Real Time with Bill Maher #355 6/5/2015 "Anger"

by Catherine Giordano


A case of the Angries

Bill Maher was back with Real Time with Bill Maher, episode 355, on June 5, 2015 after a two week hiatus. It seems like I have been on an even more extended hiatus—I haven’t gotten around to writing the review and recap, and it is Thursday already. It has been a very busy week for me, but I am finally getting to the writing.

 The theme this week is anger. Everyone had a case of the angries.

 In the monolog Maher was angry at Dennis Hastert for his hypocrisy. It seems Hastert, the former Speaker of the House (R IL), who was stridently anti-gay is in hot water right now for sexually molesting teen-aged boys when he was a high school coach before entering Congress. Maher said that we should have known because “when gay stuff is coming out of your mouth, [it often means] something gay is going in.”  

 

The interview



The interview was time for more anger. The interview was with Phillip Mudd who was formerly a senior executive at the CIA and FBI. He has a new book, The HEAD Game: High-Efficiency Analytic Decision Making and the Art of Solving Complex Problems Quickly, a guide about how to approach complex decisions.  (HEAD stands for High Efficiency Analytic Decision-making.)

 

Phillip Mudd is a very angry man. He was talking about anti-terrorism; not exactly talking, it was more like ranting. If I were a terrorist, I’d be scared of him.  Maher doesn’t scare easily, but this came probably scared Maher a little too.
 

ISIS


The panelists discussed ISIS and they are angry about it. Not just angry at ISIS but angry about the way this threat is being handled. The consensus was that other countries need to step up. Maher says this every week.
 

Panelist Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group and editor at large for Time Magazine writing on foreign affairs. He is the author of several books including his newest book, Superpower: Three Choices for America's Role in the World. Bremmer said that “ISIS is a bigger threat to France [than to the U.S.]” He wants France to step up. He wants the Arab countries in the region to step up.
 

Maher said, “We are one attack away from President Lindsey Graham. He wants war everywhere.”

 

Domestic Issues


Nina Turner is a former state senator (OH, D. She is currently a professor of history at Cuyahoga Community college and chair of Party Engagement for the Ohio Democratic Party. She’s angry because domestic issues are not being addressed. “I want to deal with domestic issues. Take care of our people.”
 

Cyber-threats
 

Panelist Rick Lazio is a former congressman (NY, R) and founder of ignite, a website for discussions of politics, economics, and social issues. He is currently a partner at the Jones Walker law firm. He gave Hillary Clinton her start in politics when he lost his New York Senate race to her.
 

Rick Lazio is angry about cyber-security. He said that “corporate boards and spending increasing amounts of money on cyber-security.” 
 

(Actually, Lazio wasn’t angry. He was pretty laid back throughout the entire show. Retiring from politics evidently has a mellowing effect.)  
 

Lewis Black
 



Lewis Black is angry.

Of course, the mid show guest Lewis Black was angry. “Anger is his middle name. No one does anger better than Lewis Black. He said his whole career was based on anger, and then he proved it by getting angry over whatever topic Maher introduced.
 

Lewis Black is a comedian. He is the author of several books including Me of Little Faith in which in comedically explores the inconsistencies and the peculiarities of religion. He also has quite a few comedy DVD’s. His most recent is Lewis Black: Old Yeller: Live at the Borgata.
 

Black is currently on tour with his comedy show, The Rant is Due. He stars as the character, Anger, in the new Pixar movie, Inside Out, due out on 6/192015. Gee, I wonder why they chose Black for that character?
 

Maher and Black talked about how they were both lifelong bachelors. They said that there is still a stigma attached to being unmarried.  Black said that when he tells people he is not married, “They give you a look [that says] oh you sad little man.”
 

Graduation Hats
 

The mid show comedy segment was about graduation caps—it seems students are decorating the top of their caps. Maher did this bit last year.  Maybe it is going to be a June tradition. For the 2014 Graduation Hats segment, CLICK HERE.).

Here are a few of the sayings that Maher said were on hats.

Thanks Mom and the woman who used to be Dad.

Zero student debt. Thanks sugardaddies.com

Hire Me or I’ll Join ISIS 

Here is the video clip of the bit.

 

 

New Rules: Christians under Attack
 

Bill Maher was in fine form during New Rules. I love it when he does an angry New Rules. He was spitting fire with this one.
 

Maher is outraged (as we all should be) by the Republican politicians and other right-ringers going on and on about how Christians are being persecuted. 
 

Maher thoroughly debunks the lie that Christians are being persecuted in this country.  It’s about time somebody did it.
 

[Here’s my reaction to the Christians who think they are being persecuted.You’d think policemen were shooting them in the street--no wait, that is the unarmed black men. You’d think people were telling them they couldn’t build their houses of worship--no wait, that is the Muslims. You’d think people were telling them they were unfit for public office—no wait, that is the atheists. You’d think people were telling them they couldn’t get married—no wait, that is the gays.]
 

Maher’s rant was so good; I’m not going to give you little bits and pieces of it. Here is a video clip of the whole thing.

 

 

 

Nothing like a good laugh to calm me down when I have a case of the angries. See you next week.

 

 List of Guests June 5, 2015  

The Interview

The interview was with Phillip Mudd who was formerly a senior executive at the CIA and FBI. He has a new book, The HEAD Game: High-Efficiency Analytic Decision Making and the Art of Solving Complex Problems Quickly, a guide about how to approach complex decisions.  (HEAD stands for High Efficiency Analytic Decision-making.)

 

The mid show guest

Lewis Black is a comedian. He is the author of several books including Me of Little Faith in which in comedically explores the inconsistencies and the peculiarities of religion. He also has quite a few comedy DVD’s. His most recent is Lewis Black: Old Yeller: Live at the Borgata.
 

The Panel

Nina Turner, former state senator (OH, D), currently a professor of history at Cuyahoga Community college and chair of Party Engagement for the Ohio Democratic Party.

Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group and editor at large for Time Magazine writing on foreign affairs. He is the author of several books including his newest book, Superpower: Three Choices for America's Role in the World

Rick Lazio, former congressman (NY, R), partner at the Jones Walker law firm, founder of ignite, a website for discussions of politics, economics, and social issues. He gave Hillary Clinton her start in politics when he lost his New York Senate race to her.