HBO host and liberal comedian Bill Maher has long claimed that he is “politically incorrect” even though his “jokes” and actions have shown he’s definitely a liberal Democrat.
That hypocrisy was in full view while he was a guest on the Tuesday edition of CNN’s Cuomo Prime Time, when he stated that “a lot of this far-left political correctness is a cancer on progressivism” and said that Trump supporters like the President in part because “he’s not politically correct.”
Host Chris Cuomo described him as often being “politically incorrect on purpose” even though that point of view “is supposed to be a cure” for the ills of society.
Maher responded that people who like the GOP occupant of the White House “are not blind to his myriad flaws” but “have been choking on political correctness and hate it.”
The CNN host also asked his guest where the line is drawn between “decency and hyper-political correctness.”
In a surprising reply, Maher admitted that his concept of decency is “in my blood” because it came from his parents, who were both Democrats and “old-school liberals.”
He added:
That's...why we are Democrats because we are people who have compassion within us. I'm not saying the Republicans are without compassion, but sometimes they are. They are more greedy and selfish. I'm sorry.
Of course, the conversation also included a handicapping of the ongoing presidential campaign with Maher stating: “Too many people is what I see in the field. That alone looks silly, when you have 23, 24 people and some of them are I -- I don't even know what their raison d'etre is for running.”
On Joe Biden's candidacy, Maher said he felt that the former senator from Delaware is “between a rock and a hard place” and will “be that way for the rest of this campaign” because he’s “sitting well with the traditional centrist Democrats who...make up most of the country.”
The HBO host added that, based on his time touring the country to do stand-up, he observed that Biden is “very popular, but he also knows to get the nomination, he has to satisfy the left part of his base.”
As part of his push to satisfy the liberal base, he opined that Biden fears he’s “going to lose the people and those centrist people who have been his fans.”
The late-night comedian also had advice for “people that are so harsh on the past” because “there are things you’re doing right now that are going to look bad in the future.”
He then advised those individuals to “stop prosecuting people back then who did things” that were seen in society as fine but are not now (click “expand”):
And — and, by the way, to all these people that are so harsh on the past, there are things you’re doing right now that are going to look bad in the future, things we’re doing right now. I mean, we used to smoke on airplanes. We thought it was a great idea to walk inside an enclosed aluminum tube, and light up a chesterfield. We don't do that anymore. We — we, you know, all these people who are so judgmental, I just want to say to them, stop prosecuting people back then who did things who if you were around back then, you would have done them too. If you were around in the 80s, you would have worn the big shoulder pads because we all were doing that. So, yes, Joe Biden is not perfect. None of us are. All you can expect from a human being is to evolve. He was rotten to Anita Hill and — but, you know, what is he going to keep apologizing for it until the end of his time?
A partial transcript is below. Click “Expand” to read more.
CNN’s Cuomo PrimeTime
June 11, 2019
9:03 p.m. EasternBILL MAHER: Too many people is what I see in the field. That alone looks silly, when you have 23, 24 people and some of them are I — I don't even know what their raison d'etre is for running. [SCREEN WIPE] I think a lot of this far-left political correctness is a cancer on progressivism. I think when you — when you talk to — to Trump supporters, they are not blind to his myriad flaws, but one thing they always say is he’s not politically correct. I don't think you can underestimate — overestimate how much people have been choking on political correctness and hate it.
CUOMO: Alright now let’s hold on this for a moment because political correctness, and what it means to the left, this is going to be a fertile issue in this election, and Bill Maher has been all over it for a long time, and he’s often politically incorrect on purpose. He believes the left has made it a cancer. The question is, isn't political correctness supposed to be a cure? Let's get after it. [TO MAHER] So, where’s the line of decency and hyper political correctness?
MAHER: I think decency from, you know, I'm a born a Democrat. My parents were Democrats. We all loved your father, you know. They loved Kennedy. That's —
CUOMO: You had two helpings of guilt in your life.
MAHER: Yes.
CUOMO: Your father was a Catholic.
MAHER: Yeah.
CUOMO: Your mother was Jewish.
MAHER: You're right. Yes.
CUOMO: That's a lot of guilt put on you.
MAHER: So, I mean that's in my blood. I — look, I were never a big fan of — of a lot of the Republicans, but I think it's, you know, for — for liberals, I think it's just old-school liberals, you don't have to worry about it. That's — that's why we are Democrats because we are people who have compassion within us. I'm not saying the Republicans are without compassion, but sometimes, they are.
CUOMO: So —
MAHER: They are more greedy and selfish. I'm sorry.
(....)
9:06 p.m. Eastern
MAHER: I think he was between a rock and the hard place because, and he's going to be that way for the rest of this campaign, because, right now, when he got in, sitting well with the traditional centrist Democrats who, again, make up most of the country.
CUOMO: Most like —
MAHER: I mean —
CUOMO: — 80 percent of that party —
MAHER: Right.
CUOMO: — identifies center —
MAHER: I get out —
CUOMO: — left.
MAHER: — in the country. You know, I tour a lot. I see this country. I did my last stand-up special in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The chattering classes live in L.A., and D.C., and New York, and they don't know that there's a country out there, and there is and in that country, Joe's very popular, but he also knows, to get the nomination, he has to satisfy the left part of his base, and they are not going to — he — he made that decision. He said, “I'm not going anywhere unless I get right on this abortion issue. These people are firmly pro-choice. They don't want someone who's waffling on that. I'm going to get there.” But is he going to lose the people and those centrist people who have been his fans? Now, probably, not too much, but we'll see. I mean that's the art of politics, is making both wings think you're for them.
(....)
9:07 p.m. Eastern
MAHER: And — and, by the way, to all these people that are so harsh on the past, there are things you’re doing right now that are going to look bad in the future, things we’re doing right now. I mean, we used to smoke on airplanes. We thought it was a great idea to walk inside an enclosed aluminum tube, and light up a chesterfield. We don't do that anymore. We — we, you know, all these people who are so judgmental, I just want to say to them, stop prosecuting people back then who did things who if you were around back then, you would have done them too. If you were around in the 80s, you would have worn the big shoulder pads because we all were doing that. So, yes, Joe Biden is not perfect. None of us are. All you can expect from a human being is to evolve. He was rotten to Anita Hill and — but, you know, what is he going to keep apologizing for it until the end of his time?
