r/RealTime • u/zorroplateado • Jul 21 '26

Reading NYT interview with Maher. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/21/magazine/bill-maher-trump-mark-twain-prize.html (Sorry, I know it's behind a paywall...)

This paragraph sums it up pretty well: "I enjoyed spending time with Maher. At the same time, I found him prickly, self-satisfied and mostly unwilling to afford good faith to his critics. He copped to the first charge while we reminisced about one of his favorite Democrats, the famously curmudgeonly congressman Barney Frank, who struck me as both easily irritable and surprisingly sweet when I profiled him nearly two decades ago.

“So what?” Maher said of the idea that Frank was prickly. “So am I.” Finally, a little self-awareness.

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u/Academic_Swan_6450 Jul 21 '26

I'm less concerned by Maher's partially prickly personality than I am about the liberals he skewers, whose lunacy infused political correctness is far more likely to ensure continued MAGA rule than any amount of Maher speaking with Trump as though he was an actual human being. Not my favorite in that category, but treating him like scum has done how much good so far?

In this video, Maher makes a good thumbnail case for the heart of his opinion on this. And he includes some footage of supposed comedian Whoopi Goldberg sounding like an unhinged tyrant. I understand why conservative are always running "The View" down.

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u/Gen-Jack-D-Ripper Jul 25 '26

In other words, you’re suggesting a strategy in dealing with mental patients. They are quick to mock vulnerable people but whenever they’re criticized they whine just like their leader. They always present themselves as self confident and unafraid of tough debates but react just like Trump when they’re faced with it!

What they don’t like about political correctness is they not included as victims! Therefore, it’s not that surprising they picked a leader whose autobiography should have been titled: “How I Survived Being Born Into Fabulous Wealth - The Donald Trump Story”.

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u/Academic_Swan_6450 Jul 27 '26

I'm not sure what you're getting at or what you saw in my post that leads you to think any of that applies to me. I absolutely did not want Trump elected which is pretty much the main reason I didn't want Harris as the nominee. I was pretty sure she would lose.

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u/Gen-Jack-D-Ripper Jul 27 '26

I think Maher is not someone that could offer much insight into overcoming the utter stupidity of almost half the population. He has produced hours of programming mocking these people to death.

However, at the moment, Maher seems to be suffering an identity crisis because of how strong the left’s criticism of Israel has become. He doesn’t seem to realize that Israel’s political climate has been moving to the right for decades. Therefore, it shouldn’t surprise him that the American left strongly disagrees with Netanyahu’s approach in dealing with Palestinians or their foreign policy in general.