Bill Maher: Democrats Have Moved To The Right And The Right Has Moved Into A Mental Hospital (VIDEO)

Bill Maher followed up last week's criticism of President Obama on Friday by taking on the entire political spectrum, accusing Democrats of selling out and Republicans of being "religious lunatics and Civil War reenactors."

He began the segment ("White Men Can't Harumph") by addressing the response to his critique of Obama:

"It made some liberals very angry, my phone rang off the hook, my email filled up and Nancy Pelosi got so mad her face moved. Look, folks, I like Obama too, I'm just saying let's not make it a religion. And as far as you folks on the right who think that we're now somehow in league, we're not in league. I was criticising Obama for not being hard enough on the corporate douchebags you live to defend. I don't want to be on your team, pick another kid."

He went on to say that every time President Obama does try to take on a liberal cause, the democrats stand in his way. He cited recent reports that Obama's healthcare plan may not materialize as promised because of high-ranking Dems. Maher then tore into the Republican party saying they are "flat-earthers" who "mostly communicate through AM radio," and "actually think Obama's a socialist." At this, he took the opportunity to say that is ridiculous because Obama's not even a liberal.

"Shouldn't there be one party that unambiguously supports cutting the military budget, a party that is straight up in favor of gun control, gay marriage, higher taxes on the rich, universal health care, legalizing pot, and steep direct taxing of polluters? ...What we need is an actual progressive party to represent the millions of Americans who aren't being served by the Democrats, because bottom line: Democrats are the new Republicans."

WATCH:

Get HuffPost Comedy On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[pharmmajor]

If Maher is going to come out and say he's in favor of gun control, universal health care, and higher taxes, then he needs to quit passing himself off as a libertarian. He's about as "libertarian" as Glenn Beck and Dennis Miller.

[FaceReality2]

"So what we have is one perfectly good party for hedge fund managers, credit card companies, banks, defense contractors, big agriculture and the pharmaceutical lobby --- that's the Democrats."

My re-write:

And they sit across the aisle from a small group of religious lunatics, Birthers (people who believe Obama was born somewhere else), evolution deniers, climate change deniers, and young earth creationists who mostly communicate by AM radio and call themselves the Republicans.

[auntiegrav]

Oh yeah, I forgot one more thing:
If socialized medicine is good enough for the troops, it's good enough for me.
Draft all medical personnel into the military and be done with insurance and the wasted overhead. We already have the system in place, just make it apply to everyone. We'll all be fighting in the resource wars soon enough.

[auntiegrav]

Oh yeah: Here's gun control: Public weaponry. Give everyone a gun and make a law that they have to shoot whoever pisses them off. Everyone will either be a better neighbor or a better shot. Both are useful.

Humans are animals. Build fences and they just worry about things they can't see on the other side of the fence. We need direct information to our senses to make good decisions.

If you want less violence, less pollution, better health (we don't need health insurance: we need healthy people), and an even playing field, then ban all advertising except a sign on someone's property declaring their trade or trades. If people need something, they'll go looking for it. The only thing worse than advertising is advertising that is tax deductible. See previous comment about taxes.

[auntiegrav]

Here's Progressive:
Get rid of marriage altogether: create a new system of state licensing for a 'family' that requires 2 people to accept a dependent in order to get what we currently call 'marriage' benefits. This includes their parents, children, or any bum off the street, and it doesn't matter if the two are gay, straight, aliens or dinosaurs.

If you want to tax the biggest polluters, you have to go 'non-point source pollution' style. That means take all government costs (EVERYTHING) and put it on a sales tax. Pollution is created when people decide to buy stuff, not when the stuff is actually made.

Taxing the rich: ditto. The rich are rich because we give them our money. Stop it. Put the externalized costs at the point of purchase if you want to influence people to think about what they are doing. Give us the information and we'll make good decisions. Bury the information with income taxes, and nobody knows what it really costs to eat that twinkie.
(See fairtax.org and double or triple it)

GREAT commentary on the state of the political scene. I've been trying to say this for years (you can read my old posts here), but I'm nobody.

[timetosecede]

"What we need is an actual progressive party to represent the millions of Americans who aren't being served by the Democrats..."

Right on, Bill !!!!

If the Democrats want to keep building their ranks in Congress, they'd better stop this BS about not letting gov't TAKE OVER HEALTHCARE IN THIS COUNTRY!!! The people are MAD AS HELL, AND WE'RE NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!! We want UNIVERSAL, SINGLE-PAYER HEALTHCARE!!!

UNIVERSAL, SINGLE-PAYER HEALTHCARE could be an incredible legacy for Obama, just like Social Security was for FDR, and Medicare was for LBJ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

[jatkins]

Gore Vidal, writing in the 1970s (thx wikipedia):

"[t]here is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit stupider, more rigid, more doctrinaire in their laissez-faire capitalism than the Democrats, who are cuter, prettier, a bit more corrupt—until recently... and more willing than the Republicans to make small adjustments when the poor, the black, the anti-imperialists get out of hand. But, essentially, there is no difference between the two parties."

[Tulka2]

...and don't we wish we were in Rome having a strong drink with Gore Vidal?

[Tulka2]

We should also mention Gore Vidal has said many times that what would save the Republic is a President who would not began the campaign for his second term on the first day of his first term. I could make the argument that Jimmy Carter tried to be that man. Hopefully Obama is just as wily as Caesar and we are all being kept in a useful political roil so as to apply pressure to the cowards on the Hill.

[cosmicbullfight]

It's rid..culous to say you're "open to dropping the public option" when there hasn't even been a viable opposing option posited by the Republicans, and the only viable in-between choices (co-ops, &c) aren't even on the table.

Instead, it's going to be a cobbled together morass of incoherent compromises that will only succeed in getting a slim voting majority, and will in no way whatsoever translate into a workable system for patients OR doctors.

In other words, we will be right back where we started.

[KYlawyer]

I love Bill Maher and agree with much of what he says, particularly in regards to the GOP. However, I caution progressives to forgo impatience and be realistic.

Rome wasn't built in a day to steal the proverb. This nation has been under right wing governance for virtually all the past 28 years. The only break was in 93-94. But after the GOP sweep of congress, things were virtually the same as during the 80s. Face it, Clinton was no liberal, except in contrast to the extreme right GOP.

So, Obama has to not only enter solve the massive, immediate problems left by a generation of right wing misrule, and transform us into a progressive nation all in 6 months? I know conservatives love to castigate us as deifying Obama, but I am beginning to believe some ideologues believe this.

Fact is we still have a powerful infrastructure in place fighting to maintain the status quo. Successful, lasting change is never immediate, but always an evolving process. Recall how Clinton come into office against the same sorts of resistance. He went for the moon and got only part of his agenda through. The resulting backlash gave us a return to 1984 in the 94 GOP sweep.

Obama is far more politically astute and seems to have learned from that history. I think getting a slate of achievable goals passed, to be tweaked later, is better than betting the farm and risking a backlash while achieving little to nothing.

[JHCowboy]

Bill I am a Civil War re-inactor and I am a progressive liberal as well. I love history and I know that we have a great distance to go to see a more perfect union. It's time we did have a more perfect union and we need a strong progressive president and congress that leans more Mr. Kucinnich's direction.

[pragmaticdallasite]

yeah that's the one point Bill was wrong about- not all Civil War re-enacters are conservative nuts. Although I never have done so, I'm a progressive liberal with a great interest in Civil War history that wouldn't mind re-enacting some battles.

[KYlawyer]

I think what Bill was pointing out was the rightwingnutz who reside in the GOP are openly promoting succession and armed rebellion in a new civil war.

[Tulka2]

Cool, but you didn't say....? Are you a Johnny Reb or do you wear the Union Blue... or do you guys take turns? See... i'm betting you are a Union man and that would explain your progressive attitude. I also bet you are a teacher. Tell me how much i got right? ;)

[JHCowboy]

There is a lot of truth in what Bill is saying here. I'm actually shocked at how this new administration's track record is really going downhill when it comes to Gay Civil Rights, Healthcare and even the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. President Obama shines in very progressive ways in most of his speeches but where's the beef? We need to see some real concrete action. We need tough progressives in office not weaklings. Al Frankin needs to kick butt and get in there as well. It's time to be progressive and not stuck in a fear-based rut.

[Tulka2]

Especially what he says about how right-wing the Democrats are. I sent this like to everyone i know and suggest everyone do the same. It's true, progressinves are unrepresented in this country.

[cdrach]

he forgot EFCA-Bama's gonna hang the working man (who was coerced into voting for "the black guy")out to dry while Timmy pumps$ into G.Sachs

[pragmaticdallasite]

Yeah, everyone is forgetting about EFCA. It's b.s.

[rshrink]

To all writers, I would recommend that we address Obama directly and tell him what we want. This can serve as one giant letter to Obama to start listening to the American people now.

President Obama: I would like for you to immediately put forth a public health bill, start talking to your allies and work it through. You can come out and speak to crowds in all states. We will get behind you, but no wishy washy on this. Use determination until it is done. We want you to compromist just as much as the Republicans have so far. You know what that means. Don't talk, I say, do not talk to lobbyists anymore. If you succeed in getting this country moving again, we will fund your next campaign.

[Maygressive]

He is on fire lately, what he said was 100% right on!! great job Bill!!