Real Time with Bill Maher #332 10/17/14 “Going Viral”

Maher joked abut a virus "going viral"

by Catherine Giordano



Bill Maher opened his show with an ebola joke in his monologue. “This is the first time something went viral that was an actual virus,” he said. Later in the show, ebola got a series discussion on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, episode 332, aired on October 17, 2014.

Ebola

Maher was passionately angry about the way the screw-ups in Texas that allowed the virus to spread. He was outraged that the nurses weren’t properly protected. Later I realized it was personal for him. His mother was a nurse.  

Everyone is panicking about ebola. Obama is being blamed. Why not? Doesn’t Obama get blamed for everything? Why isn’t Rick Perry being blamed? He is the governor of the state where the ebola cases occurred. If political leaders are being blamed, surely Perry should be the first one blamed.   

I don’t think that either Perry or Obama should be blamed. I blame the administration at the hospital where Eric Duncan, the initial patient ,was treated. First for turning him away untreated and secondly for having such poor containment measure that two nurses got sick. It is scandalous how badly they handled it. 

Representative Barbara Lee

Representative Barbara Lee, (D, CA), and author of Renegade for Peace and Justice: Congresswoman Barbara Lee Speaks for Me put the blame on Congress, specifically Republicans in Congress.  The United States does not have a Surgeon General, a medical profession who could have overseen the response to ebola in this country because Republicans have blocked his confirmation. Republicans have also cut funding for the CDC and other organizations which stopped or slowed their research for a cure and a vaccine. 

 Ebola is not something new—it has been around for over 20 years, but it is only now reached epidemic proportions in West Africa. Many politicians are calling for a travel ban—a proposal that makes people feel good but which will do nothing to help and probably make the situation worse.  It was good to see that the panel was smart enough to oppose the travel ban.
    

David Millband, chairman and CEO of International Rescue Committee, a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization, said, “If you want to guarantee an epidemic of one million in West Africa, do a travel ban.’

David Frum, senior editor at The Atlantic, political commentator, former George W. Bush speechwriter, and author of several books, the most recent being a novel, Patriots said “I’m not panicked. There is only a small risk versus the damage that would be done by a travel ban.”

Maher told everyone to calm down. Ebola is spread by direct contact with the body fluids (diarrhea, vomiting, blood) of the sick person. It is not like the flu which kills thousands every year in this country and is an air borne virus. It appears likely that none of the people who were living with Daniel Duncan have become sick. I doubt that any of the people who were on the plane with the nurse who has come down with ebola will become sick.  

One of the medical staff who treated Duncan is currently on a cruise. They have voluntarily placed themselves in isolation. Of course, it is a Carnival cruise, the same cruise line where epidemics of norovirus have occurred.  Maher quipped, “Will there be an outbreak [of ebola] on the ship? How will they know?”

 

Everyone needs to calm down. Obama has appointed a “czar” to oversee prevention measures. The best way to ensure that we do not have an outbreak in the United States is too treat the problem at the source in West Africa, to closely monitor anyone who has been in close physical contact with an ebola patient in this country, and for hospitals and doctors to take fever seriously and test for ebola.     

There are no direct flights from West Africa to the United States. Why the fixation on planes—what about any place where there are crowds—shopping malls, movie theaters, trains and buses? If you take this obsession with planes to its logical conclusion, the whole country will come to a standstill.  I respect Obama for standing firm and not doing something stupid because of political pressure. 

Off the Sidelines
by Kristen Gillibrand

Women’s Issues

The interview was with Senator Kristen Gillibrand, (D, NY), author of Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World. She said that although we now have 20 women in the Senate, thet is a very low proportion compared to othr countries.  She said women bring “different issues and different outcomes.”

She talked about feminism.  There is a viral meme that feminism means bra burning and men-hating.  It does not. It means equal pay for equal work, reproductive righs and opportunity for women.  

Maher talked about how appearance is always an issue for female politicians, whether she is attractive or unattractive.  Maher said, “Mitch McConnell looks like a muppet,” and no one cares.

 

ObamaCare

ObamaCare has now been in effect for a year and it is working.  You would thin that would put an end to ObamaCare-will-destroy the-country viral line.  Mahaer said Obamacare is containing costs–medical costs are being contained, insurance is more affordable and millions more people have it. Maher asked Frum who spoke against ObamaCare before its implementation if he will admit that he was wrong. Frum hemmed and hawed and finally said “cost control was being achieved by suppressing choice.”  People now have more choice than ever before.

Millband, who is British, said about “socialized medicine” in Great Britian,  “The Brits spend half as much as the U.S.”  Even Frum who is from Canada,could not fault the universal healthcare system in that country.

 

Lee pointed out some of the good things that Obamacare has done in addition to cost containment—for example, young people can stay on their parents plan until age 26, the elimination of people being refused insurance for pre-existing conditions. She told us that before ObamaCare being domestic abuse was a pre-existing condition. If a woman reported her spouse for domestic abuse, she could lose her insurance.  

Maher said that ObamaCare is making people healthy because it is removing some stress from their lives—the stress of being sick and being unable to afford care. Frum pointed out that ObamaCare gave him more stress--the stress of filling out the forms. I wanted to reach into the TV and slap him.  What a charmed life you lead, Mr Frum, your worse stress is filling out a form. People should die and suffer financial ruin so you don’t have to fill out a form.

So You Have Been Exonerated

The mid show comedy segment was about a woman who had been falsely convicted and spent 17 years in prison before being exonerated and freed.  She remarked abut how everything has changed. 

Maher suggested a pamphlet for newly released prisoners to tell them about the changes. Some of the changes Maher listed were:

• Your old video store now sells pot.
• You must take a picture of your food before eating it.
• If someone says you have a gigantic ass, it is now a compliment.
• Things that are bigger: TV sets, mortgages, Americans [Shows a picture of fat people].
• But, Donald Trump is still a jackass

Read more about this segment and see the video clip at Bill Maher Exonerated.

Joel Stein

The special guest was Joel Stein, journalist, humorist, and author of Man Made: A Stupid Quest for Masculinity. Maher called him a “very ballsy columinist.”

Maher comment on a phrase that has gone viral, “Happy wife, happy life.”  It is always about a man doing something his wife wants him to do to prevent discord at home.  The man is explaining that he is only doing this thing that the othr men are mocking him about to keep his wife happy. Stein said, “He is saying he is pussy whipped.”  Maher pointed out it is never about a wife being happy because she just got a promotion at her job.  

Stein said, “We shouldn’t be talking about feminism.” Lee, jumped right in, “You are right about that!”

New Rules

The final New Rules segment was “The Lemon Party” Maher said Democrats must learn how to talk to whitey. He said “Democrats are as popular as a Liberian travel agent.” Because they don’t understand “what white people want.” 

“Maher said “I am a strong powerful beautiful white man” and the proceeded to give tips to Democrats.  The tips included:

• Talk a lot about the importance of hard work.
• Tell blacks to pull their pants up.
• Talk a lot about dads and personal responsibility  
• Talk about how much you love small business. Every white man thinks that one day he is going to tell his boss that he is a #@%* and then go off to start his own business.
• Talk like John Wayne and about “kicking ass.”

Maher said "White dads watch the History channel and the only history on it is Hitler." They know all about Munich and Neville Chamberlin appeasing Hitler. They don’t want Neville Chamberlin they want Wilt Chamberlin who will dunk in your face.

For More on this and to see a video clip, see Bill Maher's Rules for the Lemon Party.

The stupid virus

Sometimes I think there are a whole lot of people in this country who are infected with the “stupid virus.”   Republicans for being against science and policies that actually help the people of this country and the rt of the country for thinking it doesn’t matter who is in office so why should they even bother to vote.

Man Made
by Joel Stein



Patriots
by David Frum