Has Bill Maher morphed into Dennis Miller?

[Walt Starr]

Poll question: Has Bill Maher morphed into Dennis Miller?

Did he drink the koolaid to earn the peanuts his corporate masters throw at him?

[7th_Sephiroth]

1. i think he's just bought the hype

he's allways been the advocate that democracy is just a little better than what else is out there

[Dogmudgeon]

2. What happened?

What event brought this idea on?

I don't watch a lot of Maher, and I find his bad jokes about "nerds", fat people, and children irritating. But I have enjoyed some of his political remarks.

--p!

[Walt Starr]

3. Basically, he now thinks invading Iraq was the right thing to do

IMO, it's Miller time.

[Dogmudgeon]

5. I'll listen more closely

I hadn't heard it, but the Press is promoting the idea that a wave of Democracy has washed over the Islamic world.

I do see some evidence for improvement in Iraq and Syria/Lebanon, but it's not coming from the USA. These areas are still unstable. Otherwise, our misbegotten policies are keeping the fire on the Islamic kettle. It's a policy that is a sure-fire loser.

--p!

[ElectroPrincess]

6. It all comes down to one entity for Mr. Maher = *MONEY*

And it pays oh so much better to be a Right Wing Shill. Believe it or not, the right wing radicals actually believe that Dennis Miller is entertaining. Damn, that's some serious Koolaide drinking freepers, aye?

[Walt Starr]

7. Miller is a washed up has-been

and is not making anywhere near as much money as he did six years ago.

Maher wouldn't even come close to getting the screwed up gig Miller is running with these days. They'll never forget the remark that got him booted off ABC, nor will they forgive it.

Maher will end up dying a lonely old man in a trailer park if he loses his current fan base because there is no fan base to be had for him on the right.

[ElectroPrincess]

13. What you write, makes sense.

Perhaps instead, Maher is a victim of his tormented personality. If that is the case, it would be wise for him to first seriously consider the costs vs. benefits analysis of playing devil's advocate before speaking out on controversy.

You got that right Walt. If the right wing gets it's gander up over something a progressive has said, they will NEVER forget (or forgive). Tks - I could buy into that rationale.

[hiley]

29. Exactly !

Maher has always aggravated me (a little) at times but last night pretty much did it. My husband was yelling at the TV, and it pissed me off when he had Ann Coulter on again last fall ! What is with him wanting conservative audiences ? I don't think that most people who pay for HBO are frickin' conservatives. He has been drinking some Kool-Aid with that line about democracy wind or something. Also, the Social Security BS and JFK quote used for bushboy !

[Walt Starr]

4. Miller Time with Bill Maher

:evilgrin:

[Stop_the_War]

8. He drank the kool-aid several months ago before the election..

it's not news to me. he said on CNN at the time that he wanted the U.S. to invade Iran.

[TrustingDog]

24. Swiller Miller Time. n/t

[dennis4868]

9. Maher....

is so unpredictable. One day he says Bush is great and the next day Bush is evil and the war was wrong....he goes with the flow.....a very simple minded man....there are alot of those types on TV these days :-(

[Cooley Hurd]

10. If he continues in this vein, then he'll lose his audience...

Liberals won't watch (because of his newfound intellectual dishonesty), and Conservatives won't watch (because he could never be sycophantical enough for them), so that leaves only his mom...

[Swamp Rat]

34. LOL! n/t

[joefree1]

11. The end justifys the means?

Even if Iraq turns into a viable Democracy was it worth it? Does Bill Mahr really not see the neo-con death cult agenda behind the invasion of Iraq?

This the first step in rationalizing fascism? "We're doing it for your own good."

[kevsand]

12. Maher hasn't really changed.

Neither has Miller, for that matter. Do people honestly not remember what "Politically Incorrect" was like? Or Miller's HBO show?

These guys have never been left or right. They have always been equal opportunity offenders. They point out things they think are stupid, no matter who says them or thinks them.

Anyone who expects an iconoclast to support any agenda misses the point.

[wtmusic]

18. Sure, Miller is "equal opportunity"...

Have you ever watched his show? Do you know that Junior gives him rides on Air Force One? :eyes:

[kevsand]

23. "equal opportunity OFFENDER"

You left out the most important word in the phrase. Miller's offensive. It's on purpose.

I stopped watching his new show after the premiere with Ahnold. As an individual, he's a RW toady, but his schtick is to rant about anything and everything, regardless of who or what it is or where it comes from.

Did you ever watch him on HBO in the nineties, pre-MNF? He's been this way for decades. Go back and watch some old SNL Weekend Updates. He hasn't changed.

(On edit: I take that back. He has changed in one respect. He used to be funny.)

[Walt Starr]

31. Wrong, he was ONCE and "equal opportunity offender", not any more

He is no longer an offender of anything related to the neo-cons because he took a full swig of the koolaid.

Miller went completely over to the dark side, and Maher appears to be following him.

[kevsand]

33. I'll have to take your word for it.

Like I said, I haven't watched Miller since the premiere with the Governator. To be honest, I didn't have the stomach to watch even that all the way to the end; I bailed halfway through.

[riverwalker]

14. He revealed himself a few weeks ago

when he declared Colin Powell as the ideal candidate for President and wants him to run. On Larry King, Maher blabbered on and on about how wonderful Powell was, and this was all recent, and in spite of what we know about Powell's lying.

[Selteri]

15. He's Libertarian

Not Democratic. He's allowed to disagree, I can partially see his point but there is something I was taught in Catholic School.

The ends cannot be used to justify the means.

He said he didn't agree with Bush's policies but stated it looked like he succeeded in spite of himself, that he essentially was so stupid that he bungled into success on 'reason 4 of his invasion plan'.

[trumad]

16. But you see...that's the point.

The war is nowhere near succeeding and Maher's only buying into the MSM talking points. It's a Rove strategy that only idiot's believe.

[stepnw1f]

20. Thankyou!

Never knew he was a Libertarian. That does explain a lot. This war has created chaos... and no one really knows what is going to come of it exept death and destruction. Those two things you can bet on. Democracy? Let's leave that up to the people there... No more invasions!

[Toby109]

17. Afflict the comfortable

and comfort the afflicted. Maher seems to have forgotten one of the golden rules. Pity.

[Comicstripper]

19. you guys are full of shit

Maher has NEVER been a knee-jerk liberal. He is a left-leaning libertarian. When he thinks he's getting predictable, he likes to shake things up a little...or a lot.
And he still dislikes Bush. All he said, and I think he has a point, was that Bush got lucky, and that his ignorance here proved to be a blessing in a very infuriating disguise.
And...corporate masters? HBO? Gimme a break...

[trumad]

25. You keep saying he's got a point about the was being successful..

Are you telling us that the war is turning out to be a success?

[Comicstripper]

36. Hardly

I said Bush's ignorance, in Bill Maher's view, was a blessing in disguise. I protested in DC with hundreds of thousands of others on three seperate occasions with ANSWER. I stood behind Jesse Jackson. I'm just saying that Bill Maher has something of a point. Doesn't mean I agree with it.

[blindpig]

21. another possibility:

Ann Coulter sent him some dirty drawers Fedex. He wants that stuff so bad..........

[Hamlette]

22. It reminds me of why I gave up watchin Maher MANY times before

he doesn't follow any ideology and just because he is outspoken in support of many positions I hold, I tend to forget that he is not smart.

He's a libertarian, not a liberal.

[Cush]

26. he's always been this way

[Dr Ron]

27. He's wrong on this point, but that doesn't make him Dennis Miller

Bill has always said he considered the Iraq war a 60:40 measure. He is wrong in giving Bush credit for democratic movement in the middle east, but that doesn't make him as hawkish as Miiler, who I assume would have made it at least a 99:1 ratio in support.

Maher is also trying to improve his ratings among conservatives. He is a show man after all, not a real political commentator. Even when Maher does take the "wrong" position on some issues, he is still far preferable to the far right wing line now taken by Miller.

[Paranoid_Portlander]

28. Maher's love for war trumps his disdain for Bush.

Maher has never met a war that he didn't like. "I'm a hard-ass on war" he declared on one of his shows before the Iraqi war started. He also stated that the Vietnam war, which conveniently ended when Maher was 17, was a good thing. He has held these views for several years, while comfortably seated on his pampered "hard-ass", which, of course, has never seen combat.

[Must_B_Free]

30. He's the "Good Cop" in Likud's con game

[Jesus Saves]

32. no

[Cleita]

35. What's the problem? He's always said he is a Libertarian.

Just because he leans to the left a lot doesn't mean that he always does. Dennis on the other hand claimed to be liberal until Bush became President.

[PA Democrat]

37. Supporting Bush's war has worked so well for Dennis Miller's career

maybe, Maher wants a little of that warmongering magic to rub off on him, too. He must be jealous of the astronomical ratings that Miller got for his TV show. <sarcasm off>

[leftofthedial]

38. Maher has always been a misogynist and a shallow

semi-libertarian

He's never been progressive

If it gets his rocks off or puts money in his pocket, it is good. All else is just possible fodder for his facile, opportunistic "humor."

Years ago, I think he may have actually had a world view. Success has emptied him of his own soul.

[distressedsister]

39. I Didn't See Friday Night But I Have a Theory

I am a weekly watcher but am waiting until Comcast makes it available on demand. (It always takes until Monday so, I try to watch live.)

Between what I've read here and talking to my brother, I'm dreading it this week!

Anyway, my theory is this: Bill has confused a feeling that a lot of us have that we like to see people standing up for freedom with thinking that George Bush marching our military might across the Middle East is the cause.

I'll never buy it.

One of top 5 reasons for despising Bushco (of a very long list) their close connections to the corrupt Saudi royals. Bush will only go so far. Once he has his bases, the supposed democracy push will be over.

[mattclearing]

40. I like polls.

He's a comedian. Same with Al Franken and Dennis Miller.

If Paula Poundstone told you we should invade Iran, would you give a shit?

Jesus.