Returning to Bill Maher

I just finished watching Real Time with Bill Maher with my wife for the first time in months. I decided to stop watching last summer was that I needed to get away from the political mumbo jumbo for a little bit.

Maybe it was Trump commentary burnout.
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Maybe it was in preparation for 2020 when the election year gets ratcheted up to a crescendo.

Maybe.

But I decided last night to watch again. And it was a really good episode.

Nancy Pelosi. Not that I’m a fan of hers at all but can you believe she is 79 years old? Insane.

Andrew Yang. Easily the most interesting and intriguing candidate for President. He’s also the only candidate who spends less time talking about Donald Trump and impeachment and
more focusing on the issues. A candidate with ideas. I don’t know if his platform of a Universal Basic Income would actually work but I’m more than ok having a conversation about it.

Because that’s exactly how you bring about ideas. Get it in the arena. Discuss the pros and cons. But that’s lost in today’s uber partisan environment where you or either on the blue team or the red team.

Anyway back to Maher. This episode did get me thinking though.
Why do I watch Bill Maher? He’s a liberal elitist. A complete asshole. In no way could I relate to him on personal level. I could never see myself having a beer with him.

Yet I watch.

Why?

Because truthfully his show is really good. Sure, his monologues are mostly tiring anti-Trump platitudes that bores the piss out of me now because that’s pretty much all he has done in the last 3-4 years. And it’s tiring now. And this is coming from a non-Trump supporter in myself. But his panels are awesome. Bill Maher books the best guests in the world of politics. People in the name of interesting. Democrat. Republican. Centrist. It does not matter. The middle 30 minutes of the show is the highlight. Because they have the conversation.

It reminds me of how I fell in love with sports radio at the age of 12 in similar yet familiar fashion.

Hank Goldberg would host the afternoon drive on 560 WQAM in South Florida. I always thought he was a prick.

Just like Maher.

I always thought he was a complete asshole to his callers.

Just like Maher.

I can’t say I necessarily like Hank. But yet I was entertained. It’s also why I’ve started to have a better appreciation for Howard Stern in recent years when I never actually cared for his schtick while still recognizing he was and still is arguably the greatest radio talent in the history of the business.

Today I can’t say I’m not a fan of Bill Maher cause I am.

I just got done listening to his sit down interview on the Joe Rogan Experience. And by the way it’s about time some liberals are growing balls and starting to appear on Rogan’s playform on a regular basis. For awhile there it seemed like many of them were too far up their own ass to make the time to get on a platform like Rogan’s. It’s the best and most transparent podcast running.

Good to see Maher give his authentic and unfiltered voice on there even though on a personal level he’s still out of touch with me. But at least he’s honest and does not bullshit you.

​Plus I still enjoy New Rules.