Bill Maher Blames 'Social Justice Warriors' For Kavanaugh Confirmation

[Downtown Hound]

Last edited Sat Oct 6, 2018, 12:59 PM - Edit history (1)

There are times that I really like Maher, and there's times when I think he's a completely elitist, pompous, out of touch ass. This is one of the latter. Bill Maher rails against the left all the time for being too timid, and yet, when they actually show a backbone and put up a fight, then all of sudden, they've gone too far.

And now apparently, it's our fault that Kavanaugh will be on the Supreme Court. Because we dug "too deep" into his past. As much as I hate the Republicans, sometimes I hate people like Maher even more. Put the blame where it belongs Bill, on the Republicans. And stop faulting the people who were actually out doing something to stop this trainwreck, unlike you.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/bill-maher-blames-social-justice-warriors-for-kavanaugh-confirmation?yptr=yahoo

[violetpastille]

1. Yeah, I stopped watching him a few weeks ago.

Don't miss it.

[Hortensis]

41. I stopped long ago. He's extremely over-rated intellectually,

and is severely deficient in insight. But the dystopian schtick he's selling has a market and has made him wealthy and famous, so he continues to serve it up.

[violetpastille]

64. I'm better off

using that time to tackle something like Hannah Arendt. Or reading Thomas Paine or Angela Davis. Or reading anything, honestly. I'm so done with comedians, "speaking for me".

[Hortensis]

67. Hannah Arendt would be very timely reading now,

as Kindle prices of her books suggest. I just looked and they're around $10, which suggests demand. I think I may never have read anything of hers, though I know of her from her often cited Eichmann in Jerusalem, and of course the classic insight of "the banality of evil," a phrase that pops into my mind too often.

Reminds me of a study of why an eastern European police department, out of nowhere told, instead of protecting people, they were to execute a group of ordinary people of all ages who'd been rounded up. Their commander told them he would not be part of it but told them they would make their own choices. They all followed the order, at least initially because a few ran off into the woods in the face of the horror almost all finished. The study conducted after the war found that every one of them didn't refuse because none of the others did. They stood with their fellows out of loyalty to the group facing this hard order, even to murdering babies and children.

[Va Lefty]

2. Soledad, who was on the panel, say no

Link to tweet

?s=19

[Downtown Hound]

4. ...

Last edited Sat Oct 6, 2018, 03:12 PM - Edit history (1)

“There are social justice warriors who are crazy enough in this country, I fight with them all the time, who… they lend enough credence to this to make people think, ‘Oh, you know what? They’re going to go after my high school record. That’s fair game now.’ And it becomes sort of a privacy thing,” argued Maher.

Yeah, Bill, it is fair game, and the Republicans made it that way. Don't get mad because now Dems are doing the same thing they've been doing for years, especially after years of complaining that Dems don't fight hard enough.

[wryter2000]

57. It's not a privacy thing

It's a male privilege thing. Just more of his anti-woman crap.

[JonLP24]

69. He also criticized liberals while Christine Classy Ford was anonymous

Bill Maher dismisses Kavanaugh sexual misconduct allegation: ‘I think it makes us look bad’

https://www.google.com/amp/s/thehill.com/homenews/media/406834-bill-maher-dismisses-kavanaugh-sexual-misconduct-allegation-i-think-it-makes%3famp

[peekaloo]

6. Is she refuting the Daily Beast or Bill Maher?

[Va Lefty]

17. Daily Beast

Link to tweet

?s=19

[peekaloo]

40. Thank you.

kind of what I thought

[Separation]

82. Remember the saying, "You cant fight City Hall?"

I think in today's times it should read, "You can't fight the purity police."

[leftstreet]

3. Can't stand him. But he's got a point here

There were plenty of reasons to mobilize citizens to oppose Perjurer, Missing Documents, Dirty Finances, Torture Memo Kavanaugh

[Downtown Hound]

8. What point is that?

That what he did in high school shouldn't matter?

Number one, bullshit. Number two, the opposition to Kavanugh went way beyond just what he did in high school.

[leftstreet]

11. Senate opposition prior to the accusations was gaining steam

Then suddenly, sexual assault survivors were put on 'trial,' not Kavanaugh

And everybody got cover to vote for him

[Downtown Hound]

14. That is such a complete pile of shit, I don't know whether to laugh, yell, or cry

So basically what you're saying is that the Republican controlled Senate, which has kissed confessed groper Trump's ass and been his lapdog for almost two years now, would not have voted to confirm Kavanaugh if the sexual assault survivors didn't testify (or "put on trial, as you call it).

I've read more ridiculous things, but not many. If you actually think for one minute that they weren't going to confirm Kavanagh no matter what, then you are living in a delusional fairy land.

[leftstreet]

43. That's not what I meant at all

Of course they were always going to confirm him

But the perjury, missing documents, potential financial malfeasance, connection to GWB and Iraq/Patriot Act/Unitary Executive were gaining steam with the media and politicians were beginning to get questions they'd really rather not answer. And they'd REALLY rather not have us thinking about any of it

Dr. Ford's allegations changed all that

[Downtown Hound]

46. Her allegations changed nothing

None of that was ever going to matter. Don't kid yourself into thinking it was.

[leftstreet]

53. Well, it certainly changed the narrative n/t

[Downtown Hound]

54. And made him ever more of a pariah.

The GOP just lost women for more than a generation. Even more than they had before.

[ansible]

77. There are many, many women out there who also vote for the GOP

Don't forget that, I think too many people here on DU don't realize this.

[Downtown Hound]

81. White women yes.

Less and less of them who vote conservative all the time.

[misanthrope]

55. Yep, Democrats and the opposition fell for the sleight of hand

They turned their attention to the sexual assault allegations and away from the things that would have made a difference. You can't pound on today's Republicans with a morality cudgel. They don't care whose rights are infringed upon unless it is a member of the traditional power structure.

But Kavanaugh had other weaknesses, the things McConnell was concerned about when he warned Trump not to tap Kavanaugh for the SCOTUS. His coziness with the Patriot Act, his willingness to dismantle the Fourth Amendment, his lack of respect for the privacy of all, those are things that could have sown doubt among conservatives.

Add to that his record of giving the executive branch more unchecked power. Had a few Democrats been brave enough to conjure the image of a Democratic POTUS with even more latitude and turn Kavanaugh's own statements and record against him, that would have utilized conservatives' own inertia to Democratic advantage. Conservatives already think the Clintons and Obama are/were highly corrupt and untrustworthy so go ahead and make those right wingers picture their "bogey folks" with even more power.

"Imagine a President free to commit perjury or violate the Constitution with no repercussions" is what it would have taken to cause hesitation.

THAT was their Achilles heel. Too bad so many ignored it in favor for a path that was doomed to fail.

[leftstreet]

58. +1

[Downtown Hound]

59. You are kidding yourself if you think any of that other stuff would have mattered.

[misanthrope]

62. It would have had a far better chance than expecting Republicans to care about women's rights

I live in a very, very red part of the nation. I've heard conservatives voice displeasure and outright rebuke of the very things I mentioned. They care about individual privacy, smaller government (in principle more so than outright practice) and property rights. That's how you convince them to vote in a manner that helps achieve your goals.

Otherwise, you're expecting a creature to act in a manner unnatural to it, for a rattlesnake to suddenly become an eagle. You have to use their own tendencies as a path to convince them of something.

[Downtown Hound]

63. And you think they would have cared about war crimes?

Or invasion of privacy? LOL. This is the party that voted for George W. Bush twice.

[misanthrope]

74. I didn't mention war crimes specifically

Privacy? Yeah, I know plenty of conservatives who care about privacy. I know conservatives who care about civil asset forfeiture/search and seizure. I also know conservatives who have distanced themselves from the GOP in the last two decades due to the issues like these.

And I know LOTS of conservatives who would have been terrified of the specter of the Clintons or Obama having more power than they did. Regardless of how well-founded their fears are, they're still there.

We don't know if that tack would have worked to get the two or three senators needed to force support to another nominee. What we do know is the approach taken not only failed but awoke a previously complacent right-wing voter base.

[Downtown Hound]

75. LOL.

Conservatives care about the deficit so much until they gain power. Then they vote for people who blow it up exponentially. Conservatives care so much about privacy when a Democrat is in charge, but when somebody like Dubya makes it legal for the government to spy on us, they vote for him. Conservatives care so much about asset/forfeiture and search and seizure, but then vote for "law and order politicians" who make things like that easier than ever.

The bottom line is, conservatives don't really care about any of those things. They're just issues they latch onto when they don't have power to try and paint themselves as freedom fighters instead of the fascists they are.

Don't believe any of it. If you think they would have passed up on the opportunity to fill a supreme court seat over any of that bullshit, you are kidding yourself. Have a nice day.

[misanthrope]

76. You know none of the individuals I reference

You have a nice day as well.

[Downtown Hound]

80. The sheer fact that they are conservatives

And that they vote conservative, and yet claim to care about the issues you mention, actually tells me quite a lot.

You can deny that all you want, but I'll stick with my experience, thanks.

[Codeine]

24. That's just dumb.

If they voted to confirm him after allegations of sexual assault they were going to confirm him no matter what. There is no evidence whatever that serious Republican opposition to Kavanaugh existed prior to the sexual assault claims.

[In It to Win It]

31. That was the plan

They were going to confirm this guy no matter what. That was the plan. Had Jeff Flake said nothing about an investigation, they were going to vote to confirm him. Even if they believed Dr. Ford, they were still going to find some way to justify their confirmation vote.

[BeyondGeography]

33. It should be clear to you by now that Kav was only going to be pried from their cold, dead hands

To say that he was on his way to defeat prior to Blasey Ford is obtuse.

[leftstreet]

45. I didn't say he was on his way to defeat

Of course they were always going to confirm him

But the direction of the hearings changed dramatically...and no one will ever remember that politicians confirmed a perjurer, torture memo writer, unitary executive endorser, financially dirty shitbag from the Bush administration

[Blue_true]

27. I sort of agree with him also.

Not on Kavanaugh, but the general concept of the far left pursuing social justice to bad ends. If I had a chance to get Kim out of North Korea and his top hench men and women by offering them wealth and safety from prosecution in a sunny western location, I would take that deal in a heartbeat because the world will be much safer, but social justice warriors would agitate to have him tried for the crime that he did, ignoring all the good that getting him out of NK did. The social justice warriors crusade would be counter productive.

[Downtown Hound]

29. LOL. What a fantastical scenario that has no basis in reality. n/t

[Blue_true]

48. Whatever. nt

[Downtown Hound]

50. LOL. Pretty much the response I would expect from you.

I'm now going to go make up a completely impossible scenario that's never going to happen and automatically use it to slam a broad coalition of people I don't know and just automatically assume I know how they will react to it.

I learned it from you.

[Blue_true]

78. Yeah, whatever. nt

[Downtown Hound]

79. Like...totally.

[Anon-C]

5. I feel you. I love Bill but if that's his complaint, yeah, that's weak.

If he puts Kanye on I will be done with his show.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. White male whitesplains once again because HE is in charge!

[Downtown Hound]

10. Sums it up nicely.

[eleny]

16. Nailed it

..... .....

[Paladin]

9. You've just outlined why I gave up on Maher some time ago.

He is no friend to liberals. Fuck him and his libertarian opinions.

[rufus dog]

12. AKA

I've got shit in my past that is just as bad. Rather than confront the skeletons it is better to hide them deeper and blame those that are making me think about those skeletons.

[Grasswire2]

32. yes

Although the Ann Coulter thing was consensual.

On edit: Oh, I thought you were speaking for Maher and things in his past.

[rufus dog]

49. I am stating that Maher likely done many things he would prefer to bury.

Could be wrong.

[Hekate]

42. In reference to Maher? Yes, that man certainly sounds triggered, doesn't he?

He's a Libertarian mansplainer and whitesplainer, deep down.

[Iliyah]

13. Please stop it.

Democrats are in the minority in congress and the majority leaders don't believe in bipartisanship. The fix was in 2016. This is what they were preparing for over 40 years. They were at any means necessary going to sit RW people in the US SC.


Ya think it was easy peasy for women during the suffrage age. GOPers want to shut women off.


GOPers have awoken a movement that will prevail.

[Downtown Hound]

15. Um, stop what?

I'm criticizing Maher here precisely for the reasons you mention. He seems to think that there actually was a chance they weren't going to confirm Kavanaugh until the social justice warriors screwed it up.

I'm saying that's both ridiculous and offensive.

[Iliyah]

34. Damn I was directed to Maher not you.

[Downtown Hound]

35. Oh, sorry!

I misunderstood. My apologies.

[Azathoth]

18. Misleading headline. He didn't "blame them," he said the right scapegoated them

to portray the criticism of Kavanaugh as being the next step in their unreasonable witch hunt, now extended to trolling through people's high school records.

He doesn't like SJW's, but he didn't blame them for Kavanaugh.

[Downtown Hound]

23. He said going after Kavanaugh's past lends credence

To their claims of victimhood, and thus, helped get him on the court, which is complete crap. Which is it Bill, are we supposed to fight tooth and nail or are we just supposed to let things like attempted rape go unnoticed because of privacy issues? Do you think the Republicans would do the same thing? Or do you think they would exploit every weakness they could find?

[FreepFryer]

19. Bill Meh. Anyone who uses that alt-Right phrase non-ironically is a (not-so-secret) asshole. (n/t)

[Hoyt]

20. Not sure about Kavanaugh matter, so-called progressives who opposed Clinton

darn sure put us in this situation.

I thought the last part of Maher’s New Rules was right on.

[MurrayDelph]

21. I cancelled my HBO years ago

When Maher, in one of his "All religions are bad, but Muslims are always evil"' tirades, picked on the kid with the clock.

A friend of mine, who has written for Maher describes him as "a talented comedian, but a horrible human being."

[Downtown Hound]

36. Lousy actor too...

[Shemp Howard]

22. I (usually) admire Maher for his honesty.

Maher is a rare bird in that he is an honest commentator. He says just what he believes. He doesn't filter his comments. And most importantly, he has no agenda. Sometimes that's a very good thing. But sometimes it's not, and I've got to turn him off.

[Downtown Hound]

26. His honesty is one of the reasons why I sometimes like him

The only downside to that is his true temperment then sometimes comes out, and I find him obnoxious.

[Squinch]

25. Asshole.

[Snake Plissken]

28. Bill Maher is pretty much just another troll, his only good material is stolen from message boards

Just like this one.

lately he's been trying to expand his audience by catering to the likes of Steve Bannon, I don't even understand why people bother with him anymore.

[liberalmuse]

30. I'm really sick of people blaming liberals.

Liberals I respect are the ones who are handwringing, blaming the ones on the right side of history. Blame the conservative assholes responsible for this shit show, not the ones doing anything they can to stop it.

[DonCoquixote]

37. yes, this is the said Maher that used the n word

and wondered why people got mad.

Look Bill, it is one thing to worry that people can carry something too far..your "religulous" film shows a great example about how people can take some of the noblest ideals in human history, and then completely fuck them up when there is a gain to gain power. However, the fact is that when you exalt people who pretty much think women are rape bait, there will be a backlash, and it will be twice as forceful because of all the times people like you went "there there" to people who just did not want to get raped or groped.

You can talk about Hollywood, and for every story that ended in a "meh" (which still should be put on the same front page as the accusation) there are many stories about the Weinstiens, the Dennis Hasterts, The Bill Cosbys, the Les Moonves and others that damned well did what they were accused of, and who likely will still land on a soft cushion in the end. Even Bill Cosby, the black guy who went to jail form doing something white men did, will probably get a tell all book and be praised when he gets out. No, the temporary loss of Celebrity status is not a punishment that fits the crime, especially as the women who get left behind will never see the money these bastards make afterword.

But alas, Kavanaugh is on the court, and who knows what will happen if RBG dies, outside of all those "praise jesus" shouts you will hear. But frankly, Bill, maybe one of the people you should blame is a group that always favors the white men, and is always eager to add legitimacy to a Milo Yap or Grover Norquist or any of the other slime I usually see as honored guests on your show. YOU are the one who gives comfort to people's enemies, especially the enemies of women.

[struggle4progress]

38. "I blame liberals when conservatives put rightwing extremists on our courts!"

[Hekate]

39. Maher is obnoxious. Hubby tunes in when he finds a good guest, but Maher talks over them...

...to the point you wonder why they came. He did this with Neil deGrasse Tyson recently. Last night it was Doris Kearns Goodwin. Both of them had very good insights, when they could get a word in edgewise.

Maher is very full of himself and too clever by half.

[milestogo]

44. His "New Rules" always makes me laugh out loud.

[GeorgeGist]

47. Sounds like Bill's past needs examination.

[Downtown Hound]

51. I was wondering the same thing

He seems to have a fear about men being judged for things they've done in their past. Wonder why that is?

[ismnotwasm]

72. He's a pig.

[saidsimplesimon]

52. I am not a Maher fan. He swings with the ratings' winds.

[wryter2000]

56. He's a misogynist a-hole

Totally in it to make himself look clever at others' expense. Not interested in anything he has to say.

[dlk]

60. It's More of the Tired Blame Women First Propaganda

Women don’t do enough until they do too much. It’s always been a scam.

[Baitball Blogger]

61. Maybe Bill Maher has a personal reason to join the band of brothers?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

65. Fuck that guy.

[MicaelS]

66. I usually love Maher, but he screwed the pooch this time. n/t

[Newland56]

68. Cease fire

I respectfully request that we cease fire against all who oppose Donald Trump and the republican congress.
We are fighting for our existence and there are far worse things we can do than hold our tongues for another month or so.
No good can come from criticizing allies at this moment.

[Downtown Hound]

70. One of the good things I will say about Maher is that he is not stupid enough to not vote

or vote Republican because of this thread. He's no Susan Sarandon.

But as an ally, he's one of those, "with friends like these, who needs enemies" type of allies. He has long peddled the "Democrats are almost as bad" crap that in my opinion has done more to wound us as a party than anything else. If more liberals got over that whiny crap and voted Dem every time, or hell, if more of them just bothered to vote period in stead of being self-absorbed crybabies and whining that their candidate doesn't share 100% of their opinions or ideas, the Repukes would probably never win another national election again.

If you want a cease fire, then talk to Maher and those of his ilk for spreading the crap that they do instead of us for responding to it. They've been spreading their harmful bullshit for far too long.

[Newland56]

86. We need everyone

Maybe if we give him enough grief he won’t donate $2,000,000 to democrats next time.

[Downtown Hound]

87. And maybe if he shuts up with his constant blaming the left and false comparisons

We won't need it.

[Newland56]

88. Thank you

Thank you for your support of democratic candidates and your vote in the upcoming election. Every vote cast for democrats and against republicans helps

[MrsCoffee]

71. He has always been a misogynistic pig.

[JCanete]

73. Well that is a kooky argument. I have agreed with him on some free-speech points before and I

do think some campus tactics hurt us rather than help us, but no decision this judge made was going to cow republicans into not confirming him. They can completely wag their base whatever way they want to when it comes to draconian legal and policy decisions and they can pull whatever justification for it right out of their ass without consequence . It had to be a scandal of this proportion to make Republicans in swing states think twice. That it only made them think twice is pathetic but no surprise.

The thing about his past is that if true, it means he's lying and not taking ownership today. Yeah, people can change, but they have to actually show a willingness to do so, which involves taking responsibility. Also, if more information comes out and is corroborated in the future, democrats should hammer the shit out of republicans for rushing to confirm a man without properly vetting him. They should tie whatever his history is around the republican necks like an albatross...well, if only we didn't have a Manchin...and had democrats willing to hammer republicans for their corruption.

[Danascot]

83. He donated $2 million to Dem PACs

So I'm willing to give him a certain amount of slack for that.

Wealthy Democratic donors are going all out to help their party win back the House and Senate in the midterms. And comedian Bill Maher has again flashed his cash, donating $2 million to super PACs affiliated to both House and Senate Dems.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/bill-maher-gives-dollar2-million-to-democratic-super-pacs-report

[Downtown Hound]

84. Like I said, there are times that I really like Maher

And find him both funny and insightful. But there are other times that he says things (like this) that just really piss me off. But I know that Maher is not all bad. It's just that sometimes he just seems to get too full of himself.

[Initech]

85. If you use the term "social justice warrior", I will literally walk out of an argument.

That's it, i automatically know where you stand. No need to continue the conversation further.

[Takket]

89. wtf are we supposed to do?

"Hey this guy tried to rape me"

"OMG! When!"

"Back in the 80s"

"Oh, well we can't look into that because it would be SJWing and might hurt our chances of stopping his confirmation."