Maher Misses the Mark
By CJ Waldron
In a recent podcast, comedian and political commentator Bill Maher excoriated Democrats for cutting off family members who voted for Trump. He went on to say he f#cking hates Democrats and claimed that it’s because the party’s values have changed, while denying his political philosophy has been altered.
He really missed the mark on this one. He assumes people made this decision as a knee-jerk reaction to a one-time action. He came to the conclusion that this wasn’t done without a great deal of soul-searching and trying to reason with the family member.
Wrong!
We came to this decision after hours of anguish and increasingly difficult conversations with said family members. We tried, right up to Election Day, to convince them to reconsider, only to be rebuffed by accusations having Trump Derangement Syndrome or “going woke”.
No, Bill, it’s not about a single action that we distanced ourselves from certain family members. It’s about how they have embraced a leader who spews hatred and division. It’s about his ignoring the Constitution he will soon be taking an oath to defend once again. It’s about espousing a religious philosophy that promotes Christian Nationalism over the aforementioned Constitution. It’s about allowing a bunch of elderly men forcing their beliefs onto women’s healthcare decisions. It’s about demonizing immigrants, many who have made an arduous journey of thousands of miles in search of a better life or to escape violence while ignoring the actions of American citizens who stormed the Capital on January 6th. It’s about questioning those who embrace their precious firearms while watching schoolchildren being murdered by said weapons.
It’s about having the realization that, by supporting Trump, they are endorsing his values as their values. So, of course we are going to distance ourselves from such individuals, even if they are members of our own families. We cannot accept that Uncle Harry is a “good Nazi” without questioning his motivation for supporting racists, espousing hatred and condoning violence. We have to wonder if they are morally flawed.
Maher has said he might quit his long-running HBO show, “Real Time”, because he’s tired of talking about Trump and since he’s won re-election, he would be forced to do so for the next four years. Well, don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out. Your 15 minutes was up a long time ago.
About CJ Waldron
Chris, from Schenectady, NY, now lives in Conway, SC. He earned degrees in English and Political Science from the University of New York. For almost 30 years, he taught public school in Schenectady as an English and Special Education teacher. An adjunct instructor at Horry Georgetown Technical College, Chris is co-author of the three-volume series, Hijacked Nation, Donald Trump’s attack on America’s greatness.
2 Responses
Dear CJ,
You are so right about Bill Maher! Thank you for writing this piece. I have been tired of Maher and his egocentric rhetoric for a very long time.
I so hope he reads your blog!
Somehow, he always manages to miss the big picture, He believes that the general public changes their political beliefs and values as easily as he does.
Excellent point, Eileen. Thanks.