Appearing on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Thursday, liberal comedian Bill Maher actually hammered the Democratic Party for moving too far left and warned that 2020 candidates were jeopardizing their chances of defeating President Trump. He also declared that “America has been choking on political correctness.”
During the taped interview, host Joe Scarborough fretted: “I sat through the last debate screaming at the television set, as one Democratic candidate after another suggested that Barack Obama was too conservative on health care and immigration. How maddening is that to you, that they’re having this race to the far left?”
Maher sounded the alarm: “It’s not good. It’s kind of a cancer on progressivism.” He demanded that Democrats reject far left activists on social media: “I have been saying this for years, that, first of all, you have to stand up to Twitter. Twitter isn’t us. Twitter isn’t the rank and file Democrat. It’s not even most liberals. But they don’t do it.”
“This race is begging for someone to do a kind of a Sister Soulja moment with that far left,” Maher implored.
The HBO Real Time host ripped some of the extreme policies being pitched by 2020 contenders in the Democratic debates: “But, yes, if you run on taking away people’s health care and taxing them too much and taking away all of their guns and trans women get abortion rights, I think that came up in the first debate, I don’t think you are going to win this election.” He further fretted: “I think the only way the Democrat loses is to convince a lot of people that they are actually scarier or crazier than Trump, which is not easy to do but I think they can.”
Later in the discussion, while explaining Trump’s political success in 2016, Maher observed: “The Trump voter....If you talk to them, what they always say, what they like about him is he’s not politically correct....I think we underestimate how much America has been choking on political correctness for 25 years.”
Scarborough agreed, recalling how he has lectured officials on politically correct college campuses about the problem: “I’ve talked to presidents of universities, I’ve talked to educators, saying, ‘You do understand that you are pushing a lot of your young students toward Donald Trump?’”
Maher argued that while many voters “don’t really follow policy that closely” they do react negatively to the PC culture that dominates the left:
They just know that when they read these little stories on and on and on, it always seems to be the left that is defending some sort of – something that’s so ridiculous that they say to themselves, “I can’t let these people take over the country. Yeah, I don’t think Trump is good, but I can’t let people this weak take over, this fragile.” Fragility is not a selling point when you’re running for leader of the free world.
Near the end of the interview, Maher summed up his fears about the Democratic Party this way: “I love Elizabeth Warren, but she does scare me a little bit because, again, all we have to do to win this election is not be scarier to people than Donald Trump.”
Over the past couple days, leading up to the third Democratic primary debate Thursday night, Morning Joe has repeatedly predicted doom for the political party if it keeps moving farther left.
Just in case anyone thought Maher was becoming a conservative, Scarborough made sure to bolster his guest’s anti-Trump credentials: “You actually are not so sure you could ever see Donald Trump ever leaving the White House voluntarily. Explain.” Maher predictably ranted:
I didn’t say forever. I’m just talking about – and have been talking about – the next election, 2020. I’m not saying he’s going to stay after that. I’m saying if he loses the 2020 election, you try to get him out of there....Trump always talks about, “I have the rough people, the rough people.” In other words the police, some of the military. So it’s going to get to be one of those situations where we have to literally, physically remove him and then who does that and who takes his side? I mean, we’ve seen this happen, of course in countries we never imagined could be us, third world countries, dictatorships, where the guy just doesn’t leave and says the election – but he’s done everything else those kind of dictators do, have scary rallies, talk about locking up your political opponents, talking about the press being the enemy of the people. So don’t be so surprised if this other dictator move happens.
Here are excerpts of the lengthy conversation aired on the September 12 Morning Joe:
8:16 AM ET
(...)
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Some of my Democratic friends my entire life, as a Republican, lifelong Republican, I always heard my Democratic friends talk about how bad that their party was at politics, at winning. I didn’t really understand that until this year. I sat through the last debate screaming at the television set, as one Democratic candidate after another suggested that Barack Obama was too conservative on health care and immigration. How maddening is that to you, that they’re having this race to the far left?
BILL MAHER: It’s not good. It’s kind of a cancer on progressivism. I have been saying this for years, that, first of all, you have to stand up to Twitter. Twitter isn’t us. Twitter isn’t the rank and file Democrat. It’s not even most liberals. But they don’t do it. This race is begging for someone to do a kind of a Sister Soulja moment with that far left. Maybe, you know, Trump wants to run against The Squad. Maybe that would be a good place for that kind of blowback against what I think is not being good for the Democratic Party.
You mentioned health care and immigration. Yeah, those are issues that are easy to win. This is the Democrats race to lose. I think a formula for winning, put pot on the ballot, come out full-throatedly for full legalization for pot. You would get a lot of people who are voting on that issue alone. Republicans have done that masterfully in the past with other sort of one-issue voters. And let the fatigue that people have with Trump, let that excite the base. If you are not excited about Donald Trump, you’re not following politics at all – I mean in a negative way. And then you have the whole field to the center.
But, yes, if you run on taking away people’s health care and taxing them too much and taking away all of their guns and trans women get abortion rights, I think that came up in the first debate, I don’t think you are going to win this election. I think the only way the Democrat loses is to convince a lot of people that they are actually scarier or crazier than Trump, which is not easy to do but I think they can.
(...)
8:20 AM ET
MAHER: The Trump voter, I don’t think they are blind to Trump’s myriad flaws. If you talk to them, what they always say, what they like about him is he’s not politically correct. You know, he doesn’t back down. Especially that thing about political correctness. I think we underestimate how much America has been choking on political correctness for 25 years.
(...)
8:21 AM ET
SCARBOROUGH: You start talking about future generations who are being turned off, I think in large part, because of this political correctness. I’ve talked to presidents of universities, I’ve talked to educators, saying, “You do understand that you are pushing a lot of your young students toward Donald Trump?”
(...)
8:22 AM ET
MAHER: And we hear these terms, you know, “snowflakes” and “safe rooms” and stuff like that, and I think people – like I say, they don’t really follow policy that closely. They don’t know the difference between Ted Cruz and Penelope Cruz. They just know that when they read these little stories on and on and on, it always seems to be the left that is defending some sort of – something that’s so ridiculous that they say to themselves, “I can’t let these people take over the country. Yeah, I don’t think Trump is good, but I can’t let people this weak take over, this fragile.” Fragility is not a selling point when you’re running for leader of the free world.
(...)
8:25 AM ET
SCARBOROUGH: Let me ask you this. Mika and I are always debating on the show and off the show whether America’s institutions could survive four more years of Donald Trump. You actually are not so sure you could ever see Donald Trump ever leaving the White House voluntarily. Explain.
MAHER: Another thing I’ve been saying for a long time that I see now, a lot of people are, I think, saying also. I saw Michael Cohen say it. I saw Nancy Pelosi say it. I don’t think he’s leaving. Now, of course, he has been talking about that too. He talks about “this third rate comedian” – me – and then, “respected comedian, third rate, but respected,” who talks about him not leaving then he uses it as an opportunity to troll everybody and talk about how he’s not leaving in the future. I didn’t say forever. I’m just talking about – and have been talking about – the next election, 2020. I’m not saying he’s going to stay after that. I’m saying if he loses the 2020 election, you try to get him out of there. Because he tried to set this up in 2016, “It’s rigged.” And as soon as he won, of course, he dropped that.
But – and also, he’s got his people believing in conspiracy theories. I mean his fan base, that hardcore 25% to 33% of people for whom he can do no wrong, I don’t know what they will do if he loses because they already believe every stupid conspiracy theory that comes down the pike. It’s not hard to get them – to convince them that, “This was the work of the Deep State, it was rigged, they robbed this election, I really won.” And then I don’t know what happens. Trump always talks about, “I have the rough people, the rough people.”
SCARBOROUGH: Right.
MAHER: In other words the police, some of the military. So it’s going to get to be one of those situations where we have to literally, physically remove him and then who does that and who takes his side? I mean, we’ve seen this happen, of course in countries we never imagined could be us, third world countries, dictatorships, where the guy just doesn’t leave and says the election – but he’s done everything else those kind of dictators do, have scary rallies, talk about locking up your political opponents, talking about the press being the enemy of the people. So don’t be so surprised if this other dictator move happens.
(...)
8:30 AM ET
MAHER: And by the way, in England we see what’s going on there with a parliamentary system. It’s good for a warning for us because Boris Johnson is kind of a Trump figure, and he’s doing horribly, the people don’t like him. But what do you have on the left? Jeremy Corbyn, someone who is so scary to middle-of-the-road voters. And we don’t want the same thing to happen. I love Elizabeth Warren, but she does scare me a little bit because, again, all we have to do to win this election is not be scarier to people than Donald Trump.
(...)
