Three cheers for Bill Maher

[Merusault]

What a smart person he is. I'm watching the re-broadcast of his appearance on the Larry King show, and I'm thoroughly impressed. Whether he's a Democrat or not, he's a great spokesperson for liberal issues that many of us care about. It would be nice if he got out on the stump for Kerry /Edwards this fall.

[PoliticsSportsMusic]

1. hip-hip HOORAY hip-hip HOORAY hip-hip HOORAY

It was classic. I was surprised there were no repugs to call in. I wanted to see him debate one the morons. Good show!

[playahata1]

27. Like he said:

"Conservatives are afraid of me... because I hold their feet to the fire."

[komplex]

2. As much as I agree with him...

I don't think it would be wise to have him insulting the entire south on the Trail. :)

You start by attacking one of them, the rest will act like the lemmings they are.

[RoyGBiv]

4. I turned in my Lemming Membership Card

All those nose dives off cliffs hurt too much.

[stopbush]

3. Look's like Maher has dropped his "that is SO September 10"

routine. You know, the line he'd drag out when anybody questioned bushco and their motives from 9/11/01 to about, oh, 2/1/03?

Bill on Ah-nold's "girlie man" comment: "no big deal...blown way out of proportion." Hmmm. Just like the criticisms of bushco were out of proportion 2 years ago. I guess gay bashing by a lecherous woman-as-property groper are OK.

So, has he seen the light in regards to bush, or is he just an opportunist cashing in on the anti-bush sentiment sweeping the country? And - IMO - he still has a long way to go on women's and gay issues.

[leftistagitator]

5. I don't think "girlie man" is gay bashing

I could see that interpretation, but I always thought it just meant wimp or weakling. It's still pretty pathetic and sad that a Governor would talk like that.

[morgan2]

6. its antigay and antiwoman

but not really a big deal. Antigay in the sense that men who act like girls(ie fags) is a bad thing. Antiwoman in the sense that acting like a girl is acting spineless.

[Skittles]

8. get real, leftist

it is blatantly mysogyinistic and homophobic.

[leftistagitator]

9. Get real?

I have never seen this insult used against homosexuals, have you? I suppose it fits with other anti-gay insults implying they are "womanly", but I've never seen it in that context and so see no reason to assume it is.

[Skittles]

10. yes, I've heard it before

in fact, that's what my coworkers call the cross-gender guy at work. The context is that female charactaristics are somehow much less worthy of those of the male species. Make no mistake - it's a slam, and a very offensive one at that.

[porphyrian]

20. One way to combat it is to co-opt it...

By empowering words, treating them like weapons, we show our enemies another button they can push to get a predictable response. By not allowing words to hurt us, which we can learn to do, we not only allow ourselves greater freedom of expression, but we allow others the same freedom. Greater freedom of expression leads to greater ability to communicate, which a very diverse loosely-coordinated alliance of non-fascists could use in a crucial election year.

[Skittles]

25. it's tough

even DUers use outdated expressions like inferring "balls" are necessary for courage. I've even seen DU WOMEN using it. :puke:

[rpannier]

19. Oh Please

You need to calm down and take your own advice, "Get real." The girlie man comment hardly makes him homophobic or mysogynistic. If you honestly think girlie man = homosexuals I feel badly. Because I know lots of men who are gay who are not girlie and they found the comment humorous.

[Skittles]

26. I won't calm down

because I know homophobia when I see it; the fact that your gay friends don't recognize it is their problem.

[TrustingDog]

29. we've had to deal with That for years...

the major point is getting that Bush cretin out of his throne...
we'll talk later on other less more important issues...

(knowing Boosh ain't gonna give it up, ever...)

[xcmt]

7. Distortions

You can't criticize Maher for shrugging off the "girlie man" comment then rip him for supporting gay bashing and sexual harassment, two things that had nothing to do with the "girlie man" issue. They're totally separate things, and you know this.

He's been pretty clear about being anti-Bush. He's also clear about being hard on terrorism. I don't see how the two are mutually exclusive. Maher developed an entire routine about why we should have taken real steps against terrorism, instead of the pony and propaganda show Bush & Co. have devised. Maher defended Bush on Afghanistan because...it was the right thing to do, in taking the first steps to hunt Bin Laden. Note that Maher stopped defending Bush's anti-terrorism motives the second Iraq came up.

Maher admittedly is something of a chauvinist playboy, but he has spoken out against Howard Stern for his blatant exploitation of young women. Long way to go, but better than some of the other media icons that get supported on these forums.

[LTR]

12. Here's what he said

KING: What do you make of the girlie men comment? A comment he had made previously on Saturday Night Live?

MAHER: We talked about this issue before, called fake outrage. I mean I'm no big fan of Governor Schwarzenegger, but this is nothing. It's fake outrage. Anyone who really is outraged that at comment is a girlie man! you should wear a plaid skirt if you're outraged.

Just the way they were outraged at Linda Ronstadt the other night in Las Vegas.

KING: She praised Michael Moore.

MAHER: And people rioted at the Aladdin Hotel. And the Aladdin Hotel was like, you know what, we're not in the business of political activism. No, you're in the business of getting people drunk and losing the rent money.

And see, again, I have to say this is the difference between conservatives and liberals. I can't see liberals rioting if Lee Greenwood dedicated a song to Sean Hannity. I just think they would have went oh, that's nothing and they would have moved on with their life. It wouldn't have been a cause celebre.

To throw this woman out of the hotel without even letting her go up to the room and pack her stuff? It's astounding.

KING: And so Arnold was perfectly all right to make that...

MAHER: Of course.

KING: Didn't offend anyone?

MAHER: Fake outrage.

KING: Fake outrage.

MAHER: It's -- if anyone, I'm telling you, if they're really that offended at that, at Linda Ronstadt, at Janet Jackson's breast falling out of her thing, at the Dixie Chicks, any of this stuff, it's all on you. Because, this stuff is not really what is so important in this country right now. We have an ability to have in the room an elephant and a fly, and think somehow that they're of equal stature.



You know what? He's right. We are becoming way too thin skinned, Democrats and Republicans alike.

What he's saying is that there are more important issues to worry about. Ahhhnold being stupid is not one of them.

[stanwyck]

13. he's not very enlightened,

I sgree, on women and gays. He believes all women hate each other. I deplore that kind of thinking as my women friends have made an unmeasurable difference in my life.
But I do admire his intelligence and sharp wit. He just needs to rid himself of some distorted views which have no basis. I guess he feels some weird need to "macho"himself up by trashing women and gays.

[LTR]

11. Here's the transcript, for anyone who missed it

http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0407/22/lkl.00.html

It was a great show! Can't wait for the new season of "Real Time" next Friday.

[lil-petunia]

14. i caught the last minutes, and loved it.

thanks for the transcript site. got it!

[rniel]

23. Few classic exerpts i liked

MAHER: I watched the news all day today and there was surprisingly little mention of the fact that President Bush opposed this report. I think that's the key.

KING: He didn't want to have the commission? MAHER: He stonewalled it every inch of the way. Graydon Carter wrote about it in "Vanity Fair" this week. He outlined every step of the way. And it's true. This president did not want this report out there. And you know, for people who are, you know, I'm not Republican or Democrat, but I'm not making a secret I don't want this president reelected. But I think for people who do, for people who are Bush supporters, they really need to look in the mirror and ask themselves, because they consider themselves more patriotic usually, the Republicans, was that the patriotic thing to do? Who do you love more? George Bush or your country? If you love your country more, wouldn't you say that the president should have wanted this report?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

KING: Maybe he was thinking, getting his thoughts together.

MAHER: Excuse me, Larry. We are living in the nuclear age. A guy didn't come up to him and say, sir, the British fleet is leaving England, they'll be here in three months. We are living in the nuclear age where ICBMs take less than an hour to travel thousands of miles.

Remember, Tony Blair said Saddam Hussein has got missiles that are 45 minutes away? Jets scramble to get in the air. This is not an age where a president can take seven minutes, and then another 20 to do photo-ops. This is unconscionable that this is not the ultimate issue in this election. This should be the issue.

And again, I would invite Republicans, independents, people who are thinking of voting for the president, to say to themselves, take President Bush out of this equation. Take him out. Just say a president is told by an aide, the country is under attack. Should that president, A, stick to what he's doing and not interrupt. Or consider that an immediate cause to get up and react?

I don't see how anyone can argue the reverse. And the excuse they gave. He didn't want to scare the children. This is the ultimate for the children, Larry. I mean, apparently 20 children in a schoolroom in Florida is more important than the fate of the country. That's how important children are in America.

Dick Cheney, who said about John Kerry, John Kerry has given us ample reason to doubt the judgment he brings to issues of national security. OK, the judgment he brings? So the aide comes in and tells the president, the country is under attack. And his judgment is, OK, country under attack. I don't know what that means. But I'm going to stay here so I don't scare the children.

Scaring 20 -- as if it would scare the children. You just say excuse me, president business, gotta run, bye. But OK, even say in your fantasy world it scares the children. That stacks up against protecting the country? It's astounding, Larry, that this is not more of an issue.

[NewJeffCT]

15. Maher loves Colin Powell & Ashcroft

I remember a few Larry King appearances ago, King asked him who his ideal president would be and Maher said "Colin Powell"

He also said Ashcroft's profiling & locking up Arabs without trial probably saved us from another terror attack.

[jayfish]

16. Do You Have A Date And Transcript For That Exchange?

I think Bill is great, even if he doesn't agree with everything I think. One of his finer points (and he would be happy to point it out for you) is his ability and willingness to change his mind as facts become available to him. I'm almost sure he does not hold the same views, as gleaned from that quote, today.

Jay

[NewJeffCT]

17. no, I do not... but, they were separate King appearances

Maher is usually good, I agree, so I was surprised when he said that Powell would be his ideal President. I am guessing it was earlier this year on that one, while the Asscrack quote from probably at least a year ago.

[ProfessorGAC]

21. Huh?

When i've seen him on King, he's been BRUTAL on Ashcroft. BRUTAL!

The whole medical marijuana thing, Gitmo, the justice statues, and other things have been used to trash the AG.

I didn't see the show you mentioned apparently, although i thought i'd seen every one where Maher appeared.
The Professor

[jprog]

18. The infamous "seven minutes"

I glad that Maher made those seven minutes dubya spent reading along with the school children after being told that we're under attack as indefensible (oh, we don't want to scare the children, or oh, is he supposed to just run out screaming...) be reminding the world that we live in the "Nuclear Age" and the roughly half hour or so it takes for an ICBM to reach this country...

Sheep in denial really trouble me...

And if people still want to argue that this is perfectly acceptable, let me use this as an example...a fire breaks out at a high school and kids are trapped in the building. I call 911 and the phone rings for seven minutes...is that acceptable?

[newyawker99]

22. Hi jprog!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[rniel]

24. His first guest this season will be -- Michael Moore

in case you didn't know. I think the show premieres July 30.

[NightOwwl]

28. Occasionally he says things about women I find

strange and somewhat innapropriate. I think he's a little afraid of us.

However, he was speaking for me 100% on Larry King last night.