Bill Maher Scolds Liberals for ‘Making Every Offense a Firing Offense’ (Video)
“Conservatives govern without shame, and liberals shame without governing,” HBO host says
Thom Geier | June 9, 2018 @ 7:17 AM
Last Updated: June 9, 2018 @ 9:42 PM
Bill Maher on Friday scolded liberals for being too focused on pyrrhic victories in the culture wars and losing sight of how conservatives dominate politics at both the national and state level.
“Conservatives govern without shame, and liberals shame without governing,” Maher said during his closing monologue on HBO’s “Real Time.”
“Our current and possibly permanent president can appoint Scott Baio to the next Supreme Court vacancy, he can pardon himself, and I wouldn’t put it past him to cancel the next election,” he said.
Meanwhile, Maher castigated liberals for focusing on issues like Roseanne Barr’s racist tweets while losing sight of the bigger picture. “We’ve all become too comfortable with playing the clean-out-your-desk card,” he said, noting “the joy that liberals seem to take in vaporizing people and making every offense a firing offense.”
After ABC canceled Barr’s sitcom, Maher said, “Snowflakes on the left and the right published full lists of everyone they’ve ever been offended by who should also be fired immediately. I was the only one who made many lists on both sides.”
“I’m often surprised how often liberals I talk to think that we’re winning. We, who control nothing. Winning?” he said. “We get to banish actors. Liberals control the culture, yes, but right now wouldn’t you rather control the border?”
He then laid out the dilemma in this way: “We have lost — liberals — the House, the Senate, the White House, the Supreme Court, Kanye. Our symbolic victories are the only victories we get now.
“They get to cut their own taxes, rip up the safety net and make coal a vegetable,” he joked. “We get to banish actors.”
Watch his full rant above.
11 Times Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect Comments Sparked Outrage (Photos)
Comedian Bill Maher has made a career of saying things that could come back to haunt him, both on his former ABC show "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher" and on his current HBO show "Real Time with Bill Maher." Though Maher prides himself on being politically incorrect, there have been plenty of times he's said offensive things that got him into hot water. Here's a look at 11 of them.
HBO
11. Maher interviews alt-right darling Milo Yiannopoulos After Milo’s speech at Berkeley University was canceled because of protests that included a few small fires and thrown objects, Maher brought the alt-right idol in for an interview. Though Milo’s anti-feminism, anti-transgender and anti-Muslim positions are well known -- as is his role in the harassment-focused online movement known as GamerGate -- Maher offered almost no pushback against Milo. Read more here.
HBO
10. Maher jokes about Tila Tequila being assaulted In 2009, news broke that Tila Tequila claimed she’d been assaulted by then-boyfriend and San Diego Charger Shawne Merriman. Maher responded with a joke many found sexist: “New rule: Stop acting surprised someone choked Tila Tequila! The surprise is that someone hasn’t choked this bitch sooner.”
Getty Images
9. Maher claims Hillary Clinton cried for political gain During the 2008 presidential campaign, Maher tore into Clinton. In what many read as a sexist remark, Maher said women use crying to win arguments and accused Clinton of crying on the campaign trail for the same reason. Watch the clip here.
Getty Images
8. Maher says millions of Muslims supported the “Charlie Hebdo” attacks Maher has a long history of being highly critical of religion and, in recent years, of Islam in particular. In the wake of the 2015 “Charlie Hebdo” attack in France, Maher said “hundreds of millions” of Muslims supported the violence, in which 12 people were killed and 11 more were injured. Watch the clip.
YouTube
7. He gets into an Islamophobia argument with Ben Affleck On a panel with actor Ben Affleck and author Sam Harris, Maher defended Harris’ assertions about Islam, including when Harris said “Islam at this moment is the mother lode of bad ideas.” The discussion turned into a shouting match, as Affleck quickly challenged the stance and bigotry related to discussions of Islam. Watch the clip here.
YouTube
6. Maher compares One Direction’s Zayn Malik to Boston Marathon bomber Singer Zayn Malik quit the band One Direction, prompting a few jokes from Maher during an episode. But people were angered when Maher asked, “Where were you during the Boston Marathon,” placing an image of Malik beside one of bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Many saw the joke as one mocking both Malik’s appearance and his Muslim faith. Watch the clip.
YouTube
5. He defends Bill O’Reilly’s joke about Maxine Waters After former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly said Congresswoman Maxine Waters’ hair looked like a “James Brown wig,” Maher came to his defense on “Real Time.” Maher’s point: liberals can’t take a joke. Many criticized O’Reilly’s joke to be racist, and he later apologized. Watch the clip here.
HBO
4. Maher says dogs are like children with mental disabilities In the middle of making some point about how he’s not lauded enough for raising dogs, Maher said dogs are “like retarded children.” Guests floundered both to address Maher’s use of the offensive word and the much more offensive comparison of children with disabilities to animals. Watch the clip.
YouTube
3. ...And makes fun of Sarah Palin’s son Trig Maher pushed that button again when he referred to Trig as “it” and said he “looks a lot like John Edwards.” Watch the clip here.
HBO
2. Maher says 9/11 terrorists weren’t cowardly Maher's ABC show “Politically Incorrect" was canceled in June 2002 after what he later explained was his attempt to level criticism against the American military. Less than a week after Sept. 11, 2001, Maher said the terrorists who stayed aboard planes were “warriors,” adding that the U.S. had been cowardly for firing cruise missiles at enemies “from 2,000 miles away.” The comment caused a row, as advertisers pulled out of the show. Watch the clip.
The “Real Time” host has said the n-word on TV… and a lot more
Comedian Bill Maher has made a career of saying things that could come back to haunt him, both on his former ABC show "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher" and on his current HBO show "Real Time with Bill Maher." Though Maher prides himself on being politically incorrect, there have been plenty of times he's said offensive things that got him into hot water. Here's a look at 11 of them.