angry, but especially that guy, who has to deal with Congress every day in trying to get this health care bill through and all that. And you know, I like him when he's out on the stump in a sort of a partisan mode. I think his biggest mistake, that he has made, in his first year, was to out put bipartisanship ahead of fixing the country. He spent all his political capital on getting three damned votes for that stimulus bill instead of coming in with all the energy from the election and saying, ‘You know what, we're in a crisis mode, I won this election by a sizable mandate, here's what we're going to do. If you don't like it, Republicans, you can suck on it.'"

Greg Gutfeld and the "Red Eye" gang Tuesday tore apart Bill Maher for wishing that Glenn Beck had been killed during last week's Pentagon shootings.

As NewsBusters previously reported, the so-called comedian during last Friday's "Real Time" said of the tragedy, "When we see crazy, senseless deaths like this, we can only ask why, why, why couldn't it have been Glenn Beck?"

This led Gutfeld, along with guests including Ann Coulter and S.E. Cupp, to lay into Maher for his absurdity while also skewering actor Sean Penn for recently wishing his critics would "die screaming of rectal colon cancer."

For the entertainment pleasure of his audience, Gutfeld enlisted the help of his famous Red Eye Robots to offer Maher some new material utilizing "Glenn Beck died" punch lines (video embedded below the fold, h/t Story Balloon):

At the end of a discussion of Haiti on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, actor Sean Penn went on a rant in defense of Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez, suggesting prison time for American journalists: "every day, this elected leader is called a dictator here, and we just accept it! And accept it. And this is mainstream media, who should – truly, there should be a bar by which one goes to prison for these kinds of lies."

This is a little strange, since a study by our Business and Media Institute of Chavez coverage from 1998 to 2006 found Chavez’s much-criticized human rights record was mentioned in only ten percent of stories, and he was described as a leftist in only 12 percent of stories. Maher shifted to Chavez and the end of the Haiti interview, asking Penn to make a case for his man Chavez:

"When we see crazy, senseless deaths like this, we can only ask why, why, why couldn't it have been Glenn Beck?"

So joked Bill Maher Friday evening on HBO's "Real Time."

During his opening monologue, Maher addressed John Bedell, the man that was shot and killed Thursday when he attacked the Pentagon.

For some reason, the comedian used the incident as a vehicle to go after the Fox News host (video embedded below the fold with transcript, h/t Ed Morrissey, file photo):  

Sarah Palin sends liberals into irrational frenzies of contempt and, in the case of Bill Maher, fits of condescension which drive him to denigrate anyone stupid enough to see anything good in her. Maher began and ended his Friday night HBO program, Real Time with Bill Maher, with derogatory “jokes” based on the presumption Palin and her supporters are morons.

He started with how at the health care summit the attendees recited stories about health care perils: “John McCain told how he once carried a brain-dead woman through an entire campaign.”

About 56 minutes later, Maher raised Tiger Woods and his Buddhist beliefs, wrapping up the show by ridiculing the eastern religion, but turned it into a slam at Palin fans: “Thinking you can look at a babbling, barely house-broken, uneducated being and say that’s our leader doesn't make you enlightened. It makes you a Sarah Palin supporter.”

Did you hear the one about the former Vice President that had five heart attacks?

If you watched "The Joy Behar Show" on HLN Tuesday, you would think this was hysterical as the host and her guest Bill Maher actually laughed when Dick Cheney's hospitalization was brought up.

"It's a funny thing about him," Behar said after a chuckle.

"I mean, the most reasonable people are like, really? They don't even care" (video embedded below the fold with transcript, h/t NBer Thomas Stewart):

Now that actress Andrea Fay Friedman of the Fox television series the Family Guy has spoken out publicly against Sarah Palin’s criticism of the show, ABC News has aired a story on the controversy, which ran on Saturday's World News. The Family Guy episode in question not only treated Down’s Syndrome as something to laugh at (credit to NB reader Birch Barlow for emailing in the link as a tip), but also made a reference to the former Alaska Governor being the mother of a character – voiced by Friedman as both she and the character have Down’s Syndrome – presumably to suggest that Palin has a tendency to give birth to such children and that doing so would be funny.

As he began the piece showing scenes from the episode, and a clip of Palin saying that the jab at her family felt like a "kick in the gut," correspondent Jeremy Hubbard understated the level of obscenity that Seth MacFarlane has a history of employing on the show as he simply described the show's creator and producer as "irreverent," and informed viewers that fans of the "button-pushing" show would find the episode "hardly shocking."

The ABC correspondent went on to give credibility to the view that Palin may be "overreacting" as he cited what he referred to as "half-hearted" praise for the show by "some" advocates for those with Down's Syndrome, and relayed the argument that the show actually delivers a positive portrayal. Hubbard: "Although there has been criticism, some Down's Syndrome advocates have given half-hearted praise to the cartoon for including a well-rounded character dealing with the disability, which leads Palin detractors to ask: Is she overreacting?"

"Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane on Friday said former President George W. Bush is retarded.

Appearing on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher," MacFarlane was discussing the controversy surrounding last Sunday's "Family Guy" when a Down Syndrome joke was made at Sarah Palin's expense.

Maher pointed out that this wasn't inspired by White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel's "f-ing retarded" comment: "[Y]ou've been making fun of the retarded for years."

MacFarlane replied, "[Y]eah, we've had our fair share of Bush jokes."

Moments later Maher said, "[I]ronically because of people like Sarah Palin, the country has done, become so stupid, we need the word retarded to constantly describe what is going on in America" (video embedded below the fold with partial transcript):

Sean Hannity Wednesday took on the recent attacks against conservatives made by liberal entertainers Janeane Garofalo, Bill Maher, and Rosie O'Donnell as well as the hit cartoon series "Family Guy."

As NewsBusters reported Tuesday, Garofalo was on O'Donnell's radio show that day spouting disgusting invective aimed at a littany of conservatives including Hannity himself.

That evening, Maher was on "Larry King Live" calling Americans "not bright enough to really understand the issues." On Sunday, Fox's "Family Guy" attacked former Alaska governor Sarah Palin with a Down Syndrome joke.

With this in mind, Hannity brought conservative author Michelle Malkin on his Fox News program Wednesday to discuss unhinged liberals gone wild.

Possibly the best comment of the segment was when Malkin said of Garofalo and O'Donnell, "They should not be mixed together because what you get in the end is this bubbling cauldron of toxicity" (video embedded below the fold with transcript):

How does one prepare for an upcoming appearance by Seth MacFarlane of Family Guy fame?  If you're Bill Maher, you follow up the Family Guy/Sarah Palin/Down Syndrome attack by doing an 'exclusive rant' for the Huffington Post which includes - you guessed it - a joke about Sarah Palin's son, Trig.

Maher appeals to his lower-intellect audience by stating:

"...while we were off, Sarah Palin agreed to do commentary at Fox News.  Which is actually very similar to her day job - talking to a baby with Down Syndrome."

Video can be found here:

Either Bill Maher was doing his best effort to impersonate Mel Brooks as King Louis XVI in "History in the World, Part I" or he has a complete and utter disregard for the intellectual competency of the American people.

Maher, a perennial bomb thrower with a hard left ideology appeared on CNN's Feb. 16 "Larry King Live," facing the king of softball interviews, Larry King, and let it be known he thought alleged terrorism plotter Khalid Sheikh Mohammed should be tried in New York City and that health care should be forced through by the Obama administration, despite the wishes of the American people.

And why should the American people's wishes be ignored? They're "not bright enough."

"But what the Democrats never understand is that Americans don't really care what position you take, just stick with one," Maher said. "Just be strong. They're not bright enough to really understand the issues. But like an animal, they can sort of sense strength or weakness. They can smell it on you."

Bill Maher Saturday said America loves its military members the way disgraced football player Michael Vick loves dogs.

In his HBO special "Bill Maher...But I'm Not Wrong," the outspoken comedian went on a vulgarity-laden two-minute rant against Republicans and the troops.

"For the longest time, every Republican election has been based on some sentimental bulls**t: the flag, or the flagpin, or the Pledge," he mocked.

"Yes, yes, the love of our troops, the ultimate in fake patriotism" (video embedded below the fold with transcript, h/t Mediaite, vulgarity alert):

Bill Maher granted an interview to Patrick Gavin of Politico.com, and he employed several profanities in denouncing the emerging conservatives on the political scene. He insisted new Sen. Scott Brown will be "a real a**hole" and "a regular Gandhi – if Gandhi took off his diaper and posed for Cosmo."

This is strange territory for Maher – mocking someone for nude pictures, and yet Maher has been a Playboy mansion regular. Like other ultraliberals– take CNN’s Roland Martin wanting to "go gangsta on the GOP" – Maher wants Barack Obama to roll over Republicans, not negotiate with them:

Obama's difficulties with health care reform in Congress remain a sore spot for Maher. "I don't know why he doesn't just demand that the House pass the Senate bill, and then tweak it in reconciliation and tell Glenn Beck to shove his tea bag up his a**. Could he do that?"

Gavin added:

Comedian Bill Maher Friday said President Obama has become so populist that he's demanding to see his own birth certificate.

Appearing on the "Jay Leno Show," Maher also accused Democrats of being so hapless, "They couldn't sell a cub scout to a pedophile."

But Maher wasn't only going after the Left, for after mentioning how terrible a bowler Obama was, the comedian quipped, "Ann Coulter offered to lend him one of her balls, that's how bad he was" (video embedded below the fold with partial transcript):

Newsweek decided to let Bill Maher and Joe Scarborough interview each other for their year-end edition – with predictable results. Scarborough chummily agreed he could run for president with Bill Maher on his ticket:

MAHER: You know, I guess what we need is an independent leader. Maybe you and I should run together on a unity ticket, Joe?

SCARBOROUGH: I think we could do that. [Laughs]

MAHER: The unity ticket of Scarborough and Bill Maher. I'll be happy to be the vice president because you have experience in Congress and I don't really want to get up before noon.

Scarborough tried (without much success) to get Maher to slash Obama from the left. He agreed that it was foolish for Obama to attempt to pacify the right, since he was too young and too black:

MAHER: He was never going to get the conservatives. I mean, I don't know why he spent the amount of time he has so far in his administration currying the favor of people who don't like him. Someone has to give him a memo that says, "They're just not that into you." You are the wrong age, the wrong party, the wrong color. They're just never going to get behind you.

Newsweek’s 20/10 Project has a list of the Decade’s Worst Tactical Blunders. It might not be a shock that Newsweek decided three of the top four were made by Team Bush – and the fourth was John Kerry for letting Swift Boaters prevent him from taking that awful Bush out. What might be surprising are the authors of the little articles that accompany the list. The number one blunder was "Bush’s Katrina Flyover." The author was Bush-hating atheist scold Bill Maher:

But there was something about Bush’s response to Katrina that did bother me—oh, yeah, it was that he didn’t have one. Nor did the former dildo salesman he appointed to head FEMA. In other words, I get far more angry when politicians don’t do their jobs than when they get their pictures taken pretending to do somebody else’s.

The second biggest blunder of the decade was "Kerry Lets Himself Get Swift-Boated" by Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter. Conservative "lies" outpaced liberal "facts," thanks to Kerry’s decision to stay out of the rebuttal battle:

The death wishes for Rush Limbaugh just never stop. Catching up with the October 9 edition of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher (the get-the-Pope-some-sex edition), Maher concluded with a plea for Barack Obama to tell the gay-left advocates at the Human Rights Campaign he will push for the end of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military (which Obama proclaimed.) Maher cracked:

But forget all the good arguments for repeal, like because it’s the right thing to do, or because it was promised in the campaign, or because it gets lonely on a submarine. Do it because it will make Rush Limbaugh explode like a bag of meat dropped from a helicopter.

The easily excitable Maher crowd was screaming and laughing from the word "explode." They didn't wait for the end to endorse Limbaugh dying.  Maher continued:

Do it because it will make Sarah Palin "go rogue" in her pants.

A few years ago, comedienne Sarah Silverman disparaged God on her Comedy Central program by throwing him out of her apartment the morning after having sex with him.

On Friday's "Real Time with Bill Maher," Silverman expounding on her anti-theism by introducing a new video wherein she offered a solution to solve world hunger: "Sell the Vatican, Feed the World."

As she chided the Pope for preaching about living humbly despite residing in a "house that is a city," she advised him that such a noble deed would absolve him of any guilt he might have over his alleged connections to the Holocaust.

More disgracefully, Silverman said, "If you sell the Vatican, and you take that money, and you use it to feed every single human being on the planet, you will get crazy p***y" (video embedded below the fold with partial transcript, h/t Mediaite, vulgarity alert): 

Comedian and kooky leftist Janeane Garofalo is at it again, smearing conservative activists as "white power" racists. Garofalo made her incendiary comments on the October 2 edition of Bill Maher's "Real Time" program on HBO.

Sorry, Janeane, the "real reason that so few people are willing to talk about racism is because, quite frankly, few people are as crazy as Janeane Garofalo is," Media Research Center President and NewsBusters Publisher Brent Bozell told viewers the next morning on Saturday's "Fox & Friends." [MP3 audio available here]

Bozell noted that Garofalo conveniently forgets that President Obama began office in January with a stunning 83 percent approval rating, before citing more evidence of Garofalo's wackiness:

Perhaps this is going to be a common theme of CNN Headline News "The Joy Behar Show." For the second night in a row, two out of two shows - Behar went after the former CNN Headline News host, now Fox News host Glenn Beck as a head of the conservative movement.

On her Sept. 30 show, Behar guests included HBO "Real Time" host Bill Maher and conservative author and columnist Ann Coulter. One had a favorable view of Beck, and the other - not so much.

On Behar's first show, Bette Midler contended Beck would lead to a Rwanda-style civil war in the United States. Behar posed a similar question to Maher on her second show.

Ann Coulter Defends (Video Below Fold)

"The American dream is not totally dead, but it’s being pretty, it’s dying pretty fast...Horatio Alger would move to Europe these days."

So said New York Times columnist Paul Krugman Friday.

Appearing with disgraced former New York governor Eliot Spitzer on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher," Krugman demonstrated perfectly why his perpertually pessimistic view of America is so revered by perpetually pessimistic liberals (video available here, partial transcript below the fold):

Friday night on his HBO show, Bill Maher tried to discredit critics of President Barack Obama, including those concerned about his talk to school children, by smearing them as racists – before he pointed to a Drudge Report headline, “POLL HELL: OBAMA NEGS RISE,” as somehow an example of the ways “some of the right-wingers are always dropping subliminally racist messages.”

Maher first took up Congressman Joe Wilson's “you lie” shout at Obama: “To heckle a President, to shout in the middle of a speech, would he have done that if it was a white President? I don't think so. I think this is a southern guy who thinks 'I can do whatever I want when it's a black guy speaking.'”

Moments later on Real Time, Maher raised “the folks who did not want the President of the United States to speak to their children. No one who is sane would think the President was going to make a partisan speech to school children. And yet, there's something about that,” recalling “I grew up in an all-white town in northern New Jersey” and “I remember hearing parents talk when I was a kid, you know, they didn't want black people just talking to their kids. That's what this reminded me of.”