Eliot Spitzer's Tough Words For Obama: Reform Doesn't Come From Bipartisanship (VIDEO)

Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, MSNBC Washington Correspondent Norah O'Donnell, and "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane appeared on "Real Time With Bill Maher" Friday.

The panel weighed in on everything from Obama's failure to communicate to financial reform, waterboarding, and Sarah Palin's son who has Down Syndrome.

Spitzer had tough words for Barack Obama on and his constant search for bipartisanship. "Fundamental reform doesn't come from bipartisanship. And it seems to me bipartisanship has become appeasement. Barack Obama won an election based on a set of principles. Fight for them."

McFarlane agreed with Spitzer's remark about bipartisanship and advised Obama to be more like Bush. MacFarlane also answered Maher's questions about the controversy surrounding a recent "Family Guy" episode in which a character with Down Syndrome mocked Sarah Palin (watch the clip).

On Obama's anti-terror efforts, O'Donnell pointed out that the Obama administration has continued and arguably intensified many of Bush's policies and yet Republicans have parodied the Obama White House as a "miranda-reading, soft on terror, professor-like administration."

WATCH:

Comments

[Beatcomber]

04:56 PM on 02/22/2010

Spitzer was exposed because he didn't play ball with the financial elites like so many others do.

There a lot of heavy hitters in politics that do far worse than paying to see a hooker from time to time and there is lots of gossip in D.C about these players. However unless someone steps out of line the media isn't going to report it.

It's how it's always been. The real reformers in politics have to be far more moral that their peers or the lapdog press will bring them down.

[nirek]

03:13 PM on 02/22/2010

He is right in this case!

Nirek

[JoeDoorman]

02:51 PM on 02/22/2010

Spitzer is workin it!
How did he buy the HP?
OH YEAH, elliot is filthy rich.
Spitzer wants to yell at people again
he wants some position
whoever is controlling this site is pro-spitzer
i didn' t think you could buy a spot on HP
OH YEAH, it Spitzer, he gets everything he wants.
hes a wealthy landlord in manhattan
lots of cash
gonna buy the media for a positive spin.

[OkhamsRazzor]

10:40 PM on 02/28/2010

I'm guessing the only time you can get a synapse to fire is by sticking your finger in an electrical socket.

Tragic.

[fya]

02:22 PM on 02/22/2010

Check his record as New York Governor before you get on your knees and praise him. He was a disappointment as Governor and I could care less about him being a trick. As long as he didn't use state dollars to pay for his prostitutes, I could care less. He was bombastic and a bully. He aliented his party and the opposing party. He had government employees spying on state legislators (and I'm no fan of Joe Bruno), unconstitutionally appointed people to the executive branch, signed an executive order to issue drivers licenses to illegal immigrants and I could go on. The only thing he did as Governor of New York is give us David Patterson. Thanks, "SPITZ on you."

Being a bully is not leadership.

[Louisknyc]

02:25 PM on 02/22/2010

Nor is being a door mat.

[fya]

02:36 PM on 02/22/2010

Listen, I want a pragmatic leader. Period. I had enough of the chest-pumping for 8 years. Where are President Obama's supporters? Blogging.

[TJCole]

12:52 PM on 02/22/2010

It seems for Obama Bi-Partisan means Collaboration...

With the enemy that is...

After the last 8 years of Bush, you have to ask yourself where was he...was he living in some alternate Universe..?

[ProudChristian]

10:04 AM on 02/22/2010

I understand the anger but i believe obama is taking the right approach, You can't truly lead & win if u completely ridicule ur detractors, not listening to the other side & not giving ur opposition the opportunity to save face (this was what made George Bush lose the respect of the world). We all know the republicans want him to fail at all cost but for him to act different would be to invite more division into the country. A leader does not do that.

[SchmataHari]

09:52 AM on 02/22/2010

Before the next election, Obama only needs to point out the 100 % Republican vote to block the "Rape Bill" to show this country that the GOP doesn't have the people's interest at heart. They banded together, and voted together, to vote for corporations with rapist's working for them to keep their government contracts intact abroad! They voted on the side of rapists! Obama needs to use this tool against every open seat, and maybe even pick up a few more Dem states! Ahhh, a person can hope... I see a huge difference between the GOP simply being obstructionists, and them actually causing harm to our country. Don't let this historical vote be forgotten, as it is crucial to continually show the chasm they call "the aisle".

[BrwnSknGurl4]

12:46 PM on 02/22/2010

I agree. More people need to hear this story....

[heartsick]

08:10 AM on 02/22/2010

The President should forget the Republicans; they are determined to destroy him no matter the cost to America and its citizens. The Republicans lost the election. What is so hard about that for them to understand? Morning Joe insists that Obama must give the Republicans a whole litany of items they want. He is too partisan to be a political "analyst". There is nothing analytical about the spills he spouts. Everyone who disagrees with him is shutdown in mid-sentence or denounced as crazy. Republicans lost the election, Joe!

[Kojak78]

07:13 AM on 02/22/2010

This John has a point. He has poor taste in a social activities but I would vote for him. I mean really I voted for Clinton.

[ArkayMI]

01:49 PM on 02/22/2010

What he does in his private life is none of our business. All politicians have skeletons in their closets but this one got called out because he went after the powerful wall street lobby?. His exit from politics was a loss for New York state and also for the nation.

[piper1233]

07:02 AM on 02/22/2010

I eagerly await Spitzers return to Politics. I cant understand why so many who supported Clinton after a far worst Transgression cannot put Spitzers mistake in proper prospective. Yes he's hard nosed and he makes a few enemies, but he's straight foward and results orientated.

[rougebaisers]

05:11 AM on 02/22/2010

Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution:

"Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the
United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or
Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the
Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens
of the United States".

I hope this matters to you.

[pons1595]

04:25 AM on 02/22/2010

"What is the point of Obama being conciliatory and careful if his opponents are reckless and don't want to conciliate? Why not use this awful moment when so many are losing their jobs and houses, and states are cutting services to the bone, to remind people why they voted for him?" Katha Pollitt

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100308/pollitt

[sachazg]

02:15 AM on 02/22/2010

Let the GOP fight for the rich

[heartsick]

08:12 AM on 02/22/2010

Let's just turn them all out of office.

[MrBadger]

12:06 AM on 02/22/2010

"And it seems to me bipartisanship has become appeasement."
There it is.

[JISantiago]

11:59 PM on 02/21/2010

I totally agree with Spitzer. To hell with bipartisanship. In any case, there is no bipartisanship; there never will be given the partisan polarisation.

Mr Obama must come down from his lofty idealism of bipartisanship when all the other party wants is to gun you down at every twist and turn. The era of bipartisanship gone. It was buried during the reign of "King" Gingrich. And his legacy of bitter partisanship lives on!

Mr Obama, as a student of history, should know this. His attempt to forge bipartisanship is a mere folly. Get real, Mr President. You will never get even one single GOP vote for any of your legislative agenda. So why waste your breath. Listen to the wise counsel of people like Spitzer.

"You won an election based on a set of principles. Fight for them."