Bill Maher on Bush

[Gemini Cricket]

Oh, how I love Bill Maher.

------------------------------

BILL MAHER's CLOSE ON HIS SHOW:

"Mr. President, this job can't be fun for you any more. There's no more money to spend-you used up all of that. You can't start another war because you used up the army. And now, darn the luck, the rest of your term has become the Bush family nightmare: helping poor people. Listen to your Mom. The cupboard's bare, the credit cards maxed out. No one's speaking to you. Mission accomplished.

"Now it's time to do what you've always done best: lose interest and walk away. Like you did with your military service and the oil company and the baseball team. It's time. Time to move on and try the next fantasy job. How about cowboy or space man? Now I know what you're saying: there's so many other things that you as President could involve yourself in. Please don't. I know, I know. There's a lot left to do. There's a war with Venezuela. Eliminating the sales tax on yachts. Turning the space program over to the church. And Social Security to Fannie Mae. Giving embryos the vote.

"But, Sir, none of that is going to happen now. Why? Because you govern like Billy Joel drives. You've performed so poorly I'm surprised that you haven't given yourself a medal. You're a catastrophe that walks like a man. Herbert Hoover was a sh!tty president, but even he never conceded an entire city to rising water and snakes.

"On your watch, we've lost almost all of our allies, the surplus, four airliners, two trade centers, a piece of the Pentagon and the City of New Orleans. Maybe you're just not lucky. I'm not saying you don't love this country. I'm just wondering how much worse it could be if you were on the other side.

"So, yes, God does speak to you. What he is saying is: 'Take a hint.' "

Source (http://politicalhumor.about.com/b/a/201898.htm#more)

[Not Afraid]

God bless Bill Maher.

[sleepyjeff]

Mildly funny on the surface but really hatefull rubbish based on questionable facts(lies) and convenient stereotypes.

[PanTheMan]

(It's Political Satire, and FAR less HATEFUL than Rush 'Chelsea the family Dog' Limbaugh was to Clinton)

[wendybeth]

I love Bill Maher.

[Morrigoon]

I hate Bill Maher, but that was funny.

[Snowflake]

Cha-Ching!

Donna

[PanTheMan]

I watch his show on HBO. I Like it sometimes, sometimes i dont, but usually it is very funny. One thing I dont like is the fact that it is usually Mahar, 2 libs and 1 coservative. He should have 2 and 2 plus himself at least. Most nights it becomes 3 ripping on 1, not to mention the audience (sitting to the LEFT of the stage no doubt). Some Nights i do feel sorry for the ONE, trying to take on an entire studio. (Some Night though I LOVE it....lol)

[Motorboat Cruiser]

I'm also a Bill Maher fan and love his show. He has a pretty funny HBO special that they have been running lately as well.

If I'm not mistaken, Kurt Vonnegut is supposed to be a guest this week. That should be interesting. :)

[Gemini Cricket]

It's interesting how the climate seems to have changed regarding criticism of the president and his administration. I seem to remember, in the past, Maher and even the Dixie Chicks being slammed for saying something negative about him.

Change is good.
:)

[Morrigoon]

No, Maher's still an asshole :) Things haven't changed *that* much.

[scaeagles]

Well, I think a lot of it has to with the target audience as well. Everyone who watches Maher knows what to expect, so when he says something like that, the people who watch him are not concerned nor surprised. He took heat when he (basically) called our military cowards and called terrorists brave, because that seemed to cross political lines - it wasn't really a political statement, it was (IMO) a stupid statement.

The Dixie Chicks took heat because.....well, look at their target audience. The country music audience tends to lean much father right than say, the Kanye West audience. So they took heat from their consumers who didn't want to hear what they were saying, and I think the story there was more that they were taking heat from consumers than what was actually said.

No one has ever gotten upset with Sean Penn or (the wife beating) Alec Baldwin or any of the left leaning Hollywood crowd, because that's what everyone expects.

[wendybeth]

Oh, come on- everyone really knew what he meant by that statement, and if we were all held to task for poorly chosen words or mistatements, then GW would lead the pack, followed closely by his mother. He just had the misfortune of arguing semantics at a time when our country wasn't ready for it- we are now.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

I liked what Bill had to say about that. Something to the effect of: "Even with all the massive intelligence failures and incompetency concerning 9/11, the only person to lose their job was...me."

:)

[wendybeth]

Lol! I know, and I count his survival in the aftermath as one of the few successful things to come out of 9/11.

[PanTheMan]

I will give Bush Lovers one thing. They will follow him off a cliff, defending him all the way to the SPLAT.

We went out to dinner last night with my MIL and her freind, who worships all things Bush. (The freind)

He said Bush is absolutly blameless in the Katrina mess. BUT, he did say in the Heat Wave in Chicago in 95 where dozens died, we didn't hear ANY critizism of Clinton, now did we? And that was a bigger loss of Life than Katrina has been. I was stunned. I asked What Possibly could Clinton have done in '95 to save people from a heat wave. he answered, Clinton should have ordered FEMA into Chicago with Giant Coolers. (I Have No idea wht he meant) When i asked him about GW's "Shoot 'em all" mentality about the Looters, he was in complete agreement as was he with Barbara's statement of her saying things worked out pretty well for the refugees.

OK...so... I ask him why Bush can be at entirley no fault, ever. I told him even Clinton was a disappointment to me after his "I Did Not have sex with that woman" thing.. And my feeling for him dropped from about an 85 to a 65.... He said when Bush was elected, he gave him a 90, and now it's at 99.9.

This guy listens to Savage and Limbaugh regularly, and Quotes them as Gospel, but when i mention Maher, he just brushes him off as another "Bush hater" who needs to get a life. Sad thing is, he is not alone. There are SO many who believe ANY statement that are against ANYTHING Bush does or says, are veiwed as "Anti-American" "Unpatriotic" or downright "Evil"

The Dixie Chicks STILL cannot play in some cities after Natalie spoke poorly of Bush. Pretty Amazing.

Maher being Fired by ABC after 9/11 was a bit harsh, but his comments were a bit extreme, even for my taste...

[alphabassettgrrl]

I don't understand blindly following anybody, even someone with whom I agree, but that seems to be a large contingent of the Bush crowd. Of course, not every Bush supporter is that mindless, but there seem to be many of them. Those people are the ones who got the jobs in his administration- everybody in clear lock-step now, please. That's why we haven't had any dirt on his administration until now- nobody's willing to break that. You're right - saying anything bad about the president seems, to some people, tantamount to criticizing Mother Teresa.

Especially if it's true. Hide it, cover it up, discredit whoever's saying the bad things. Pretend it's not true, and hope the rest of the people eventually believe it.

It's true that Bill Maher plays to a particular audience. I don't watch his show, but the quote above was very funny. Yes, it's hyperbole, and some of it is probably actually untrue. Unfortunately, some of it seems to hit the target. Other political pundits play to their selected audiences. Nothing new there. I guess the trick is to listen to as much as possible and try to pick out what's true, and then we can see what to do. I just hope there is an America in 2008 to hold an election. Some days I really wonder. Other days I just want to outlast him and get on with it.

[sleepyjeff]

I don't understand blindly following anybody, even someone with whom I agree, but that seems to be a large contingent of the Bush crowd. Of course, not every Bush supporter is that mindless, but there seem to be many of them. Those people are the ones who got the jobs in his administration- everybody in clear lock-step now, please. That's why we haven't had any dirt on his administration until now- nobody's willing to break that. You're right - saying anything bad about the president seems, to some people, tantamount to criticizing Mother Teresa.

Especially if it's true. Hide it, cover it up, discredit whoever's saying the bad things. Pretend it's not true, and hope the rest of the people eventually believe it.

It's true that Bill Maher plays to a particular audience. I don't watch his show, but the quote above was very funny. Yes, it's hyperbole, and some of it is probably actually untrue. Unfortunately, some of it seems to hit the target. Other political pundits play to their selected audiences. Nothing new there. I guess the trick is to listen to as much as possible and try to pick out what's true, and then we can see what to do. I just hope there is an America in 2008 to hold an election. Some days I really wonder. Other days I just want to outlast him and get on with it.

Why do I have the feeling you're not considering voting for Jeb?

;)

[Name]

Why do I have the feeling you're not considering voting for Jeb?

;)
You mean GW hasn't had the amendment for lifetime presidency passed by congress yet?

[Nephythys]

Especially if it's true. Hide it, cover it up, discredit whoever's saying the bad things. Pretend it's not true, and hope the rest of the people eventually believe it.


It's all perspective (sp?)

From my point of view- that sounds like the Dems- especially the liberal dems hiding who they are and what they really want, and throwing mud, even if it is untrue, and hoping it sticks with enough people.

So it's a subjective view- and hardly unique to any one political opinion.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

that sounds like the Dems- especially the liberal dems hiding who they are and what they really want.

Just out of curiosity, what is it that they are keeping a secret but really want, in your opinion?

[alphabassettgrrl]

It's all perspective (sp?)

From my point of view- that sounds like the Dems- especially the liberal dems hiding who they are and what they really want, and throwing mud, even if it is untrue, and hoping it sticks with enough people.

So it's a subjective view- and hardly unique to any one political opinion.
It's true that a lot of this depends on your perspective, though I have tried to look at the current administration fairly, and have been disappointed on many counts.

This regime is playing party politics much more than in the past presidencies. Lynne Cheney was the one to bring up the subject while touring devastated Louisiana. She was surprised that nobody was talking about political party lines, they just want to rebuild their houses. The whole political atmosphere seems *so* much more divided than in any year previously. People on the right and left seem to view the other side as the ultimate evil. There seems to be much difficulty crossing the gap.

That guy whose wife was a CIA operative. He speaks out about President Bush, his wife gets exposed, which being who she is, could get her killed.

The admin continued to insist there were WMD in Iraq, despite evidence. We *still* haven't found anything.

I don't have facts or links, but people who speak out against the admin are discredited. Don't fight the facts, but destroy the messenger, hope people will forget what he said.

I'm not saying the democrats are wonderful; they spend a lot of money and do a lot of stupid things. I hope in 2008 we get a democratic president that I can feel good about. I also hope they don't start pulling the same crap.

[Morrigoon]

Have to agree. I've looked at the current administration through the eyes of someone who voted for them both times. I've tried to ignore the "rhetoric" from the left, whose opinions are naturally biased against the president because "their side" didn't win.

Even I have found this administration sorely wanting.

[Nephythys]

While I am not happy with big Gov't GOPers, I look at Democrats and see people who will surrender the country I love fast enough to make my head spin.

I don't trust Democrats to run this country- and I doubt I ever will. I see too much of the hatred, spite and venom on display by too many ranking members of the party.

You want to say otherwise- then silence Dean. Put away the race baiting of the so called "black leaders". And stop shrilling on about stolen elections when they were not stolen.

Democrats offer nothing.

(as for the Palme thing- I am not even going to justify that.....sorry)

[lizziebith]

and I look at Democrats and see people who will surrender the country I love fast enough to make my head spin.

I don't trust Democrats to run this country- and I doubt I ever will. I see too much of the hatred, spite and venom on display by too many ranking members of the party.

You want to say otherwise- then silence Dean. Put away the race baiting of the so called "black leaders". And stop shrilling on about stolen elections when they were not stolen.

Democrats offer nothing.

You didn't answer the question really. How will we (except I'm not a Dem, but still a liberal) surrender the country which, BTW, we freaking love too? What ARE you talking about??? I want to make this country as great as we SAY we are, no more, no less.

Hatred Spite Venom. Sounds like what I hear everyday from the right. And have done since waaaaay before the current administration.

I don't want to silence Dean, you, or anyone. That's just plain un-American.
And race-baiting? I call it trying to help the excruciatingly poor. What do the Dems offer? To me: not much, as I think they are just pale imitations of the Republicans.

Gimme a revolution to get rid of all this corporate-sponsored crapola called US politics.

Crimeny.

[Nephythys]

Different perspective-

If you think Dean and his hatred policies will gain voters from the middle- please, put him out there more.

Kerry is a good example- he would have rather deferred to the UN- our national soverignty doesn't mean as much to some in their desire to be some sort of socialist Euro-copy.

[Name]

Just curious, is there something entirely wrong with the current european system(by this I mean is it not working somehow), has it failed to deliver in some way. I haven't researched the "socialist Euro-copy" ways, so not sure what we would be copying exactly, or how effective or ineffective they are. If you could provide some (unbiased) information on this, that would be great, or I will look into it myself when I have some time. But, if it is a successful system, why would we not want to integrate some of the things that are working into our system to make it better, stronger, more effective?

[lizziebith]

Different perspective-

If you think Dean and his hatred policies

Okay, "different perspective," I love to hear about said "hatred policies."

Because, while I found him kinda, um, loud, I didn't hear stuff I'd quantify OR qualify as "hateful" in what he said.

And in the interest of full disclosure I'll note that I'd not have voted FOR him anyway...but against his opponent, well, prolly! :p

[Morrigoon]

Just curious, is there something entirely wrong with the current european system(by this I mean is it not working somehow), has it failed to deliver in some way. I haven't researched the "socialist Euro-copy" ways, so not sure what we would be copying exactly, or how effective or ineffective they are. If you could provide some (unbiased) information on this, that would be great, or I will look into it myself when I have some time. But, if it is a successful system, why would we not want to integrate some of the things that are working into our system to make it better, stronger, more effective?
Where would you like to start? Would you like to discuss their higher unemployment rates? How about the racism that keeps them from accepting fiscally-sound but partly moslem countries, while letting in white but economically disasterous other countries?

And socialism doesn't work. Human nature.

[Name]

And socialism doesn't work. Human nature.
I think that is dependant on who you read, and what you take from history.

But I believe that the indiginous tribes had a fairly socialist system until the europeans came in and taught them to be "civilized."

[lizziebith]

And socialism doesn't work. Human nature.

Nooooooo! Don't do it! Morrigoon, I loves ya, but don't pull the "Human Nature" defense. As an anthropologist, I beg you: DON'T GO THERE.

I don't have the time right now to post ALL the reasons why and anticipate that I'll have to soon... :(

Damn.

[Morrigoon]

Whoops, sorry lizziebith. Didn't mean to open a can of worms there.

However, before you tell me I'm wrong, please read both books written by Jim Rogers; "Investment Biker" and "Adventure Capitalist".

Never fear, they're written by a self-proclaimed Democrat. Both books are a sort of combination travelogue/history/economics/social studies book about his two trips driving around the world. Yes, the whole world (well, not Antarctica, but everywhere else).

[lizziebith]

Yikes! Posted a whole long and friendly reply and it just VANISHED into the ether...Must be the city-wide tactical alert due to the JetBlue thing that seems to have taken over actual NEWS.

[Not Afraid]

Damn the Internet!

[Morrigoon]

Ack! I was looking forward to a reply, too! (well, not really, but I am now that I know one was forthcoming!)

[lizziebith]

Well it was pretty much along the lines of: will do some reading, but don't think lizziebith's mind will be changed. IOW: I try to keep an open mind but my years of education in a certain area bias-es me. If we can use bias like that... But the bottom line was that I was willing to do more research..

[Morrigoon]

Hey, we all have our biases, it's a necessary side-effect of having an opinion about something, and nothing to be ashamed of (as long as it's recognized and acknowledged) :)

Anyway, the books are fun reading no matter what. Well, I think they're fun reading. The first chapter is usually a bit slow because it's always trip prep, but each chapter after that is a new place. Great fun stuff!

[lizziebith]

You do ROCK dear!

[Morrigoon]

You too dear!