What is your opinion of bill mahar?

[Locut0s]

So is he really on the side of the people or is he on the side of the money. Watch some of his rhetoric ten years back and watch his stuff now and it seems like a conflict of interest. You know he is good friends with Ann coulter? I've seen enough of him that I think he is well meaning but miss informed. But I can see why others might see otherwise.

[Lasher]

1. Well he regularly calls Republicans out.

That attribute is so rare I put bill distinctly in the plus column despite other misgivings.

[Cosmocat]

26. BINGO ...

someone just linked a video to CNN doing YET ANOTHER, "They are all the same" type pieces about radio hosts.

I went against the urge to throw my remote through the TV to watch about 3 minutes of Morning Joe do the intellecual gymnastics to make the white house into being "obsessed" about Fox News a bad thing, but beyond that, got enough information to see the MSM sharks starting to roll around with this "they are our media brothers, how dare you "attack" them" crape with Fox.

Sorry, we are STILL VERY much in a climate where 99% of the people who get on air tread softly with Rs or flat out are Rs making up BS while having every comfort with advancing the "dems are in trouble" meme at every turn, and generally kissing R butts while being condescending at every turn with Ds.

Mahar is off the reservation on some things, and yes, his anti-religion thing is obnoxious and it is not the only topic he is obnoxious on.

But, he is one of a handful, literally, only a HANDFUL of people who are allowed into the MSM who can flat out call the Rs for the deranged lunatics they are.

He got canned from a job for having the temerity to speak out when it was REALLY bad, and now is flat out calling them for what they are ... Until he makes a serious turn for the worse, he is good with me.

[anniebelle]

2. Bill Maher is a comedian. Having said that . . .

Thanks to Bill's work for Nader in 2000, Gore lost and we started this downhill slog. He has his moments, but I wouldn't trust anybody who claims to "really like" Mann Coulter. I appreciate his humor, but his political views are somewhat confusing.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

10. He does have his moments

but I am kinda tired of him personally. When he interviewed Benjamin Netanyahu he was practically felatting him and his policies and the anti vaccine shit is just willful ignorance on his part. I got rid of HBO a year ago and I havent missed him at all.

[bertman]

39. "Thanks to Bill's work for Nader in 2000, Gore lost and we started this downhill slog"

What a crock!!

But, I do agree that he is a comedian.

[Anakin Skywalker]

3. As Long as He Pisses Off Enough

segments of the RW (social cons, etc.), he's cool with me.

[Spider Jerusalem]

4. Bill Maher is an anti-science nutbar.

He doesn't believe in the germ theory of disease or vaccinations. Or that HIV causes AIDS. Or what he refers to as 'Western medicine'. He has all sorts of highly questionable, stupid and generally idiotic opinions that make it extremely hard for me to take anything he says seriously.

[blondeatlast]

22. Very well said. nt

[BzaDem]

5. He is anti-vaccine, anti-germ-theory, anti-science, and pro-"aggregate toxicity theory".

I don't usually form opinions on someone based upon a single issue. But when someone like Maher uses his platform to peddle fearmongering anti-science bullshit that has the potential to result in deaths, that's it for me.

[Selatius]

12. He's not entirely anti-science. He does not favor teaching Intelligent Design in public schools.

He's generally a good guy as far as opposing the religious nut jobs in America, and he gave the Bush Administration no slack when they were burying scientific reports that suggested that global warming was a problem.

[BoneDaddy]

14. Anti science?

How about he offers a difference of opinion? Science can become a religion. Simply look at history. The science of Newton is very different than the science of Einstein and people held desperately to the "old" ways of doing things in the same way people cling to religion, once religious norms are challenged.

[Lyric]

19. Science can become a religion?

No, sorry. It can't. See, science relies on facts and evidence. Religion involves ZERO facts and ZERO evidence. In fact, the entire point of religion would be completely contradicted if real evidence were involved, as "faith" would then be removed from the equation.

The two are nothing at all alike. Even the most stubborn, narrow-minded scientist still has at least SOME evidence for his/her favorite theories. Religion does not, and likely never will, have any evidence whatsoever.

And honestly--Germ Theory is not something that real scientists spend time debating. It's been proven over and over. Anyone who disbelieves Germ Theory is a fringe nut with an agenda, not a rational thinker. It's not scientific "religion" to firmly believe in a theory that has mounds upon mounds of evidence behind it. It IS, however, somewhat "religious" to firmly believe in a theory that is completely at odds with the existing evidence, and to continue to advocate for it even after it's been long disproved. I mean, what else IS that but "faith?"

[RetroLounge]

25. ...

:applause:

RL

[BoneDaddy]

37. Of course it can

Any belief system can become something that someone will cling to in lieu of new or emerging information. And yes I used it in a loose sense.

I was referring to your "somewhat 'religious'" comment in that people in the scientific field will often stay locked into the way the world is viewed (my Newtonian vs. Eisteinian example). I think as humanity evolves and science progresses there will be plenty of things that will be stood on their head. Primarily, I am speaking of how consciousness will influence form. Evolving fields such as psychonueroimmunolgy is one branch that is showing how a person's thoughts/emotions affect and influence the body.

edited for spelling

[Graybeard]

6. Tweety nailed him on Real Time.

On the last Real Time Show, Maher was ranting on about doctors being the problem along with vaccines and yada yada. One of his guests, Chris Matthews, was rolling his eyes listening to this insanity and then said, "How are you different from Tom Cruise and the Scientology nuts?" Maher was stunned speechless.

[bunkerbuster1]

7. He's a professional comedian

Politically, he's mostly libertarian, which is to say I don't take him all that seriously.

[sendero]

9. Exactly..

... how can anyone take a libertarian seriously?

[KharmaTrain]

8. Mahar? He's From India???

As others have said, Mahrer is a comedian and a highly opinionated one (as many are). When he talks about religion or politics, he's mostly spot on...but as many talking heads on our teevees, they tend to go into areas they really have no clue about and thus sound either foolish or stupid. But then Mahrer isn't the reason people watch his show, it's his guests...many who are ready to correct Mahrer when he goes off the "libertarian" end or says something out of left field.

We live in an era when anyone with an opinion, right or wrong, can get on the teevee or put up a blog and say anything they want with little consequence to if they're giving proper information or speaking out of their ass. For the most part, I've always thought Mahrer speaks out of his ass more often than not, but that's where some of his funniest material comes from.

As far is if he's on the side of "the people" (as though all people in this country are united???) or "the money"...he's for both...cause without getting people to watch his teevee shows or show up at his concerts, he won't be making the big money. So you decide...

[ThomWV]

11. I don't care for him and have not watched his show in well over a year

I really dislike him. Whinny little condescending asshat is about the best I can say for him.

[BoneDaddy]

13. I don't hold the same exact views as I did ten years

ago. Hopefully, people will change as change is part of life.

I like him for the most part. He holds some real progressive values without the whine.

[Bluenorthwest]

15. He's a comic who has become wildly sucessful

doing political humor in America. Almost no one manages that. It is valuable. His whole format involves Bill provoking reaction from his audience and guests. Hence, all the arm flapping and improvisation about what he says is nothing but a form of applause, or the sound of ink drying on his checks. He's not there to be 'correct' but politically incorrect. If it makes controversy, it makes money. And he's there to make conversation and money.
A few years back the GOP side missed all of that and went all arm flapping about one of his provocative jokes. He hates America and loves the terrorists, they said. Now you have the DNC side pulling the same routine, also filled with false statements and implications half spoken. Same thing. He joked outside the accepted Party lines, he poked the wrong bear. Hilarious to me.
His show is of course a matter of record. So those who make things up about Bill not believing in germ theory just because he questions this vaccine have Bill's own words to answer to. Myself, I'll get this vaccine when and if it is available to me. But the fact is that I also question all big medical initiatives, and those who find such questioning to be out of line are never of 'my people' in that those who mock people for questioning big Medicine and government on these things are always one or more of the following: white, straight, Christian, and often they have direct ties to the industry.
To be blunt, the only people who never questioned the HIV crisis are straight white people. Me and Rev Wright and millions of others took a long hard look back in the day, and in that day we watched as people got sick and died in great numbers, while the US Government refused to act, or even to speak a word about this exploding pandemic. The government was silent. Some of us had seen dozens of deaths by the time the goverment or the Insurance companies so much as acknowledged what was going on. They sat in silence, most of America did as well, while hundreds then thousands of Americans died, but most of those Americans were either gay or African Americans so most of the rest of you sat in complacency and thought there was no crisis, for the government of the people did nothing, said nothing. The amount of activism it took to get the government and straight white people to even begin to deal with the truth was more than anyone here would do for peace, or for Obama or anything. Hauled to jail, the works. For years. So the perspective of some less bigoted people might be different from the straight while elite outlook of Govenment and Medicine as trusted entities who never would inject a disease into a person...well, not a white straight person. Some know history, some lived it. Some slept through it all, and wonder why anyone would question the Government or Insurance Companies. Not everyone is just like you.

[Christa]

16. Sometimes I like him

Sometimes he bores me.

He is an opportunist 100% of the time.

[SIMPLYB1980]

17. Asshole who is wrong a lot, but he's our asshole.

And makes a good point from time to time. I also think people take him way to seriously.

[madokie]

18. I've never liked him so I have no opinion of him other than I don't like him

Why who knows.

[Butch350]

20. He lost his appeal...

He was good during the Bush era where much of his routine was built around Bush bashing. But he treads lightly with
President Obama. And he is really not as knowledgable (sp) about politics and science as he tries to appear to be.
There's been occasions where a quest has had to correct him on certain topics. And his disrespect for religion,
(whether one believes in it or not), is totally embarrasing! IMHO of course.

I kid bill.....

[Whisp]

21. He's brilliant and sometimes an asshole.

And doesn't seem to be afraid to say what he feels regardless of the flack he knows he'll be getting and that is something direly needed more of.

Wasn't he the only one 'fired' over 911 by shooting off his mouth, correctly? Got to give him creds for that.

I have to give him some slack on his 'anti-science' thing, as some describe here... big Pharma and obliging doctors have made the nation a bunch of legal drug addicts and you can't argue with that one. Who wouldn't be suspicious of the industry when the bottom line is making money more than public care.

[annabanana]

23. He's not half as smart as he thinks he is.

And not a teensy weensy fraction of how "deep" he thinks he is.

[mucifer]

24. on his old tv show he was rude to Studs Terkel for being hard of hearing.

He's very self centered and a terrible moderator. I agree with some of his views. I am a vegetarian. That said he gets WAY too
holier than thou with his vegetarianism. It really bothers me. I do enjoy him making fun of republicans tho.

[geek tragedy]

27. Hollywood asshole blowhard who's right some of the time. nt

[Fleshdancer]

28. I enjoy his show without agreeing with everything he says

At the end of the day, he's an entertainer and he does that job very well. Aside from that, I have no substantial opinion of him one way or the other. As for friends, I have a few crazy ones too.

[Autumn]

29. He is a comedian,

sometimes he is funny.

[JVS]

30. No, he is not really on the side of the people. Nor is he on the sinde of money.

The man is simply a well off playboy who is interested in enjoying life among his chi-chi circle of friends.

[cleveramerican]

31. Funny, entertaining

like a nice piece of chewing gum.

good for a few minutes, then you spit it out.

[Forkboy]

32. Sometimes very funny, sometimes very cringe inducing.

Religulous was outstanding though.

[proud2BlibKansan]

33. Love him

Wish we had 100 more just like him.

[apples and oranges]

34. Bitter, cynical, unhappy?

[undeterred]

35. Misogynist Asshole.

[dembotoz]

36. he is not perfect. He does not follow the party line on all occasiions

but i still appreciated him for who he is and what he does.

sort of reminds me of the republicans --who is conservative enough.

[Blue_In_AK]

38. I take issue with Bill Maher sometimes,

but he IS a comedian, not a policy-maker. I enjoy the discussions, and I generally believe he is on our side.

As for the Ann Coulter thing, I haven't seen her on his show in years. If they're still friends, you couldn't prove it by how much face time he gives her.

[cherokeeprogressive]

40. No opinion. On DU however, he's lauded for his genius, and hated for his idiocy.

And, it's almost unanimous, all the time.

Let him say something derogatory about Bush or ANY Republican, and it's almost unanimous the next day: He's a genius of the first order.

Let him say something derogatory about President Obama or ANY Democrat, and it's almost unanimous the next day: He's an idiot of the worst kind.

It's one of those unexplainable quirks of DU.

[Taverner]

41. I like him, but there are few people I agree with 100%

And his anti-vaccine paranoia is plain pseudoscience