On Friday's Real Time on HBO, host Bill Maher aimed venom at a number of conservative public figures as he referred to Uncle Ben's rice in a racially tinged joke about Dr. Ben Carson, and asserted that it is President Reagan's fault that many middle aged white Americans have personal problems that lead them to drunkenness, heroin addiction, and early death, as the HBO host tagged them as "Trump voters."
The HBO liberal also twice called Kentucky Republican Governor-elect Matt Bevin a "teabagger" and asserted that Republicans "cheat a lot" to win elections.
Early on in the monologue, Maher made his first "teabagger" crack at Bevin. Maher:
Well, speaking of elections, this was election week, off year, not many places. But still a good indication of what's going on. Bad week for liberals. Weed legalization went down in Ohio. In Kentucky, they elected a teabagger governor who's going to try to repeal Obamacare there.
Later, during the panel discussion, he called Bevin a "teabagger" again as he whined about liberals not showing up to vote in off years:
But in Kentucky, one of the few states -- Southern states -- that had a Democratic governor, and Obamacare brought a lot of people to the insured rolls. A lot of people benefited from that. And this was supposed to be a very close election. And yet, the teabagger governor walked away with it because the liberals just didn't show up. There are two Americas, and only one of them votes.
Also in the monologue, Maher took aim at Dr. Carson and tied in Sarah Palin as he cracked:
So, on the political front, Ben Carson now the absolute frontrunner and getting the scrutiny that the frontrunner gets. And the more we find out how crazy he is, the more the base loves this guy. They love their black friend. Sarah Palin said, "Liberals just don't get it. Real Americans have always loved Ben ever since his face was on the box of rice."
He went on to attack Dr. Carson's intelligence:
But I got to say, of all the crazy s*** Ben Carson says, his latest is a doozy. Ben Carson now saying that the pyramids, you know, the actual pyramids in Egypt, not the Vegas ones, the actual pyramids in Egypt, not tombs for the pharaohs, as every archeologist in the world says, no. Joseph of the Old Testament of the Bible, he says, he built the pyramids to store grain. And made the Egyptians pay for it.
After calling the Old Testament a "comic book," he further went after Dr. Carson's mental acuity:
By the way, just to get clear, okay, the pharaohs real, that actually happened, pyramids real, you could actually see them. Joseph, character in a comic book called the Old Testament. Joseph, by the way, lived to 110 years old, the Bible says. in ancient Egypt when the main cause of death was puberty. The real Seventh Wonder of the World is how Ben Carson ever got out of medical school.
During a discussion of voter turnout in off years, after panel member Jillian Melchior of the Independent Women's Forum observed that Republicans "are getting much more efficient at mobilizing on a state level," Maher absurdly claimed that Republicans "cheat a lot." Maher:
Yeah, a lot of that is cheating. Yeah, they cheat. They do cheat. They do cheat a lot.
Earlier, during the monologue, the HBO host had gone all the way back to the 2000 Florida recount to accuse Jeb Bush of cheating:
Oh, poor Jeb Bush, what a bad week. Now his father has got a book out, everything is going bad for this guy. I'm not kidding. He came up with a new slogan. This is not a comedy slogan, this is actually his new slogan is, "Jeb Can Fix It." Well, if you don't think Jeb can fix things, remember the election in Florida in 2000? So he can fix things.
Later in the panel discussion, the HBO host brought up a study reporting that the mortality rate has increase for middle aged white Americans, theorizing that increased alcohol use and drug addiction were culprits. Maher claimed that such people who are "drunk" and "shooting up on heroin" are "Trump voters." Maher:
So let me give Trump a little bit of credit. His book, Crippled America, somehow this guy who sits in his giant tower on a gold throne all day has his finger right on the pulse. These are Trump voters: not college educated, white, and think America is crippled, "We don't win anymore, you got to make America great again." And they're sitting there at the end of the bar getting drunk, shooting up on heroin -- is hugely increased among white people -- and killing themselves.
He soon found a way to go back to the 1980s and blame President Reagan for problems of today:
JILLIAN MELCHIOR: There's a sense of despair. There's a sense of hopelessness, and I think that is in large part because white America is losing its religion.
BILL MAHER: It's also in large part because of the economic policies of Ronald Reagan that have been followed through for all these years.
Below is a transcript of relevant portions of the Friday, November 6, Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO:
10:02 p.m.
BILL MAHER Oh, poor Jeb Bush, what a bad week. Now his father has got a book out, everything is going bad for this guy. I'm not kidding. He came up with a new slogan. This is not a comedy slogan, this is actually his new slogan is, "Jeb Can Fix It." Well, if you don't think Jeb can fix things, remember the election in Florida in 2000? So he can fix things.
Well, speaking of elections, this was election week, off year, not many places. But still a good indication of what's going on. Bad week for liberals. Weed legalization went down in Ohio. In Kentucky, they elected a teabagger governor who's going to try to repeal Obamacare there. In Houston, equal LGBT rights went down the drain. Bad week for liberals. What's next? A kale shortage?
(...)
10:05 p.m.
So, on the political front, Ben Carson now the absolute frontrunner and getting the scrutiny that the frontrunner gets. And the more we find out how crazy he is, the more the base loves this guy. They love their black friend. Sarah Palin said, "Liberals just don't get it. Real Americans have always loved Ben ever since his face was on the box of rice."
But I got to say, of all the crazy s*** Ben Carson says, his latest is a doozy. Ben Carson now saying that the pyramids, you know, the actual pyramids in Egypt, not the Vegas ones, the actual pyramids in Egypt, not tombs for the pharaohs, as every archeologist in the world says, no. Joseph of the Old Testament of the Bible, he says, he built the pyramids to store grain. And made the Egyptians pay for it.
By the way, just to get clear, okay, the pharaohs real, that actually happened, pyramids real, you could actually see them. Joseph, character in a comic book called the Old Testament. Joseph, by the way, lived to 110 years old, the Bible says. in ancient Egypt when the main cause of death was puberty. The real Seventh Wonder of the World is how Ben Carson ever got out of medical school.
(...)
10:22 p.m.
But in Kentucky, one of the few states -- Southern states -- that had a Democratic governor, and Obamacare brought a lot of people to the insured rolls. A lot of people benefited from that. And this was supposed to be a very close election. And yet, the teabagger governor walked away with it because the liberals just didn't show up. There are two Americas, and only one of them votes. ... But really, when people say government is broken, people are broken because, you know what, I get it, not coming out to the polls because you don't care what happens in the bathrooms in Houston, but when it's your health, this is a life and death issue.
10:27 p.m.
JILLIAN MELCHIOR, INDEPENDENT WOMEN'S FORUM: But, you know, you look at this, and 990 Democrats since Obama took office have lost their state or local level seats, significant state or local level seats. I think that's a response. You know, Republicans are getting much more efficient at mobilizing on a state level.
MAHER: Yeah, a lot of that is cheating.
MELCHIOR: People are seeing this as an opportunity to so something.
MAHER: Yeah, they cheat. They do cheat. They do cheat a lot.
(...)
10:41 p.m.
MAHER: There was some really bad news for white people this week -- I was depressed all week -- the mortality rate -- this is amazing -- from white people with less than college education 45 to 54 -- that's people born in the 60s -- rose dramatically. This is the only comparable stats are from the HIV outbreak and when the USSR collapsed. Wow. They always say -- this is the theory, they don't really know the reasons -- drugs, alcohol, and suicide.
So let me give Trump a little bit of credit. His book, Crippled America, somehow this guy who sits in his giant tower on a gold throne all day has his finger right on the pulse. These are Trump voters: not college educated, white, and think America is crippled, "We don't win anymore, you got to make America great again." And they're sitting there at the end of the bar getting drunk, shooting up on heroin -- is hugely increased among white people -- and killing themselves.
(...)
10:43 p.m.
MELCHIOR: There's a sense of despair. There's a sense of hopelessness, and I think that is in large part because white America is losing its religion.
MAHER: It's also in large part because of the economic policies of Ronald Reagan that have been followed through for all these years.
