Bill Maher To O'Donnell On Obama: 'Terribly Disappointed' (VIDEO)

Bill Maher took President Obama to task for his handling of the debt ceiling debate during an appearance on Lawrence O'Donnell's Tuesday show.

Maher pronounced himself "terribly disappointed" with Obama's Monday speech outlining his position, adding, "I don't know what is going on in this man's mind."

He said he had not expected Obama to "cave" to Republicans by agreeing to such large spending cuts with little to no revenue increases. "I thought, he can't do it this time," he said. "If he does it again, they will just own him...and he does it."

Maher's criticism didn't end there. He said Obama "never really plays on his own turf. He's always arguing with himself about their agenda, never arguing for the Democratic agenda. Wouldn't it be a tragedy if we elect a Democratic president and then four years go by and we never attempt Democratic policies?"

The comedian had harsh words for Republicans, too--he even got himself bleeped by calling them "assholes."

"I think a lot of Republicans do want to see a calamity," he said. "This is what will bring down the Obama presidency."

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Comments

[allknowingeye]

04:20 PM on 07/31/2011

Relax and take a 2 minute vacation from this insanity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0233asJG0FQ

[maccal]

07:31 AM on 07/29/2011

Obama is a Republican. Concerned with lining his own pockets. Period.

[Cliff Anderson]

03:40 AM on 07/29/2011

I remember an episode of Curb where Larry David was explaining that the key to any good compromise is when nobody ends up happy. If neither the far left or the far right are happy with Obama it makes me think he's probably doing a good job.

[Drew Sargent]

01:56 AM on 07/29/2011

Two brilliant gentlemen that I greatly admire, who are, once again, eloquent and intelligent in discussing our screwed-up politics. I won't gnash my teeth as much tonight.

[danceswithdata]

12:38 AM on 07/29/2011

Bill Maher is of course, right. The terrible calamities that the repubs are deliberately creating are all designed to make sure Obama cannot win another term. My question is - surely we can assume that the president is aware of these petty, hostile ploys - why doesn't he show us a huge pair for once and the next time he comes out of the White House for any reason, he should do so with the gloves off and assuming a stance of "Had enough yet? I have only just begun!" That's how the next election will be won.

[Theophrastus]

12:29 AM on 07/29/2011

Obama... Dude, seriously... What happened to change? What happened to Democratic policies?

[JaneB3]

07:45 PM on 07/28/2011

I usually agree with Maher, but not this time. I think President Obama has brilliantly played the Republicans into an escape-proof corner.

[InABox]

09:09 PM on 07/28/2011

That's what I think too. He dangled a carrot (social programs cuts) in their noses to see if they'd bite. I think he will flip his 14th Amendment card come Aug. 2. and use this fiasco against them in 2012.

[JaneB3]

10:52 PM on 07/28/2011

With the world watching better to flip the #14 card over the weekend. Markets are jittery enough, and they will be at the precipice about to drop into the abyss Monday a.m.

[danceswithdata]

12:40 AM on 07/29/2011

InABox asnd JaneB3 - right along side of you on both these items. I fervently pray that you are correct!

[MGhamma]

09:45 PM on 07/28/2011

I hope you're right.

[steama]

07:33 PM on 07/28/2011

To heck with this tea party charade. Obama needs to use the 14th and get on with things.

[Foday]

06:29 PM on 07/28/2011

Why are these people keeping the country prison like holding a gun to the head of the people. The President should stop wasting time with them and just go ahead and use the 14th then dare them to sue you. I am positive the court with side with the presiddent and let's us move on. Next time the speaker ever try to come up with this nonsense of holding us up, he will immediately remember that the last time that happened, the 14th was used and will not even dare to think of holding up the country ever again. But the question is, does the president got gut or????

[JohnDrake6]

05:32 PM on 07/28/2011

This showdown is a direct consequence of President Obama's capitulation in the renewal of the Bush tax cuts: having blinked then and given in for the sake of peace, he clearly telegraphed what his future moves would be to the horde of Republican know-nothings who now want to ensure the jobless status quo until the 2012 elections.

They've demonstrated their willingness to k!ll the hostages to acheive their goals. No other zealots on the face of the earth can hold a candle to these barbarians and their ability to damage the country to an extent that Bin Laden and GWB could only dream of.

I'm reminded of Kennedy's first meeting with Kruschev, after which the President told advisors that he had not done well in the one-on-one and that he was certain that Kruschev, having taken his measure, would do something confrontational.

I'm also reminded of the stories about Nixon's poker prowess during WWII and how he won consistently and sent the money home to his folks: paranoia and constitutional crises notwithstanding, the man was pretty adept at effecting policy.

Finally my own poker experience tells me that if you always do the same thing under the same circumstances, raise with this hand, fold with that, you may break even, but more often than not your poker buddies will wipe you out.

[CartoonistCobra]

11:37 PM on 07/28/2011

Capitulation on the renewal of the Bush tax cuts? Really? Progressives would've been the first ones whining that Obama threw the 99ers and unemployed under the bus by not cutting a deal with the GOP.

Second, how did some well-read conservatives view that deal?

"By Charles Krauthammer
Friday, December 10, 2010

Barack Obama won the great tax-cut showdown of 2010 - and House Democrats don't have a clue that he did. In the deal struck this week, the president negotiated the biggest stimulus in American history, larger than his $814 billion 2009 stimulus package. It will pump a trillion borrowed Chinese dollars into the U.S. economy over the next two years - which just happen to be the two years of the run-up to the next presidential election. This is a defeat? "

-Cobra

[JohnDrake6]

01:29 PM on 07/29/2011

Response part 1.

You don't do a particularly good job of speaking for your own side of the ideological schism, try very hard to resist the urge to speak for Progressives or about Progressive thinking that you clearly know nothing about (or want to).

I AM a progressive and I think I can comfortably say without fear of contradiction that we want the President to stand up to the zealots on the other side for many reasons, not least among them the recognition that the current paradigm represents death by a thousand cuts since, as you failed to understand from my earlier comment, concession only emboldens the fanatics to ratchet up their response at every opportunity to take hostages.

As for the putative facts of your argument:

In point of fact the agreement didn't do anything for 99ers --once an unemployed person reaches that stage now they are out of benefits.

Any stimulus component to the agreement has long since been abrogated by further measures taken since then. Need I remind you that the President has already rescinded much of the $40B stimulus package in budget compromises since then?

[JohnDrake6]

01:31 PM on 07/29/2011

Response part 2.

As for Krauthammer's math: the only way for the government to "pump Chinese dollars" into the economy is to sell the bonds that the Treasury won't be allowed to sell once we hit the debt ceiling, so you and he are counting things twice, and before they've happened, no less). Furthermore, that money is, in part, to replace the revenue the government is losing through the Bush tax cuts. We already had debts, debts your side and mine voted to incur: an ill executed war in Afghanistan, an unnecessary Iraq war that was prosecuted with criminal incompetence, a Bank Bailout bill that your man Boehner literally cried to get passed, and a trillion dollars given back to millionaires and billionaires over the previous 10 years. Again, many representatives from both parties voted for some or all of that debt, but it's your side that is resisting actually paying them. Fiscally responsible indeed!

But jumping to the bigger question: where were your (and Krauthammer's) objections to borrowing Chinese money when we were doing it throughout the years of the Bush tax cuts? We had existing debts, new debts, and revenue shortfalls (a deficit), yet we GAVE AWAY MONEY WE DIDN'T HAVE to millionaires and billionaires. It might have been different if we were redistributing surplus money we had in the bank, but that's not where the money comes from.

[manofmystique]

04:27 PM on 07/28/2011

I must agree with much of what you said, however, the game isn't over and Obama is still standing strong. I would trust his "leadership" over ANY ONE of his adversaries. Not one of them demonstrate character and honor. Not a one. You are dealing with liars and hypocrites.
I believe Obama is very strong as a leader, when you consider what he is up against. Obama is up against the rich, a historically racist party, and a Jim Crow media. Their observation and discription of the President has absolutely nothing to do with reality, however, people are influence by what they hear. Obama has a weak supporting cast, that is his problem. He almost stands alone.
The fact is, no one wants to see a angry black man in the Oval office. Trust me when I tell you that. He doesn't have to be angry to do his job. We see enough anger from the other side and we don't like it.
The same people who claim they want Obama to be angry, are the one who will comdemn him for being stereotypical. Peace brother.

[Rus Viking]

09:55 PM on 07/28/2011

That was PA~THE~TIC R@cist Drivel!!!!!!

PA~THE~TIC!!!

[librldem]

08:58 AM on 07/29/2011

Quite true unfortunately. I don't think that the racists will agree though. lol

[quick question]

03:29 PM on 07/28/2011

applause applause.........I agree wholeheartedly with Maher's comments
gitmo still open... broken promise
extending bush tax cuts for the rich last year... broken promise
bringing troops home from iraq....broken promise
gays allowed in military........still no there
my opinion..........................obama is clearly a republican and we just didn't know it until now

[TheIndependentView]

03:22 PM on 07/28/2011

I really enjoy Bill Maher and it doesn't matter to me who he criticizes as long as it's clever.

...whether I agree with him or not.

[mairs]

12:59 PM on 07/28/2011

His response to O'Donnell's convoluted justification for Obama giving the Republicans almost everything they wanted because O'Donnell says over and over again that "Nothing will be decided upon because everything isn't decided upon", or some such phrase. Bill Maher made an exasperated gesture and said, "That's no way to run a government". He's absolutely right.

[Mistinguette Grandison]

12:29 PM on 07/28/2011

He's right.