Thursday, March 12, 2015
Bill Maher Dismantles Obama Hater With One Loaded Question
I have to say that one of my favorite shows going back over a decade was Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher.
Now, his opinions (and opinions is what they were and are) were always interesting, even if I did not always agree with them. But he was intelligent, well-spoken, and the discussions and debates were often lively and much different than pretty much anything else that you could see on television anywhere else. It always seemed that Americans had almost a phobia of discussing controversial subjects where people were inclided to disagree with one another, and when tempers potentially could flare. This also seemed to me like an unhealthy kind of attitude to have, and it would likely be better if more Americans recognized that there was not one standard opinion to have or to accept, and that to be critical of a government or leader, even a popular leader like Reagan, was acceptable. For that matter, it would be nice if not accepting the de facto political line that both parties have now adopted and try to display, that the United States is the greatest country in the world, and that the appropriate way of displaying that patriotism is to regurgitate nationalist feelings of superiority and exceptionalism and tirelessly waving flags and showing symbols representing the nation was itself not acceptable.
However, the debates rarely are seen. So Maher's show was refreshing on just so many levels. It could be controversial, and it certainly could spark lively discussion. But I, for one, appreciated it, and thought that it was something that the nation needed more of, not less of.
Of course, we all remember what happened shortly after the 9/11 attacks. Maher had the audacity to tell Americans how he really felt, which was that fighting a war by sending missiles from thousands of miles away was not only not brave, but actually quite cowardly. Perhaps it was too soon after the 9/11 attacks, but he had a point. Indeed, it was something that I had felt for some time, but it is not the kind of opinion that is going to win you popularity points, particularly so shortly after such a major day of tragedy like that.
Maher landed on his feet, however. He got another show, although this was not on standard television (back then, I did not even have cable yet).
He still has a very similar show to Politically Incorrect, although I rarely get to watch any of it, since it airs on HBO, and I never had HBO. There are occasions when I will check on Youtube or something like that and see a clip, and sometimes even an entire episode (albeit rarely).
Still, even though I personally do not get to see the show too often, it is nice to see that he is still doing the same thing, and providing the service of showing Americans that it is okay not to always agree with each other, and to express opinions (and again, that is all that they are) that most Americans would not agree with.
Every now and then, one of his shows begins to generate a certain level of controversy, such as the one with Ben Afleck last year regarding the religion of Islam. There were several links to that particular episode on Youtbe, and that was one of the few episodes where I was actually able to watch the broadcast in it's entirety.
In any case, he can be a real wise ass, and even though I do not agree with everything that he says or believes, admittedly I tend to agree with most of it. Sometimes, I see a link, like the one below, to a clip from his show that particularly stands out, and then it might be time to share it here. Maher essentially floored one of those neocon Obama haters with one simple question, and I have to admit that the way that he did it was impressive!
So, if interested, take a look for yourself, and see what you think. Any comments or questions to stimulate a healthy debate here are very welcome, even if I do not agree with you! Please feel free!
Watch: Bill Maher Leaves an Obama Hater Speechless With 1 Question March 10, 2015 by: Omar Rivero
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