Bill Maher's "New Rules" - MrKen's Discussion with The Hapless Hermit

Also, a Hapless Hermit 'Scoop'--

Bill O'Reilly babbles to The Hapless Hermit-Read the exclusive interview on the Hermit's blog!

Photo and quote curtesy of "The Hapless Hermit".

Recently, my good friend, "The Hapless Hermit"-- his blog appears on my "blogroll of excellence"-- posted a Bill Maher video from a recent (7/24) "Real Time with Bill Maher" show (HBO), and noted that he "didn't hate Bill Maher so much." His complete comment was--

The Hermit Doesn't Hate Bill Maher So Much

I don't agree with everything Bill Maher says but his show is one of the few news/opinion programs that doesn't totally insult the viewer. Here is a clip where he hits the nail on the head about our healthcare system.

--Link to the video and post is contained in the title of this post.

MrKen's comment posted on the Hermit's blog was---

Hello again, Hermit!

This is where I have a slight disagreement with you, Hermit. I enthusiastically agree with virtually everything Bill Maher says on his terrific HBO show 'Real Time'. IMO, he is a sharp & well prepared interviewer. The guests are usually extraordinarily erudite and articulate (with a few exceptions e.g., John Bolton, our former U.N. Ambassador), while the debates are always lively and interesting. And Bill Maher is a great comedian! Thx for the You Tube clip; I always look forward to Bill's educational and scathing "editorial" at the end of the "New Rules" segment of the show. This past Friday-8/7, he gave numerous examples of the stupidity of this nation (18% of Americans still think the Sun revolves around the Earth!)

I had the privilege of observing him debate the rabid lunatic Ann Coulter at Radio City some months ago. You probably read the post already on my blog, but for other interested folks, here is the link--

http://mrken45sworld.blogspot.com/search?q=Bill+Maher

Another of my favorite political satirists is Jon Stewart. His 'Daily Show' http://www.thedailyshow.com/ is a 'fake news' production that contains more actual news and well researched opinion than most of the putative "real news" programs on both the networks and cable.

**********************************

Mr. Hermit later clarified that he actually agreed with 99% of what Bill Maher said and watched his show every week...so, our worldviews appear to be quite similar.

***Warning to the faint-hearted---The Hermit's blog contains some "adult" material. Those of you who have problems with the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States are forewarned.

The Clash of the Titans--Coulter, Maher spar at Radio City

(Reuters )– Television personalities Ann Coulter and Bill Maher debate during the "Speaker Series: The Minds …"

Mr Ken plunked down $64.50 to attend the first of Radio City's "Speaker Series" between TV personalities Bill Maher (Real Time with Bill Maher-HBO) & Ann Coulter (author of the bestseller "Guilty") on Monday, March 9.

Mr. Maher also wrote and starred in the controversial 2008 documentary movie "Religulous", giving his take on the sad state of religion in the world today--which MrKen highly recommends!

What a treat to listen to the erudite Maher deconstruct right wing nut case Coulter's mostly nonsensical rantings with his hilarious and cutting humor!

It was occasionally chilling, however, to realize that there is a significant segment of the population out there who also do not believe in evolution, think that ghosts are real, and imagine that a personal deity watches over them--only choosing to have misfortune visited upon others (who no doubt deserve it--and are all 'lefties').

Oh yes, and some of these same know-nothings still insist that President Obama is a Muslim (as I overheard a nincompoop couple feverishly whispering next to me).

Maher is an outspoken liberal with libertarian leanings and a former stand up comic. His long running show "Politically Incorrect" was called the Best Talk Show on Television by TV Guide, and nominated for nine Emmy Awards.

Coulter is an acerbic and rabid right wing writer & lecturer who Meghan McCain, the daughter of the would be president, blogged was "offensive, radical, insulting and confusing, all at the same time". Coulter famously does not believe in evolution and labels science a form of faith!

Here are some excerpts of the debate from Yahoo News, curtesy of Politico.com

NEW YORK — Bill Maher couldn’t have asked for a better act to follow.

Maher took the stage at the Radio City Music Hall Monday after Ann Coulter – with whom he’d spend the rest of the night debating – had held forth for 15 minutes on the sins of liberals.

The applause for Maher was huge – exactly as one might expect in not-exactly-blood-red midtown Manhattan. “If we were having this debate in Springfield, Mo., it would be different,” Maher said.

But even in mostly hostile territory, Coulter was no shrinking violet. When moderate Mark Halperin brought up Meghan McCain’s swipes of Coulter on The Daily Beast from earlier in the day — the daughter of the would-be president called her “offensive, radical, insulting, and confusing all at the same time" — Coulter said it didn’t bother her.

And Coulter dealt with the occasional boos while debating with Maher over stem cell research, Iraq and of course, the 44th president – all while delivering her own blows on everyone from Timothy Geithner to Nancy Reagan. ...

“Who put two wars on a credit card?” Maher asked. “There is this debt because George Bush spent money like a pimp with a week to live.”

Maher got applause for any shots at Bush, as when he mentioned Obama’s quoting of Voltaire — “no George W. Bush, that’s not a Harry Potter character.”

He used the term “bimbo” to describe Bush, Quayle and Sarah Palin.

And Maher attacked those who consider themselves “real Americans,” by claiming that “if it wasn’t for the two coasts, this country would have been sold off to China thirty years ago.”


To read the rest of the story, please follow this link:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090310/pl_politico/19830

And to read more about "Religulous", go here--
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religulous

Bill Maher: Show me a man wearing an American flag pin, I'll show you an asshole

As usual, Bill Maher can be counted upon to illuminate the stupidity of what passes for political discourse in America today. Here is the latest example, curtesy of the Raw Story...

Bill Maher: Show me a man wearing an American flag pin, I'll show you an asshole

Nick Langewis and Mike Aivaz Published: Saturday October 13, 2007 the Raw Story

"Show me a man wearing an American flag pin in his lapel, and I'll show you an asshole," says Bill Maher during a recent New Rules segment.

Calling it the "first genuine controversy" of the 2008 presidential campaign, Maher brings up last week's "shocking news" that Democratic candidate, Illinois Senator Barack Obama, does not wear an American flag pin.

"So apparently, he and America are no longer going steady."

Quips Maher: "Why don't you just stab the Statue of Liberty in the eye while bitch-slapping a 9/11 widow?"

Obama came under media scrutiny after expressing to a reporter that wearing the pin seemed like a "substitute for true patriotism."

Continues Maher, "Another in a series of bullshit non-stories that have zero effect on the troops, the war, or anything in the real world. Or, as Fox calls it: Breaking news."

One personality called it "too much information," saying that Obama was showing a sign of insecurity by not simply saying he was making a fashion statement.

"This is typical press hypocrisy," says Maher. "They say they want someone who doesn't give pat political answers, but when they get one, they call them a loser. They say they don't want safe robots like [Sen. Hillary Clinton], but they create conditions where only that species can survive.

And then, they give cover to people like Sean Hannity, who reported on No-Pin-gate...and then had to call a doctor because his fake outrage hard-on lasted longer than 72 hours."

"Of course, the Republicans are the party of Mark Foley, and Ted Haggard, and Larry Craig, and countless other closeted homosexuals... so their fixation on jewelry is understandable."

Video of the entire monologue, and the remaining New Rules segment, is below. It was broadcast on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher on October 12, 2007.

To view the video, please follow this link:

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Bill_Maher_Show_me_guy_with_1013.html