Some of you might compare it to a broken clock, but the fact is, sometimes Bill Maher hits the nail on the head.
He also now and again inadvertently hits the wall, the table, a kitchen counter top, or an expensive living room vase…they can’t all be bullseyes.
But Friday night, for a while, he got it right.
Bill may be as liberal and as partisan as they come, but he’s not as Left — he regularly champions free speech, and his stance on terrorism and its intricacies suggests he’s a man who thinks for himself.
On Real Time, he got patriotic — and gave great advice to both Democrats and Republicans for the coming holiday:
“This year, just celebrate Thanksgiving. Don’t try to win it.”
I’m sure you all could agree on this one:
“And never forget the single shining truth about democracy: It means sharing a country with a******s you can’t stand.”
It’s a truth not only about democracy, but the world at large.
Incidentally, I’ve never understood the inclusion of “democracy” in so many statements about politics where it has nothing to do with the topic at hand.
But I digress.
Maher was really laying it out nicely. There’s a saying you’ve probably heard: “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” I wouldn’t be opposed to that being a banner atop every Twitter page.
Speaking of, here’s Bill:
“It’s no longer enough to just make a point. You have to destroy. You have to own people. Except the person who gets owned doesn’t change their mind. They just make a mental note never to interact again with [a vulgar social media username].”
A while back, I asked all of you what you thought about the notion of a coming civil war. I can’t say your comments were very encouraging.
Bill’s aware:
“Lately we’ve been hearing more and more about a second civil war, which sounds impossible in this modern, affluent country. It is not. We talk about Trump as an existential threat, but his side sees Democratic control of government the exact same way. When both sides believe the other guy taking over means the end of the world, yes, you can have a civil war.”
The host’s neutral nesting was nice while it lasted, but then he hopped a train to that same town in which many on the small screen reside. We’re going in deep:
“Yes, I have said things like that, but I’m going to try to stop because I have learned that the anti-intellectualism on the Right doesn’t come primarily through stupidity, it comes from hate. Telling people that you think they’re irredeemable is what makes them say ‘You know what, I’d rather side with Russia than you.’”
But he made a short return to the middle, with an excellent recommendation for Americans arguing politics:
“Home is where you learn that the three magic words in any relationship aren’t ‘I love you;’ they’re ‘Let it go.’”
Then he got serious:
“We are going to have to learn to live with each other. Or else there will be blood.”
He may very well be right.
Then Bill offered a wad of wisdom, followed by a gob of goofiness:
“So don’t freak out if Ellen [DeGeneres] sits next to George Bush at a football game. Bush was not my idea of a good president, but I never worried that he was going to lock up his political opponents or reporters or me.”
Well, it couldn’t last forever.
Let’s all have a moment of silence for the vase.
-ALEX
See 3 more pieces from me:
Hilarious: Elizabeth Warren is Welcomed in South Carolina by a Virtually Empty Room
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