Donald Trump is the Orange Hitler

It was a great pre-election special on Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday November 4, 2016. The discussion was serious and the barbs against Donald Trump were biting. Here is a quick review of the show.

Bill Maher called Donald Trump "The Orange Hitler". 

An Interview with President Obama

The show began with an interview with President Obama. It was pre-taped because of Obama’s schedule. This was good for the show because it allowed the interview to go for about a half hour, with additional bits put on YouTube. [See the full interview on YouTube]

Obama defended the ACA (ObamaCare) saying he would have preferred single payer, but it wasn’t possible to start from scratch. He needed to build upon the existing institutions. He calledlikened the ACA to a "starter home." saying that it should be improved.  

Maher pointed out that the news used to be a loss-leader—it didn’t have to make money. Obama said that  it wasn’t possible in the environment we have today. He said that we need "to create a space where truth gets eyeballs" We must have "some common baseiline of facts." Did Obama give a hint about his post election plans? He said, "Maybe we could build some platforms where everybody says let's agree on the facts and argue about means after that."

Obama is optimistic about America and Americans. “I’m a glass half full kind of guy. A government is as good as the people.” He indicated that the problem is that information is not getting to the people. “If I could sit in every living room in the country, I would have the large majority of on my side.” He added, “If I watched Fox News, I wouldn’t like me either. This was a reference to his earlier comment that there is a “Balkanization of the media.”

The best part of the interview was about the upcoming election. Obama said, “The choice should be really clear.” He called out people who say because both parties have problems nothing will change. He enumerated all the changes he was able to accomplish: Reigning in some of the excesses of Wall Street, establishing a Consumer Protection Bureau, health insurance reform, protections for “The Dreamers” were among them.

Obama said, “Every single issue we have made progress on is on the ballot.” He praised Hillary Clinton. “I have worked with her. She cares about people.” He warned that a third party vote is a vote for Trump.

At the end, Obama told Maher, “I watch your show all the time.” I’m sure that Maher who waited eight years to get an interview with Obama was glad to hear it.

Fascism in America

Bill Maher repeated what he has been saying for months. “Trump could win this election.” Maher described it as “a slow-moving right wing coup.” The FBI becoming Trumplandia, doing things to help Trump. The Russians being in league with Trump.

Jennifer Granholm, the former Governor of Michigan was on the panel. She said, Trump would be an "authoritarian nightmare.”

Maher called Trump “The Orange Hitler.” He said, “We would have fascism in this country with Trump. There would be no rule of law.” He pointed out that the Republican dominated Supreme Court shut down the Voting Rights Act, and the states were quick to deny people voting rights by reducing the number of polling places and other tricks. [Fortunately, some state courts have pushed back and limited these attacks on democracy.]

Granholm added, “Trump is undermining democracy. He has said the election is rigged. He has said he won’t accept the results of the election.”

Another panelist, Martin Short, an actor and comedian, said that if you want to sell aspirin you have to tell the truth. We need a Consumer Protection Act for politics. The Trump campaign is filled with lies."

Maher reminded everyone that Hitler was elected to office.Then he declared an emergency to dismantle democracy and seize total power. [I’m sure Trump would try to do the same thing here. He is an authoritarian who says that “I am the only one who can fix it.” A republican Congress would let him do it.]

Maher said that the Republican Congress is already talking about impeaching Hillary. “First they decide you are a criminal, then they look for a crime.” He added, “We are where Rwanda was. Doing God’s work by eliminating the enemy.”

In his facebook special, titled "Whiny Little Bitch, Maher said “Hillary is like a black driver in a white neighborhood and the Republicans are the cops. They keep pulling her over and they keep having to let her go.” [Republicans have investigated her umpteen times, and every time they come up with nothing. Yet the Republican Congress is threatening continuous investigations. This is not how democracy is supposed to work. Please vote for Democrats up and down the ballot so we can have a country that works again.]

Maher said, “Once fascists get power, they don’t give it up.” He expressed concern that people would not take the threat that Trump poses to America seriously. “We cried wolf with McCain and Romney, but this is real.”

[I disagree about the "crying wolf" part.. McCain and Romney would have been very bad for the country and they were rightly criticized. It is just that Trump is a threat of such magnitude that the threats of previous Republican candidates seems minor in comparison. As Maher said in his facebook special, “This isn’t the choice between Coke and Pepsi, this is the choice between Coke and the tap water in Flint.”

Trump doesn’t want to “shake things up” as he so often says; he wants to tear it all down. In Maher’s facebook special on 11/2/16,  Maher said Trump would shake things up like a Great Dane at a toddler’s birthday party or like soccer played with handguns.]

Harking back to the Obama interview about the lack of information among the public, David Frum, a Republican on the panel who is currently editor of The Atlantic magazine urged everyone to “buy a subscription to a newspaper, and don’t rely on facebook.”

A Useful Idiot

Maher told us that “Russia is in collusion with the Republican candidate. He is an unwitting agent, a useful idiot.”

[This phrase “a useful idiot” has been in the news a lot. It is spy talk for someone who you don’t even have to convince to betray his country--He is just too stupid to know that the enemy is using him. It is why Hillary Clinton, in the third debate called Trump, Putin’s Puppet.”]

Bible Trumper

In New Rules, Maher said, “There is one good thing that Donald Trump did—He exposed evangelicals for the shameless hypocrites they are. Trumps Commandments are the regular ones with LOL added.”

“He is the world’s least godly man.”

 “Jesus Christ is his Personal Lord and Taylor.”

 “Jesus Christ is from the Middle East. Trump wouldn’t even let him into the country.”

He concluded with praise for the Mormons. Essentially he said they believe a lot of dumb-ass ideas, but they rejected the Orange Hitler.

Here are some other essays that address Bill Maher’s views about Trump and religion.

 Donald Trump: Move Over Jesus

 Donald Trump: I Love the Bible and Other Panders

It Can't Happen Here

CLICK HERE
for more info

Sinclair Lewis wrote"It Can't Happen Here" in 1935. The reprint of this novel is now on amazon’s best-seller list.  I guess a lot of people are worried about fascism in American.

The plot summary in Wikipedia says it all. The novel is about ”the rise of Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip, a populist United States Senator who is elected to the presidency after fomenting fear and promising drastic economic and social reforms while promoting a return to patriotism and "traditional" values. After his election, Windrip takes complete control of the government and imposes a plutocratic/authoritarian rule with the help of a ruthless paramilitary force, in the manner of Adolf Hitler and the SS.”

You could use the exact words to describe Donald Trump is you remove the words “United States Senator.”  Trump has never held elected office before.  

  

Thumbs Up for the Show Format

The show was great tonight. It began with a serious interview with Barack Obama I’m so glad Maher finally got to have Obama on his show. The interview was long so there was not mid-show comedy bit and no mid-show special guest.

The main reason I wanted to praise this episode was the quality of the guests. I wish every show would have one comedian, one Democratic politician and one thoughtful, intelligent, and polite Republican who does not tell lies. David Frum was that Republican on this show. Some weeks, I just can’t watch the show because the Republican is a loud-mouthed idiot who interrupts everyone, talks over the other guests constantly, and spews lie after lie.

I want to hear intelligent discussion of issues. I don’t want a bar brawl. Please give us guests who know what they are talking about and who can comport themselves like an adult.

P.S. The full interview includes a discussion of atheism. 

--By Catherine Giordano

Addendum: To you want to fight against fascism in America? Please join this facebook group: Blue America Fights Back