Salon: Sophia McClennen: Lets Listen to Bill Maher: How Bill Maher Walks a Fascinating and Tricky Line

Source:The Daily Review

I think the best way to look at Bill Maher’s politics is to look at him from a George Carlin perspective as someone who leans left and Democrat, but in his heart he’s an Independent. Whose free to critique both sides especially the fringes on both sides when it comes to issues that he cares about.

Bill Maher, will go after the Christian-Right when they proposing outlawing adultery, or homosexuality and create a national time machine that will take America back to 1955. Or economic Libertarians when they call for outlawing all social insurance programs in one hand, as they fight like hell for their corporate welfare. That in many cases keeps them in business if you look at how they mismanage their own companies. On the Left, he’ll go after so-called Progressives, that have this marijuana high utopian notion that minorities aren’t entitled to any criticism. And they should be left to a world where there’s no criticism of anything that they do or say. While the New-Left goes after the Far-Right every time they breathe on someone they care about.

What I think the New-Left in America and I call them that, because they are made up of Democratic Socialists and New-Marxists, who apparently aren’t fans of either economic or personal freedom and just wants a society where government takes care of protects everyone, especially minorities, even everyone from themselves, but what I think they don’t get about Bill Maher is that his show is called Real Time with Bill Maher for a very good reason. He tells it like it is at least from his perspective and what he knows and in many cases is right. But that when it comes to economic policy, he has a hell of a lot in common with the New-Left. If anything he’s further left on economic policy than Democratic Socialist Bernie Sanders. And believes that the wealthy should pay ninety-percent in income taxes. He believes being rich and economically independent is a bad thing.

They way I describe Maher’s politics is that he’s a Socialist Liberal. Very progressive if not socialist on economic policy, but very liberal on social issues and foreign policy. He wants big government in our wallets, but out of our bedrooms and personal lives in general, just as long as we aren’t hurting innocent people. And perhaps especially he wants big government out of our mouths. Telling us what we can say and what we can’t say. Probably the strongest and sharpest opponent of the New-Left when it comes to political correctness. And believes America should defend freedom, just as long as we aren’t doing all the fighting and trying to fight for countries that won’t fight for themselves. Which is what a liberal foreign and national security policy is about.

So if you’re Far-Left when it comes to economic policy, social policy and foreign and national security policy, you’re probably only going to like Bill Maher about 1-3 of the time. And the other 2-3 you’ll be accusing him of being a hate-monger, or bigot, or even worst, the L-Word, which is Libertarian! Which would be like a Conservative calling a leftist a Socialist. So Salon, the AlterNet, TruthOut, etc, if you’re looking for someone to put down America and bash the Christian-Right, while calling Islāmic terrorism and culture Freedom of Religion and expression, even though you don’t believe in Freedom of Religion, Bill Maher is not your boy. If you want someone to defend both the welfare state when it comes to Bernie Sanders and nanny state when it comes to Mike Bloomberg, Bill Maher is not your boy. And you should just stick with people who are in your league like Michael Moore.