Maher and Real Time in Need of a Reality Check

The host of HBO's Real Time, Bill Maher, needs a reality check. And not just because he keeps bringing back P.J. O'Rourke, who last night touted his seminal book on the cars that he loves, and then acknowledged that the one thing that Obama is doing right is opening up relations with Cuba so that O'Rourke could obtain his beloved Havana cigars. Of course, this and all of O'Rourke's other self-referential witticisms were supposed to be in good humor. But the constant invitations to the jabbering of O'Rourke are not the reason that Maher needs a consultation.

As the curtain came down on last night's segment, the irreligious preacher took to the pulpit and railed that Obama has done nothing since coming to office. Nothing but trying to save us from a depression with a gazillion dollar stimulus package, nothing but try to bail out the banking and automobile industry, nothing but stop the use of torture and try to close Guantanamo, nothing but mend fences with nations to whom the US has for years been anathema, nothing but trying to get health care reform rolling.

The comedian who, his bongs aside, has little sense of irony about himself, lectured that Obama should start acting more like Bush. To listen to Maher, the president should stop fretting about his popularity, and just jam through his promised environmental and health reforms.

I know that Maher has long been looking for an angle of comic critique into this presidency, but the suggestion that Obama has been sitting on his hands or that he could single handedly drive change down the throat of a Congress that would not even fund the closing of Gitmo is a laugh -- though not of the sort that Maher is groping for.

Comments

[scottymac11]

Pres. Obama's books have sold by the millions. It appears many copies were left unread. Considering the circumstances of our country when he took over, nothing I see happening is a surprise to me. Bill has done the same disservice to the president the right wing regularly does. He spouts motivations to Barack that anyone familiar with his books wouldn't give. The thought that the president is driven by an emotional need for mass approval is as ridiculous as the right saying he has a power mad government control agenda. It was easy for the ex president to work in his financial backers interests everyone knew he would. This president must walk a finer line bucking big money interests by balancing that with the peoples needs. At least now we have some kind of a genius working what ever is practical against the big business he needs to stay in office, and fixing, as much as possible, what can be fixed, of our system at this time.

[CantStopUsNow]

You know that's not what he was saying. The fact is that George W. Bush probably would have been the greatest President ever if he had Obama's brain. And Barack Obama could be the best President ever if he had Bush's balls. He's trying to get everyone to love him and in the end the only one's who will love him are all of these in the tank Democrats you see having a heart attack on these comment boards because someone dared criticize Obama. You who are happy just not having Bush. Well I'm a proud liberal and I say since you have sky high approval ratings, an almost filibuster proof majority in Congress, start kicking a$$ and taking names. I mean seriously start taking charge. We're out here fighting for progressive causes and we expect a little more back up from our President.

[happycat]

Excellent comment! My thoughts exactly.

[bascombe]

excellent!

[nicole44]

God forbid that anyone give an opinion on the Prez other than "He's great, I love him". I dont agree with his agenda but if the people that did vote for them arent getting what they bargained for then they have a right to be mad, falling lock-stock in line with our leader just because he is in the same party is dangeous and sets us up for potential danger because it makes it easier for them to be able to pull the whool over our eyes.

[masher]

The thing with Bush is we knew from the start he was bought and paid for by the multi-nationals. So nothing he did in the area of corporate welfare was a huge surprise. Its standard GOP thing to do, talk about the small guy while you rig the system for the rich.

But Obama's funding was mostly from very average folks. Obama's election was paid for and bought by average hard working Americans. So its very painful to see and hard to understand why he is turning his back on work. Every week we read that he is meeting with executives. Every week we read he is doing exactly what they want.

I would expect him to meet with small business owners and working Americans in the White House. But he never has. And his advisors, Summers and Geithner, are about as pro-corporate welfare as you can get. Summers was the architect of the current mess.

[Poolorie]

Pres. Obama has only been in office a few months. Better to critique him after a year or two. Also, no other president has come into office facing the challenges he has. Please, give the man a break!! I'm suprised he hasn't held his head and started bawling.

Worse yet, imagine McCain/ Palin in the white house. I DON'T THINK SO!!! We would truly be in dire straits.

[sc300nc]

It sucks when one of the guys the Dems hailed as a media hero, Bill Maher, for his biting and satirical dumping on the Republican Party, turns and bites the hand that has fed him. I think we are starting to see a trend. More and more Dems are starting to speak out saying this is not what we voted for. I cannot speak for what they thought they were voting for, but the adoration is starting to fade noticeably. It could be a long hot summer for the Prez.

[Gordon Marino - Huffpost Blogger]

For sure on the long hot summer for the Prez. But I really don't get the impatience with Obama. Just look at the changes taking place in the mideast and at the fact that economy has not completely tanked. Thanks.Gordon

[masher]

Again and again Obama is rewarding failure and not breaking with the past. So he is just using the same fast food solutions that got us into this mess to get us out, which just sets us up for a bubble to come.

If Obama was serious about breaking with the past he would start by ending the program that is the poster child of Bush era corporate welfare, H-1B. But he hasn't even talked about it. So many of you don't even know about it and I can only assume that is the way they want it. The US government has now issued more H-1B visas than we have out of work off American engineers. I know a guy at Microsoft, one of the best, a family man and hard working American. And Obama is letting this guy get laid off so that Microsoft can replace them with younger, cheaper imported labor. (At Microsoft, in my group, we only are allowed to see resumes from Infosys and Accenture and every resume is an H-1B...that's how they do it!) Obama is supporting these tactics. If he wasn't he would talk about it, he would pressure Microsoft. He does neither!

[pikaomega]

I watched the clip in question and I can see the validity in his argument to some extent, but that extent consists of the metaphorical. Yes, I would personally like to see a bit more of a hard line taken against the right, given that they have ZERO intention of participating in anything other than stonewalling and demagoguery. But, to call for a Bushian dismissal of all criticism and blindness to any opposing point of view takes it a bit too far.

There are many points of policy and practice in which I find myself in disagreement with the administration (Gitmo, torture, LGBT rights, anything to do with Tim Geithner, etc.). However, I work in the political/advocacy arena and, while I find the actions on torture, war and detainees abhorrent, I recognize that this is still incredibly early in his term. I anxiously await the answer to the question "is this checkers or chess?" I strongly believe that Obama is playing a long-term game here, one that demands conciliation in the immediate to secure positive results in the pursuit of bigger fish ahead.

So, I ask that you be not so quick to condemn either Bill Maher or President Obama. Maher's point has validity (to a degree) and Obama's shrewd gamesmanship, I suspect, has yet to bear full fruit.

[Gordon Marino - Huffpost Blogger]

Agreed but for Maher to say that McCain was right baout the celebrity issue and to say that Obama should be more like Bush was too much. I think Obama is making progress on a lot of issues. Thanks.
Gordon

[masher]

RIGHT!!! Obama has gotten alot more done than Meher is giving him credit for. Obama not only increased the bailouts of the banks, he set up a $4 trillion FDIC liability (which means we are liable) for a small group of banks risky activity. So under Obama's plan 5 banks could take down the FDIC which insures all the other banks that didn't do the wrong thing.

Obama also put up $50 billion to bailout failed multi-nationals GM and Chrysler. That's super! GM is now using that money to move more jobs and production to our overlords in China. Chrysler is going to Italian Fiat.

Not only did Obama bail out these dinosaurs who for decades fought fuel efficiency and safety standards, Obama somehow put the US government behind their warrenties. And Obama rammed down the UAW's throat huge concessions.

So again and again Obama has rewarded failure and punished working people.

While we have layed off 5000 engineers and programmers at Microsoft Obama allowed the April auction of H-1B to happen. So while I am saying good bye to Americans who were hardworking and dedicated I am saying hello to folks from India and China.

H-1B, a federal regulation, is great for crushing wages of US workers.

So yeah, Obama is busy, busy doing what Bush did.

[EdA]

I also disagree with the article. Yes, President Obama does have his hands full trying to address the mess and morass that he was unloaded with, and yes, he can't do everything simultaneously instantaneously. But, no, I did NOT vote for a third term of Dick Cheney, and I most assuredly did not vote for a first term of Rick Santorum.

Sadly for all of us, there are so many issues -- important issues -- that the President has been reneging on, when he absolutely doesn't have to, at all. True, we have a Senate Majority Leader who suffers from Stockholm Syndrome, which doesn't help. But there is no point in trying to be "bipartisan" with a party whose misleaders take the view that either they get everything that they want and nothing of what the American people voted for, or nobody gets anything. Guess what, Mr. President. Guess what, Sen. Reid. WE WON! They LOST!

I doubt very much that President Obama's parents or Mitch McConnell and Elaine Chao would have settled for a civil union or a domestic partnership. It's long past time that Democrats stopped rolling over for the forces that reject the 20th century, let alone the present one.

[Weirdwriter]

If Mr. Maher was venting, he's certainly entitled but did he really think Mr. Obama was elected dictator and don't got to work with no stinkin' Congress?

Thought Mr. Maher was smarter than that.

[discourse jockey]

Gordon Marino is in need of a reality check. Bill Maher's astute criticism is not about President Obama "sitting on his hands", but about his apparent trying to be loved by everyone.

Obama should do everything he can to make rightwing talking heads as angry as possible. And while it's true that they will rail against him no matter what because it's all they can demand from their own audience, their fake outrage is nowhere near maxed out.

The president will know that he's doing things right FOR THE PEOPLE when rightwing talking heads start dying of heart attacks on their shows while ranting about him.

[rczach]

Bill's right. People voted for Obama in the primaries because they saw Clinton as republican-lite. (Her husband signed NAFTA and every deregulation bill Phil Graham sent him.) People wanted change, and progressives worked hard to get Obama elected.

They are right to complain when he loads his cabinet with republicans and establishment types. Sotomayer doesn't have a record of standing up to powerful corporate or financial interests either.

Marino says Obama has done "Nothing but [try] to..."

"... save us from a depression,"

Stimulating Wall Street doesn't work. Huge Wall Street salaries won't "trickle down" to restore the US standard of living.

"... bailout the banking and automobile industry"

Banking shouldn't have been bailed out. The automobile industry was allowed to go bankrupt voiding union salary and benefit contracts, but taxpayers are expected to pay Wall Street salaries because they were contractually obligated.

"... stop the use of torture and try to close Guantanamo."

Sending inmates to other countries to be held indefinitely? You really trust the Saudis with their history of financing terrorism through "charity" groups with dangerous terrorists... or innocent people? Anything short of trying the prisoners isn't a change.

"... mend fences with nations,"

The US electorate did a lot to improve relations with European allies and moderates around the world just getting rid of Bush. Hardliners aren't going to be impressed with anything Obama says or does .

"get health care reform rolling. "

Without the single payer option, this is worthless.

[Truby]

The most interesting part of this episode was the conversation about domestic terrorism, during which animal rights groups were mentioned and the host took exception to their inclusion because they had not murdered anyone. He did not seem to be able to respond to how these acts were violent enough to have resulted in death if not for luck. I like his show and find his humor informed and interesting and even the size of his ego makes for entertaining television but do get a little annoyed at his duplicitous inclinations.

[rczach]

I am not familiar with a case were Rachel Maddow, Keith Obermann, Al Franken, or any other so-called liberal member of the mainstream media advocated on behalf of any violent animal rights or environmental group to the extend that people like OReily, Hannity, Beck, et al advocated against pro-choice advocates and doctors.

[nunzia]

Good post.
I had the same reaction.
It's like he's trying really hard to be "the first one" to rail against Obama.
That would be ok, if what Maher had to say was on point, but it was stupid
and strained and just awful.
And O'Rourke. It was embarrassing to watch that guy. Again.
Your analysis of Maher and O'Rourke are right on.
Thank you.

[discourse jockey]

O'Rourke was awful, that much I agree with.

[friskee1]

watching bill's show last night just proved my point about how the left wants their own version of bush. bill was starting to lose me a while back when he kept ranting about religion, but now, he acts as if obama only cares about being popular and hasn't done anything since being elected. and i agree with the poster who said that back in march, he started to sour on him when obama answred the question about pot. say what you want about the rethugs, but one of the reasons why they've thrived is because they were disciplined. that agreed on the principle and even though they may have disagreed on how tings get done, at the end of the day, it wasn't about undermining the person who was on their side, grandstanding, and your personal agenda. the left, especially progressives, i can't say the same. people like bill and his ilk would rather be right at the end of the day than win and get something done. he thinks he's the smartest person in the room, but dosn't want to run for office. this will certainly be my last time watching bill's show.

[friskee1]

sorry for the typos..holding a 2 yr old

[stevemarvin]

Wait until your 2 year old is 2 and a half and their little fingers become your editor.

[discourse jockey]

They would rather be right at the end of the day than win and get something done?

Excuse me? He "and his ilk" (whoever that may be, it certainly includes myself) would rather see President Obama not water down his campaign promise of real change. The health care reform doesn't look like change at all. The environmental plans don't sound like change at all. That's not what I voted for.

Yes, we want Obama to get things done. But, far more importantly, we want him to get it right. And that's not how it looks for the aforementioned issues.

[friskee1]

isn't that what he's doing? by doing it right and not cherry picking laws that he likes and signing executive orders that he doesn't like? oh, my bad..following the law is BORING and it takes too long. it's like having a boss at work the follows the regs to a T and you can't get by with him/her on some things. and even thouse our side was right at the end of the day about iraq and the economy, guess what, our situation is stil bad and it is what it is. you can sit back and pat yourself for being right, but i want to win.

and when was the last time he promised single payer that you people want so much in healthcare reform when he basically opted to a public option even in the 22 debates that he had with hillary?

[stevemarvin]

Thanks for the article Mr. Marino. I am constantly amazed that people do not recognize that Maher is so similar to Dennis Miller and Ann Coulter. All three distort the truth in order to set up their punchline to a thereby not that funny joke. The distortions by Maher and Miller would be forgivable, were they just sticking to comedy but both of these buffoons try to pass themselves off as serious political commentators. What makes this particularly pathetic is that neither of them has any cogent political philosophy. Maher and his fans like to cast him as a libertarian but that just seems to be an attempt to give him some gravitas. Both Miller's and Maher's political stances seem to be a collection of whatever they think will arouse the indignation of a fan base, no matter whether it adheres to any consistent or principled line of thought. They can't get laughs so they try to evoke outrage instead. What could be more politically correct than that. And given how corrupt our gov't is right now, the outrage is easy to come by and the smugness is easy to peddle. So the real mystery is why they're each so pleased with themselves. Miller is thankfully absent of late. Nevertheless, Will Rogers is nauseous in his grave.

[Bailey Reynolds]

Dennis Miller is repugnant. I didn't like him on Weekend Update; and I really don't like him as a "comedian."

[Bailey Reynolds]

sorry, I meant to say political "comedian"­/commentat­or.

[Phreaked]

Ok now i've seen real time this week and really do not know why the article is as critical as it was. It was a great show, laughed my butt off....The program followed the same format as usual, single guest interview, 3 person panel, 4 person panel, new rules.....Yes he allowed PJ to talk at one point but so what. And PJ was PJ as normal...I guess one problem was he had too many "critical" or influential guests, head of NAACP, Chris Mathews, Larry King, Fran Townsend all people who in themselves could make for a great show

Bill's rant was not even that critical of Obama, more satire than anything......and I'm glad to see it was exactly what i thought it was, he wanted change to happen faster than it is, or certain changes, and does not want the ineffectual ones. As for the whole be more like Bush bit, he was referring to Obama being more on TV that he appears to be working on real change. Again back to wanting certain changes done more quickly than they are. I have absolutely no problem with what he said, keeping Obama from getting complacent is not a bad thing

[peterg76]

Maher does frequently have guests who are not exactly constructive with respect to the discussion, but I give him credit for trying to include all sides - not his fault that, for example, the right wing doesn't have anyone who can engage in intelligent debate.

But the fact is that Bill Maher *is* the reality check. Obama has, of course, made substantial progress since entering office; Maher is using hyperbole to ensure people pay attention to the point he is trying to make. But in terms of the scope of change needed and the potential for effective action, Obama is a profound disappointment aside from talk and a few symbolic actions. He has failed to reverse the banking sector bailout scam, given away money to an auto industry that has yet to formulate a feasible business plan, and failed to reverse abuses of justice, much less tried to bring war criminals to justice.