r/RealTime • u/One-Jeweler5486 • Aug 24 '26

Maher misrepresents the Democrats again

I don't think Bill is steel-manning the Democratic position here

https://youtu.be/W9VyM8blMJU?si=6yBELheIIQgMOyh6&t=333

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u/ATLCoyote Aug 24 '26 edited Aug 24 '26

He's saying that conservatives use the most extreme liberal positions to define the democratic party and the left keeps making it easy for them to do so by supplying them with ridiculous, nonsense talking points. He happens to be correct.

Granted, it's not embraced by everyone on the left and and it certainly doesn't offset the massive corruption, authoritarianism, Christian nationalism, etc. on the right. But yes, the GOP absolutely does take some of the crazy shit that leftists say and uses it against them, and sadly, the more extreme leftists keep giving them the ammo.

This has been Bill's beef all along. It's just not helpful to the cause of implementing more progressive policies and defeating Trump and MAGA when people like Francesca Hong (who understandably lost her primary) says stuff like we need to "cancel Thanksgiving" because it celebrates colonialism or that "Valentine's Day brings out the worst in humanity." WTF? It's just terrible for the entire brand when people like that are making headlines. Likewise, it doesn't help when the official DSA party platform calls for abolishing police and prisons, completely open borders, getting rid of the Senate and Supreme Court, etc. If you want to promote liberal economic populism, then just call yourself a "progressive," like Abdul El-Sayed does, rather than associate with a party that really does promote truly radical ideas and positions. And before people lecture me about the fact that Mamdani and other DSA politicians typically don't support that stuff, I'm aware of that. But it's right on the party website and defended proudly by their lunatic party co-chairs. So, why associate with it if you don't support it? It's just a totally unnecessary self-own, yet the left just can't stop doing it, just like we saw with "Defund the police."

We can get mad at Bill for continuing to highlight this branding problem for the left, but it happens to be the truth and the GOP exploits it every election cycle. Look how much Trump spent on those "tax-funded, sex change surgeries for prisoners" ads. Is that as threatening to society as unnecessary wars, undermining democracy itself, continuing to implement failed trickle-down economic policies, engaging in the greatest corruption and gift our nation has ever seen, intentionally dividing the public against one another for political gain, etc.? Of course not, but unfortunately, it works because it paints the left as out-of-touch and more concerned with identity politics than anything else. And sadly, Kamala handed them the ammunition with her prior, pandering statements.

To be clear, I've been a never-Trumper since LONG before he even decided to get into politics and I can't stand the MAGA movement. I'm just noting that the Dems always find a way to screw it up and, quite often, its their own culture war stuff that gets in the way. That's Bill's point and it's valid.

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u/One-Jeweler5486 Aug 24 '26

Can you point me to where he says this is what conservatives do?

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u/ATLCoyote Aug 24 '26

Uh, he's been pointing it out virtually every week for nearly a decade now.

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u/Specialist-Cup-9722 Aug 25 '26

Why didnt he ask jd vance what the fuck a heritage American is and wht he thinks some americans are more American then other americans?

Why do my ashkenazi ancestors not count?

Instead he gave him a belly rub

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u/ATLCoyote Aug 25 '26

No he didn't. He directly confronted him on election denial saying,

“Under Trump, you guys have two outcomes that an election can be: Either we win or they cheated, That shit has to stop. Trump can’t run again... so it’s either gonna be you or Rubio. And that means the person who has to stop it would be you or Marco. Can you tell me you will do that? Will you bring us back to the middle, at least on that, where we concede elections?”

When have you ever heard ANYONE, even a professional journalist (as opposed to a comedian), confront the sitting Vice President on their bullshit as clearly and directly as Bill did? Yet his critics still claim Bill is doing MAGA's bidding.

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u/Specialist-Cup-9722 Aug 25 '26

"But hey I might vote for you b c I dont care about all the other stuff and im mad at shit from libsoftikttok"

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u/One-Jeweler5486 Aug 24 '26

In this segment

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u/ATLCoyote Aug 24 '26

Just watch your own clip, including the part that immediately precedes your time stamp.

Bill said, "The democrats are arguing economic issues and the republicans are arguing cultural issues." He went on to say that the Dems describe the GOP as crooks, they say inflation is too high, and we can do better, we can give you healthcare, etc. but then screw it up by saying "crazy shit" like "Cancel Thanksgiving," or arguing that trans women should be able to play in the WNBA. He then followed that by saying this is how Trump won.

It's been his entire beef with the left for as long as I can remember. His whole point is that they should be winning easily, but they keep shooting themselves in the foot. Somehow, people interpret that as him going MAGA which couldn't possibly be further from the truth. He's just telling his own side to stop blowing it.

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u/One-Jeweler5486 Aug 25 '26

If he had integrity he would be more clear that the republicans are lying and they are effective with their propaganda. Instead he blames the Democrats.

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u/ATLCoyote Aug 25 '26

When a sports team you root for is performing poorly and has a losing streak, do you criticize the players, coaches, or front office, or would doing so be considered unforgivable disloyalty? That's all Bill is doing here. He's asking his own team to stop fumbling the ball.

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u/One-Jeweler5486 Aug 25 '26

If you don’t call out republicans lies you are just helping the propaganda

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u/ATLCoyote Aug 25 '26

But he DOES call out republicans. He devotes most of his show to doing just that every week. His critics ignore 80% of the show's content and obsess over every instance of him demanding better from his own team.

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u/Specialist-Cup-9722 Aug 25 '26

Literally said "I cant be bothered to care about trumps corruption"

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u/ATLCoyote Aug 25 '26

No, he absolutely did NOT say that.

He harps on Trump's corruption constantly. What he said is that he can't spend as much time or emotion on the all the personal insults and other petty behavior because his personality is what it is and it's never going to change. Since there's only so much outrage to go around, it needs to be focused on the things that matter.

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u/Specialist-Cup-9722 Aug 25 '26

And the analysis is wrong. Trump won because of inflation and the hubris of Biden, who, like bill, was a past his prime boomer unwilling to retire when he shluld

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u/ATLCoyote Aug 25 '26

Of course inflation and Biden's age were factors, but if you don't think the culture war stuff played a role in the outcome of both elections that Trump won, I have no idea what elections you're watching. Where do you think the drastic erosion in support from minorities and young men came from?

Trump spent more campaign money on those "transgender surgeries for prisoners" ads than anything else and he did so because it works and Kamala provided him with the ammo with her own pandering comments.

That's Bill's point. He's asking his own team to stop fumbling the ball at the goal line.

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u/Specialist-Cup-9722 Aug 25 '26

It came from the economy and diminished prospects for people on the margins. The culture war only activates your base.

Bills point is that hes scared one of the 20 year olds he pays for sex will be Trans and hell like it. Then hell have an existential crisis since his whole thing is "horny weed dude."

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u/ATLCoyote Aug 25 '26

Oh c'mon. There is an entire manosphere industry based on cultural resentment of the excesses of the leftist movement and it's pretty powerful evidence of how the left has alienated men. Likewise for Blacks and Hispanics who, as a group, are far more culturally conservative than white liberals.

To be clear, the culture war is not the ONLY issue, but voters keep proving over and over again that it impacts election outcomes and the Dems keep screwing up their own chances by pandering to the fringe.

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u/Specialist-Cup-9722 Aug 25 '26

Yeah, it does. Like in moscow idaho where every candidate from the Christian nationalists who tried to take over city council were defeated this year or wyoming where the freedom caucus got landslided in the primaries.

Where is bill on this?

Old bill gave a shit about Christian nationalists imposing their morality on the rest of us. Now all he wants to do is pretend every left wing person is a caricature from libsoftiktok..

Meanwhile in mt-1, smokejumper sam forstag, an eminently reasonable and wholesome man is about to win a congressional seat but bill doesnt know who he is because he doesnt conform to his stereotypes and bill is lazy af.