Those who accuse Bill Maher of drifting too far from his liberal roots must have been happy with the lineup for Friday’s Real Time on HBO. From film director and author John Waters to Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar to director/actor and extreme liberal activist Rob Reiner, it was clearly a group that leans to the left side of the aisle.
Except Maher was not afraid to veer from the unstated script and call out one of his guests on a difficult issue: Hunter Biden’s laptop and the apparent supression of that story in media..
Maher laid his trap early, giving his panelists ample rope to spout their views about abortion, Joe Biden, January 6th and the recent spending bills,
Maher grew tired of it at one point, mocking Reiner and Klobuchar’s glee at former President Donald Trump’s Boxgate issues when they were brought up in “walls are closing in” fashion.
“You know how often I’ve heard that on MSNBC?” Maher said about Reiner’s assertions that Trump would be indicted. “We’ve got him now!”
A few beats later, Maher zoomed in for the kill when he brought up how the story of Hunter Biden’s laptop and its influence peddlilng evidence was effectively squashed.
Maher turned the conversation on a recent statement by podcaster Sam Harris, who said that a conspiracy to silence that storyline before the 2020 election was fine, as it served the greater good of defeating Trump.
Maher asked if it was okay to engage in something like that suppression if the other side is so evil anything is justified.
Reiner seemed flummoxed and tried to change the subject back to the Jan. 6th uprising. Maher wouldn’t let him escape. “They buried the Hunter Biden story.”
Reiner tried to recover by denying the premise. “You know for a fact that’s what they did? I don’t know”
“That’s because you only watch MSNBC,” Maher shot back.
Klobuchar tried to cover Reiner by allowing, “ I don’t know that they all said this,” adding, “You have to make sure you are treating people fairly.” She added that she was sitting back and letting the Justice Dept. do its job, which avoided the original question.
Earlier, John Waters came on to flog his new book, Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance. The conversation ranged from the different preferences on the sidewalks along Santa Monica Boulevard to what woud be in the planned Waters exhibit at the Motion Pictures Academy Museum
Waters delighted in poking fun at himself, noting that his Hollywood Walk of Fame star was greeted by a friend with the note, “Closer to the gutter than ever!;
“I make fun of myself and the rules that I live in,” Waters said of his avoiding any cancellation during his controversial career. “I make fun of political correctness.”
Waters once worked with Johnny Depp, but graciously declined to discuss THAT CASE save for one point: “I wish they would get back together and make everybody crazy.”
Maher’s New Rules editorial was a take on Straw Man arguments, complete with a real Straw Man brought out as a prop. Maher praised Silvana Fardos, the mother of Salman Rushdie’s stabber, saying she was an example of the courage we should all strive to attain.
