The Watering Hole, Monday, September 22nd, 2014: ‘Fair and Unbalanced’

On the Friday before last (September 12th), we watched the Bill Maher two-venue HBO special live from Washington, DC.

Former Governor Haley Barbour (whom Jerry Seinfeld later referred to as “Boss Hogg”) thrice repeated a line to which no one responded with what I thought was the obvious answer. Although it’s not in any transcript that I’ve found, you can find it here.

Barbour’s line: “The President’s got to LEAD.”

My response: The President cannot lead people who have sworn not to follow.

It’s as simple as that, no one can be a leader without people following him/her. While some Democrats may hesitate to follow President Obama’s lead on some matters, the entire Republican membership has made it their sole mission to thwart the President’s leadership and to hinder any possible accomplishments that would reflect well on the President. Former Governor Barbour also trotted out this canard about Saint Ronnie:

“Reagan, when he was president, every time he passed something, he had to go meet with the House Democrats to get their votes. He compromised on everything. President Obama doesn’t even talk to the Republicans.”

Well, when the Republicans started off the first Obama Administration with a meeting to discuss how to obstruct everything and make the new President a “one-term President”, and when Republicans invited to the White House decline the invitation en masse, who can blame Obama for not wanting to talk to the Republicans?

What the internets picked up on was Bill’s statement about Fox News, and that Jerry Seinfeld “pushes back”.

Here’s the only part of the transcript that I found, on Real Clear Politics (which may have a video clip):

BILL MAHER: “I find that it’s not the state you’re in it’s whether you’re from a city or in the rural part of America. I’ve been to two cities in Alabama this year. I’ve been to Birmingham and Mobile. They look like everywhere else. They have a Pottery Barn and Thai food. And we’re talking about the polarization in Washington. I wonder, people always talk about Washington, the politicians can’t get along, I think maybe it’s that the people are polarized and the politicians just reflect that and I feel ————————–like the reason the people are polarized is Fox News. I think of all the things that changed in America, Fox News changed the most. It used to be the John Birch Society came to your door once a year. Now they’re in your TV in your living room everyday and we don’t even know how to talk to each other. It’s like we have a language barrier. because what they’re hearing on Fox News — it’s the same people. It’s like what? Saul Alinsky? We don’t know who that is…”

FMR. GOV. HALEY BARBOUR: In fairness, Fox News doesn’t have a monopoly on television taking sides.

JERRY SEINFELD: Yeah, that’s true.

BARBOUR: Take tonight, for instance. Bill Maher is a big personality in American politics.

MAHER: Well, thank you.

BARBOUR: We have those two moderates on the TV show — Michael Moore and Keith Olbermann**. Let’s see, you have these four Republican congressmen you’re trying to decide which one to assassinate.

[AUDIENCE LAUGHTER]

SEINFELD: I think that you’d have a better argument that each side just talks to its side, listens to its side.

MAHER: Right.

SEINFELD: That’s polarizing. To blame it all on Fox News doesn’t seem completely fair.

ANDREA MITCHELL: Couldn’t you argue there are people out there who are fed up with everything that happens in this city and aren’t voting, aren’t involved. That’s the silent majority of middle, moderate, thoughtful people, who just want thoughtful people —

BILL MAHER: With all due respect, the opposite of fox news is not really me. It’s MSNBC, which doesn’t get near the ratings of Fox News because I think there is something in the conservative brain that wants to be hearing the same thing over and over and doing the same thing — thing over and over. Liberals like different. Always a new restaurant. Conservatives are like no, I go to the diner and I get the number five every day.

HALEY BARBOUR: Those of us, including y’all who grew up in the time where we had three networks and two big newspapers and they all had the same message, same way. Fox News was the first thing to come along that gave a conservative point of view and as you say, there are big networks that are very, very left and I think there’s a huge market in the middle of the United States. I think people want a common sense, straight talk problem solving. They want to get things done. Your point is the media has become as polarized is —

JERRY SEINFELD: That’s not as entertaining as hysteria.

**Keith Olbermann is back to sports and has been for some time now, and, while Michael Moore is a Liberal who makes documentary films about current events, he does not have a 24/7/365 pulpit reaching millions of viewers, whether they like it or not. And, as Americans Against the Tea Party puts it:

“But what these “false balance” denialists fail to take into account is that Fox News wields disproportionate influence, and that the station is far from “fair and balanced.”

Breitbart TV, of course, has their own take on the Maher/Seinfeld issue: the title of their article is “Seinfeld Defends Fox News Against Maher Attack”. Unfortunately – very unfortunately, as I’ll discuss further along – the Breitbart link was one of the few that came up when I binged ‘video of Haley Barbour on Bill Maher.’ Until last evening, sources that promised the video had had to take it down. Here’s how Breitbart’s Pam Key interpreted the discussion:

“Friday night’s live broadcast from Washington D.C. of the season premier[sic] of HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” featured a take down of the hosts’ attack on Fox News from comedian Jerry Seinfeld and Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS) that had even rival MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell recoiling at Maher’s insistence that Fox News was responsible for the polarization of America.” [I’d say that Jerry was more, well, gently chiding, and could in no way be described as a “take down.” And, though I’d have to watch the video again, I don’t think that “recoiling” is an accurate description of Mitchell’s reaction.]

Maher began by discussing the real polarization being between rural and urban America but then not realizing the contraction[?] of blaming regional differences of a country on a cable news network created in 1996, he began to insist Fox News has created a “language barrier.”

Barbour countered by saying Fox News didn’t create the polarization — it was a response to it. Because Barbour explained there used to be a monopoly of three networks with liberal views that had “the same message, the same way. Fox News was the first thing to come along that gave a conservative point of view.”

Jerry Seinfeld jumped in saying “each side just talks to its side,” so it’s silly [to]single out Fox News, adding “to blame it all on Fox news doesn’t seem completely fair.”

I think that the Breitbart writers exaggerated a tad by calling Seinfeld’s statements “defend[ing] Fox News, and that Barbour’s and Andrea Mitchell’s protestations were a “take down” of Bill Maher.

However, the worst on the Breitbart site were the comments. I must call out one in particular, which featured a quote from Bill Maher stating that he’s more afraid of (climate-change-caused) ice melting than he is of ISIS. When I first looked at the quote, I didn’t realize what the commenter had superimposed it over a photo. To spare you all from having to actually view it, let me describe it: someone had taken one of the still photos of one of the journalists beheaded by ISIS, and had photoshopped Bill Maher’s head in place of what had apparently been the victim’s head, held in the dead man’s hands.

I have it saved, even though I never want to see it again. But if I EVER hear again the bullshit that liberal commenters are just as bad as conservative commenters, I’m dragging that piece of excrement out as the ultimate evidence.

This is our daily open thread.  Please feel free to discuss anything you wish.

The Watering Hole, Monday, October 28th, 2013: Bill Maher: “You Cannot Have Both”

This past Friday night’s “Real Time with Bill Maher”‘s panel consisted of Michael Moore, a surprisingly quiet Al Sharpton, Valerie Plame, and Richard Dawkins. And while the group had some interesting discussions, the best part of the show came in Bill’s soliloquy at the end of the show. Crooks and Liars has the video, but I have borrowed their transcript, here:

MAHER: “Now, when it comes to raising the minimum wage, conservatives always say it’s a non-starter because it cuts into profits. Well, yeah. Of course. Paying workers is one of those unfortunate expenses of running a business… you know, like taxes, or making a product.

If you want to get rich with a tax-free enterprise that sells nothing, start a church.

You might think that paying people enough to live is so self-evident that even crazy people could understand it, but you would be wrong.

Michele Bachmann is not only against raising the minimum wage, she’s against having one at all. She once said “if we took away the minimum wage… we could virtually wipe out unemployment because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level.”

Put that in your brain and smoke it. You could hire everyone if you didn’t have to pay them. And naturally, Ted Cruz agrees. Ted Cruz thinks it’s a good thing that when his Cuban father came to America he was paid $.50 an hour to work as a dishwasher, before becoming Charo.

When did the American dream become this pathway to indentured servitude? This economic death spiral where workers get paid next to nothing, so they can only afford to buy next to nothing, so businesses are forced to sell cheaper and cheaper shit?

Walmart employees can only afford to shop at Walmart. McDonalds workers can only afford to eat at McDonalds. And Hooters waitresses have to wear shirts they grew out of years ago.

Even if you’re not moved by the “don’t be such a heartless prick” argument, consider the fact that most fast food workers, whose average age by the way now is 29, we’re not talking about kids, are on some form of public assistance. Which is not surprising. When even working people can’t make enough to live, they take money from the government in the form of food stamps, school lunches, housing assistance, day care. This is the welfare that conservatives hate.

But they never stop to think, if we raised the minimum wage and forced McDonalds and Walmart to pay their employees enough to eat, we the taxpayers wouldn’t have to pick up the slack.

This is the question the right has to answer. Do you want smaller government with less handouts, or do you want a low minimum wage? Because you cannot have both.

If Col. Sanders isn’t going to pay the lady behind the counter enough to live on, then Uncle Sam has to, and I for one am getting a little tired of helping highly profitable companies pay their workers.”

Bravo, Bill – hear, hear!

O/T: Today my mum would have turned 93 – Happy Birthday, Mum, wish you were here.

This is our daily open thread, got anything on your mind that you’d like to discuss?

From Einstein to Sarah Palin

Bill Maher and Richard Dawkins.

Of Missile Shields and Missive Spiels

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Predictably, the minute President Obama announces a policy shift from the Bush Administration, NeoCons reflexively denounce Obama using the tried and true tactic of lying and altering history. Last night on Real Time with Bill Maher was no exception as Matthew Continetti, (a new face/stand-in for Bill Kristol, also of the Weekly Standard) made the unrebutted assertion that Poland and the Czech Republic wanted the “Missile Shield” that Obama recently discontinued. Did they really?

Not quite, according to an excellent article written in the Spring of 2008:

Concerned that hosting a US missile base will put them on the frontline of a new confrontation with Russia, the majority of Poles now oppose siting the interceptors in their country.

The same was true of the Czech Republic. However, as long as Bush was willing to pay any price, their governments were willing to go along with the deal, even though it was causing great divisions amongst NATO allies.

Bill Moyers Interviewed by Bill Maher

Bill Moyers calls out Democrats for acting like Republicans kowtowing to lobbyists.  He starts by pointing out how Rahm Emanuel told progressives “to sit down and shut up” instead of fighting for what is right.  This is a must see interview.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Maher on the “birthers”

LA Times, by Bill Maher

Never underestimate the ability of a tiny fringe group of losers to ruin everything.

For the last couple of weeks, we’ve all been laughing heartily at the wacky antics of the “birthers” — the far-right goofballs who claim Barack Obama wasn’t really

Please point at me and laugh...

born in Hawaii and therefore the job of president goes to the runner-up, former Miss California Carrie Prejean.

Which raises the question: Why, in this country, is it always the religious right that won’t take anything on faith?

So far, the reaction from Democrats is to laugh this off, and I understand why. If you seriously believe that President Obama is an African sleeper spy, get out of your chat room and have your house tested for lead.

Rest the rest of this article here.

New Rules – June 19, 2009

Bill Maher tells it like it is.

Bill Maher: New Rules 5/29/09

Bill hits on greed and healthcare (or lack of..) in America. 

Bill Maher:

“Really… What is the healthcare system in America but insurance companies making money by fucking people out of coverage, even if it kills them – which it does – at least 20,000 a year.

And now Congress has taken the single payer option off the table. Why? Because competition from the government might make corporations sad…

We can’t have that.

Healthcare is the biggest industry we’ve got. We NEED sick people, and the food companies are doing their part to help!…”

Bill Maher Defends Wolves

And then he just cracked me up. Thank you Bill.

NEW RULES – Bill Maher – May 15, 2009

Bill Maher, “How did survival on Planet Earth get to be a Liberal Cause?”

Howard Dean, Bethany McLean and Dana Gould are Bill Maher’s panel of guests.  Bill Maher talks about the irrational conservative reaction to global warming.  Howard Dean points out that planet Earth survival – “anti-survival of Earth got to be a Republican cause because it’s about money.”  “It’s expensive to fix the things that need fixed, and Republicans are always in favor of doing things as inexpensively as possible.”

Dean further states, “there is no long term thinking among conservatives,” and by nature they are reactionaries.   Maher has a good one liner, “We are dead, but business is good.”  Bill Maher calls Republicans morons.

Dana Gould asks if it is because Gore became the champion of global warming-  “they would rather fry than acknowledge the other side had a good idea.”

Bill Maher Interviews Joe The Plumber

Bill Maher could have crushed him easily, but he didn’t.  He first talked about what they both had in common.  Then Bill went into their differences.

Maher: New Rules – March 27th

Bill Maher had some great one liners, my faves:  ” Lou Dobbs would become a suicide bomber.”  “Glenn Beck would have to send out for more bat shit.”

Follow this link to watch the opening of the show.  Bill’s guests were Mos Def, Christopher Hitchens, & Salman Rushdie.  Maher interviewed Bill Bradley at the beginning of the show.

Bill Maher: New Rules March 20, 2009

Keith Olbermann and Senator Bernie Sanders were guests.

For more of this episode, go here.

New Rules: Government is Good?

Bill Maher ends his ‘New Rules’ with some common sense about ‘the government’..

Best line: “Ronald Reagan used to say the nine most terrifying words in the English language were ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’ But that was before ‘I’m Sarah Palin, now show me the launch codes.’ ”

Bill Maher interviews Ron Paul

They discuss removing federal prohibitions on mari-hoochie…

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Maher Rules

To Palin & McCain:  GO AWAY!!  😀

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Lobbyists Beware…Obama Has New Rules!

President-Elect Obama has New Rules for Lobbyists.  One of his promises on the campaign trail was that Lobbyists would not run the White House anymore and specifically his administration.

New Rule #1:  Lobbyists could serve in his transition so long as their activities do not involve areas of policy they have tried to influence in the past year.

John Podesta, a top transition aide to Obama, said federal lobbyists will be prohibited from any lobbying while they are at work on the transition.

New Rule #2:  Federal lobbyists could not contribute to the campaign.

“President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to change the way Washington works and curb the influence of lobbyists,” said Podesta in the transition team statement.

“During the campaign, federal lobbyists could not contribute to or raise money for the campaign…the president-elect is taking those commitments even further by announcing the strictest, and most far reaching ethics rules of any transition team in history.”

Tony Perkins vs Lisa Bloom on Prop 8

The video of Tony Perkins and Lisa Bloom is no longer working, I apologize.  I found several others on Prop 8, Rush Limbaugh who is spouting the same rhetoric as Tony Perkins.  Rush is being a jerk as usual!

Bill Maher and Panel discuss Prop. 8

Maher: Tax Form for Joe The Plummer 1040FU

New Rule, Barack Obama needs to raise Joe the Plumber’s taxes.  Not the middle class taxes, just Joe’s.  Congratulations Joe, you are in a tax bracket of one.  Don’t pretend that twinkies are healthy now that you can get them in a 100 calorie size.  New Rule, the guy in AC/DC needs to quit wearing these schoolboy outfits.  He is almost 53 years old, this doesn’t say he is on the highway to heaven.  The Hardcore Republican base is like a stalker.

Bill Maher: New Rules and Recap of ’08 Presidential Race

Harsh… Maher spares nobody…

From Real Time with Bill Maher New Rules 10/31/08:

Maher: Michael Moore, Connie Schultz, CNN-Holmes & Legend

People submitted questions for Bill Maher to ask his panel.  Michael Moore talked about 85% of Western Democracies have their elections on the weekend – to give everyone a chance to vote.  Moore also stated, that all of them use paper ballots and #2 pencils and they have the results an hour after the polls close.  One of Maher’s best one liners is:  “Those people (Biden) don’t make us sh!t in our pants at the thought that they would be President.”

Update:  The question submitted:  Is Sarah Palin the future of the Republican Party?

Connie Schultz talks about the Washington Post, but the current poll is the New York Times.  Here is an excerpt from that poll.

A growing number of voters have concluded that Senator John McCain’s running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, is not qualified to be vice president, weighing down the Republican ticket in the last days of the campaign, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Maher: “Joe the Plumber”, McCain, Campaign Smears

Bill Maher has a panel of guests, Martin Short, Ben Affleck, and Bernie Sanders.  The panel weighs in on “Joe the Plumber”, talks about how John McCain use to be, and all the Campaign Smears.

Bill Maher: VP Debate, Palin, McCain & Bailout

Bill Maher weighs in on the Vice-Presidential Debate, Sarah Palin, John McCain and the Bailout.  He talks about the Vice-President shouldn’t sound like she is hosting “Romper Room.” Maher makes fun of all the winking Palin did during the debate-calls it “very corny.” Bill Maher had a funny line on Real Time: “The good news is that Sarah Palin can complete a sentence-the bad news is that we have to listen to it.”

More discussion on Palin from Real Time

From the September 19, 2008 HBO Real Time with Bill Maher:

Guests are ‘Shock Doctrine’ author Naomi Klein, The Atlantic’s Andrew Sullivan, and musician Will.I.Am.

They focus on just how utterly unqualified Sarah Palin is to have been selected as a running mate for President/Vice President of the United States by John McCain, and what it says about his judgment and motives.

Naomi Klein goes as far as calling her “Bush in drag..”

Real Time Economy