Real Time with Bill Maher #325 July 18, 2014 "Death Star"

The Death Star destroys a planet.

by Catherine Giordano

Who needs the Death Star?  We Earthlings are doing a real good job of raining death down on our planet all by ourselves.

 

On HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, which aired on July 18, 2014, Bill Maher mixed his metaphors a bit. He was talking about Star Trek and the Death Star is featured in Star Wars, but never mind, it's still a good theme for the entire show.

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A Malaysian airliner was shot out of the sky this week by Ukrainian separatists using surface-to-air missiles supplied by Russia.  All 298 people on board were killed. One of the panelists, Jamie Weinstein, political columnist and commentator, senior editor of The Daily Caller, a conservative news and opinion website, and author (with Will Rahn) of  The Lizard King: The Shocking Inside Account of Obama's True Intergalactic Ambitions by an Anonymous White House Staffer said “Putin played a reckless game. He funded the separatists.” He was right n that, but then he had to go and ruin it by firing off the same old Republican talking points. “Obama should impose stricter sanctions. Obama has to speak with moral clarity. Obama has to increase defense spending.”  Maher fired back, “Obama is already doing that. Should he go to war with Russia? Weinstein had to back down and said, “No.”

 

Another panelist, Jane Harmon, former Congresswoman (D, CA) and President and CEO of The Wilson Center had a better idea. “We can export clean energy to Europe.” Since gas is a major source of income to Russia, the more we replace fossil fuels with clean energy, the more we deprive Russia of the funds it needs for its invasion of the Ukraine.  She also pointed out that the sanctions Obama imposed are already working. She said, “The Russian economy is tanking.”

Missiles are flying on the Israeli-Gaza border. Israel is trying to take out the missile launching sites and destroy the tunnels that Hamas has built on the border to sneak into Israel to attack Israelis. Maher defended Israel. Whose fault is it really? Israel has a right to defend itself.  

 

Harmon agreed saying, “Israel is using its missile defense system to protect its citizens [with bunkers]. Hamas is using its citizens to protect missile defense systems.  He also said, “Hamas would kill as many Israelis as it could. Israel is not killing as many Palestinians as it could.” In other words, Israel is showing restraint, doing only as much killing as is needed for defense.

 

Maher concluded by saying that world opinion is the least of Israel’s problems. The real problem for Israelis is “Will I get killed when I go to the dry cleaners?”

 

In the monologue Maher spoke about Republican response to the Israeli defense, Operation Protective Edge. He said that Republicans say, “Now that is how you secure a border!”

 

Maher said that the Republican response to everything is to say that Obama is weak and ineffective. And the next thing they say is that Obama is a tyrant who controls everything.  (A logical inconsistency, but when has that ever stopped Republicans?)

 

Maher summed up Republicans reactions this way:

1. McCain will call for war.
2. Obama is doing it to distract from Benghazi.
3. Obama is part of it.
4. Obama is doing nothing about it.

 


A protest sign in North Carolina

The interview was with Rev. Dr. William J Barber II, NAACP President for North Carolina and leader of the Moral Monday protests. He claimed that the Republicans governor and legislature in North Carolina are “literally killing people. He was referring to the state’s refusal to take federal money to expand Medicaid. (His accusation was not hyperbole—people in the state have died because of this.) 

 

Barber said that the Moral Monday protests were about not only Medicaid, but about all of the rights being denied to people in the state—public school teachers, public education, workers rights, earned income tax credit, the unemployed, the LGBT, women’s rights and  the biggest denial of rights--voter suppression. He said that every group as supporting this movement—people f faith and hose without faith, Democrats and Republicans, blacks and whites, because everyone in the state is being hurt.  Maher joked that “Monday is the perfect day to get people to be moral. There is nothing going on anyway.”  

The third panelist was Nate Silver, Nate Silver, a statistician who analyses politics and baseball, editor-in-chief of ESPN's FiveThirtyEight blog, special correspondent for ABC News, and author of The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail — but Some Don't. He did not have a lot to say because he is all about the numbers and either doesn’t have, or doesn’t express, opinions. Maher questioned silver about voting patterns, but Maher did most of the talking.  “The people who like Obama the most are the people least likely to vote. Anger makes people vote. People don’t vote to say thank you, but to say f@@k you.”  

Weinstein couldn’t resist this opening to say, “What has Obama done to make people vote for him?  Maher then delivered a soliloquy reprising “Zombie Lies” from last week’s show. He specifically wanted to shoot down the lie about “trickle-down economics. “ He said that Republican Governor Sam Brownback of Kansas cut taxes repeatedly. As a result, state revenue collapsed, and the economy of Kansas is now in a crisis. California went the other way and raised taxes, and they have had twice the job growth. 

Weinstein, like the good little Republican mouthpiece that he is, said “It‘s too soon to judge.  It has only been two years.” Harmon responded that things are so bad in Kansas that 100 leading Republicans in the state have endorsed the Democratic candidate for governor. Silver pointed out that even though Brownback has really low approval ratings, politics is so polarized that he could still get elected. 

George Takei

 
The mid-show guest was GeorgeTakei, actor, LGBT activist, author of several books including Oh Myyy!: There Goes the Internet, and subject of a new documentary, To Be Takei. You have got to give Takei credit. He had a small role on a 1960’s television series, Star-Trek, and has lived off of it ever since. In more recent years, he has added being gay into the mix, and he has made a career of that as well.    

The Death Star comment was a response to the mention of a long-running feud between Takei and William Shatner.  Maher suggested that Takei might want to settle their dispute with a “Death Star.” Takei wouldn’t get specific about the reason for their mutual dislike, but I suspect it may have something to do with Takei being gay. Takei said that everyone on the set of Star Wars knew that he was gay and was cool with it.  He implied that the only person who didn’t know was Shatner. 

 

Maher spoke about how Star Trek was a “sneaky political show” using outer space as a metaphor for our own society. For instance, the Klingons were the Russians. They spoke about the episode in which Captain Kirk kissed a black woman. Takei said the show as blacked out in the South and the ratings plummeted.  Maher asked him if he ever asked Gene Roddenberry, the producer of the show to tackle the gay issue. He said that Roddenberry declined saying that if we pushed the envelope to far we wouldn’t b ale o do any social issues. They discussed how things have changed so much since the 60’s. Gay marriage became accepted a “warp speed.”  

 

Read Star Trek: the First 150 Years

 

The mid-show comedy segment was about the one-percent. Maher asked, as he has cone in the past, “What can you buy with your second billion that you didn’t already buy with your first billion?”  He suggested a magazine tiled “One-Percent” to help billionaires spend their money. Some of the cover stories were: 

 

• Seven New Acquisitions that Will Drive Your Trophy wife Wild
• Wine Cellars for the panic Room in the Pool house o your Vacation home
• The 2015 Republican Congress: Collect Them All
• Sheldon Adelson: Sexiest Man Alive

CLICK HERE

In New Rules, Maher took on “Blitzkrieg Cops.”  He said that Pentagon cast-offs were being given to local police forces so now every town can have its own tank.  Maher stated, “If they are dressed and equipped like an occupying army, they will act like one.”  ‘We don’t need to fill our streets with horrifying death machines.”  

 

The “jack-booted thugs” that the tea-partiers rant about are here. “They are the police coming right through the door with no warrant, a battering ram and a stun grenade.”  He concluded, “I’m afraid of the cops and I’m white.”

Read more about Blitzkrieg cops and se the video at "Tank You Very Much." 

 

I’m sick to death of stories about death.  A good thing Bill Maher can make me laugh about it. Now if that “Death Star” could just turn its laser beam somewhere else for a while.

 

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Bill Maher’s Guests for July 18, 2014

Rev. Dr. William J Barber II: State NAACP President for North Carolina, Leader of the Moral Monday protests

Jane Harmon: Former Congresswoman (D, CA), President and CEO of The Wilson Center

Nate Silver: Statistician, editor-in-chief of ESPN's FiveThirtyEight blog, special correspondent for ABC News, author of The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail — but Some Don't

Jamie Weinstein: Political columnist and commentator, senior editor of The Daily Caller, a conservative news and opinion website, author of  The Lizard King: The Shocking Inside Account of Obama's True Intergalactic Ambitions by an Anonymous White House Staffer (with Will Rahn) 

GeorgeTakei:  actor, LGBT activist, author of several books including Oh Myyy!: There Goes The Internet, subject of a new documentary To Be Takei

HBO Real Time with Bill Maher #264 “Vote Democratic: We’re Not Perfect, But They’re Nuts.”

by Catherine Giordano

HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” episode 264 (which aired on Friday October 26) did a pretty good job of piling on Romney and the Republicans. Whenever that happens, I call it a good show. 

I think one of the best lines came during “Overtime” Barney Frank, congressman from Massachusetts, gave his idea for a bumper sticker.  I liked the line so much that I am using it as the name for this episode: “Vote Democratic; We’re Not Perfect, But They’re Nuts.” 

Bill got a few shots in during his opening monologue.  He mentioned Halloween describing it as a holiday where we try to fool people into thinking we are someone we are not. “Romney calls it campaigning.” 

Bill discussed the third presidential debate, the one devoted to foreign affairs, where we saw a kinder, gentler, more peace-loving Mitt Romney.  Bill pointed out that Romney’s answer to everything was “What he said, but from a white guy.” Then Bill added that Romney morphed into Obama on the stage that night, so much so that he hugged Micelle at the end of the debate.   

The Frankenstorm also became fodder for a joke. Bill said that the storm was being caused by a cold front from Canada meeting a hurricane from the Caribbean, and then mixing with hot air from Donald Trump.  

Bill did the interview with Barney Frank. I wish Barney had been on the panel because he is good with a quip and he always livens things up. Barney began by saying that “I run my mouth for a living.” (See what I mean.)  

Barney called Romney “the most intellectually dishonest person in history.” Someone had to say it. He said Romney thinks he is “destined to rule.”  (He does indeed give off that vibe. Remember in the 3^rd debate when he challenged Obama about whether or not Obama has said “terror” the day after the Benghazi attack. He looked directly at Obama, jutted his chin out, and raised his eyebrows clear up to his scalp. What an imperious disdainful look!  Obama wisely chose not to respond to someone acting more like a school-yard bully than a presidential candidate. But I digress.) 

Barney made one other important point. He said that Romney will say anything. It’s just about impossible to figure out whether Romney believes the rightwing policies or not.  But, Ryan is a true believer, and Ryan will exert influence over Romney if they make it to the White House. My opinion is that it does not matter what Romney believes, he will take his orders from the right wing. 

The panel members were Eliot Spitzer, former governor of New York, Michael Steele, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee and Chrystia Freeland, a Reuter’s editor.

There was a discussion of the “way-out-there-crazy” Republican views of Joe Walsh (women don’t die in pregnancy), Todd Akin (women don’t get pregnant from rape), and Richard Murdock (God intends pregnancies to result from rape.)  Bill got in another zinger about Romney and abortion.  He said “Picasso could not portray all the sides Romney has on abortion.” Sadly, so true.   

A bit of talk about how McCain and George McGovern were able to work on policies like food stamps a few decades ago and how Republican cooperation on social policies would be impossible now. The Republican party has become the Tea party, and the Democrats have not moved as far to the left as the Republicans have moved to the right.  I think that is an understatement. I think Democrats have actually moved to the Center; (or what used to be the Center); it only looks like it is the left because Republicans have moved so far right.

The mid-show bit this week was about books.  Very funny book titles. Bill cracked up as he read them.  Here’s a few of them. 

Author: Republican Caucus; Title: What I Expect When You are Expecting

 

Author: Rush Limbaugh; Title: Belittle Women

 

Authors: Joe Walsh and Richard Murdock; Title: The Vagina Demagogues 

Nate Silver, the election statistics wizard, was the special guest. He’s the founder of fivethirtyeight.com and has a new book entitled “The Signal and the Noise.” He says Obama has a 75% chance to win the election. If only it could get to 99%, I could sleep easy. Still it is better than the other way around. He said that the Romney momentum stopped a week ago and that Romney is not close enough to pull ahead. This is the “From-Your-Lips-to-God’s Ear’s” moment of the week. 

The panel discussed race as a factor in this race. Sarah Palin saying Obama is ‘shuck and jive” (disgusting,) and John Sununu saying that former secretary of state to George Bush, Colin Powell, endorsed Obama because they are both black (beyond disgusting), and adding that Obama is stupid and lazy (outrageously disgusting, in that it references stereotypes about black people.)  

On to “New Rules.” The final new rule was called “Rom-Con”. It was so good, I wish I could quote it verbatim.That would make this piece too long, so you’ll just have to watch it. But, here’s taste.  Bill said you can catch a worse disease than Romnesia if Romney becomes president. It’s like they say about STD’s—you are not just sleeping with this one person, you are sleeping with everyone he has ever slept with. The analogy being that you won’t get just Romney, but every right wing nut he has ever pandered to. Remember Terry Schiavo, remember John Ashford throwing a sheet over a statue, remember when the Smithsonian could not mention global warming because the idea that heat melts ice was too radical, remember DOMA, remember stem-cells, remember evolution-is-from-the-pit-of-hell—all of that will be in the White House right alongside Romney. And here’s Bill’s closer. “If you say, ‘Oh don’t worry, Romney will stand up to the right wing crazies,’ there’s one problem with that: ‘Romney’ and ‘stand-up’ in the same sentence.” I have to add, are you certain that Romney himself is not one of the right-wing crazies? 

Think about what Barney Frank said, “Vote Democratic. We’re not perfect, but they’re nuts.”

--by Catherine Giordano

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