Bill Maher Delivers a Brutal Smackdown of California’s Wildfire Response

Bill Maher Delivers a Brutal Smackdown of California’s Wildfire Response

Although comedian Bill Maher is a Democrat, he is an honest one, and I hold a great deal of respect for him. Over the past few years, Maher has candidly criticized his party’s sharp leftward shift, never hesitating to speak his mind.

On Friday night’s episode of his HBO show, Real Time with Bill Maher, he delivered a scathing monologue titled Welcome to the Bungle. In it, Maher criticized state and local government officials for their response to California’s wildfires, accusing them of prioritizing woke principles over their constituents’ most basic need—water to fight fires.

Although wildfires are a recurring issue in the region, officials seemingly did not have a comprehensive disaster response plan to deal with it.

Since the first fire broke out in Pacific Palisades on January 7, we’ve all watched countless hours of coverage on television and read endless commentary about the city’s inadequate response. But Maher’s sharp wit and biting critique cut deeper, making his take even more impactful.

Maher joked, “We just got our ass kicked by fire. Something Neanderthals fought to a tie. The good news is our fire chief is a lesbian.”

Turning serious, he says, “Am I against a lesbian being chief? Of course not. Do I think a lesbian can do the job? Of course, I do. And maybe she’s the best person for the job, or maybe they really wanted a lesbian in that job and she’s just the best lesbian for the job. And with essential services, that’s not good enough.”

He calls Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass “the Nero of American politics.” She was “fiddling in Ghana while the city burned and later placed the blame on eight months of negligible rain and winds that have not been seen in L.A. in at least 14 years. Yeah, that’s not that long a time. Maybe look in the history books to see how our ancestors handled it back in 2011.”

Maher also targeted California Gov. Gavin Newsom. “When asked why so many of the hydrants in the Palisades ran out of water, Governor Newsom said the local folks are trying to figure that out. Yeah, you’ve got to do that before the fire.”

He also hit progressives over their obsession with carbon reduction, noting, “You know what the absolute worst thing for the environment is? Wildfires. A [20]22 study found that the smoke from just the two in 2020 wiped out 18 years of carbon reduction in the state, which means we suffered the pain of driving those early model Priuses. California is the place that spends money and gets nothing, which is why you may have noticed when the fires broke out, no one escaped by high-speed rail.”

I highly recommend watching the monologue. (Or, if you prefer, you can scroll down for a full transcription via RealClearPolitics.)

One question remains: After being “mugged by reality,” will Maher continue to vote for Democratic candidates in future state elections?

The full transcription of the monologue was published on RealClearPolitics:

BILL MAHER, HBO: And finally, new rule, we may not be able to do much about the weather, but we do need a better plan for putting out a burning city than waiting for rain. America is so partisan now that even when there’s a disaster of any kind, so many people choose to defend their own team, even over death. A lot of Democrats in this one-party state this week went right to, don’t blame politicians, you can’t do anything about the wind.

Which is exactly half-true, the wind part. Yes, fire is a tough fight out here, and yes, global warming absolutely makes it worse. But that’s largely out of our control.

What are we going to do, pass a ballot measure to make sure Chinese stop burning coal? It’s also, yes, undeniably true that LA is built in a stupid place to build a city. But when it’s not on fire, it’s really quite lovely.

And it’s my home. And stupid as its origin may be, it’s not going anywhere. Axios ran a story on how getting the water out of the hydrants in Pacific Palisades was more complicated than it seems.

I’m sure it is. I’m sure it’s very complicated. That’s why I pay 13% of my income in this state every year to people who I assumed were working on things like this.

When asked why so many of the hydrants in the Palisades ran out of water, Governor Newsom said the local folks are trying to figure that out. Yeah, you’ve got to do that before the fire. At least in the Palisades, the hydrants were still there.

300 other ones around the city are just gone, stolen for parts. One of the three reservoirs for the Palisades was offline at the one time of year when it was most needed. L.A.’s Mayor Karen Bass, the Nero of American politics, was fiddling in Ghana while the city burned and later placed the blame on eight months of negligible rain and winds that have not been seen in L.A. in at least 14 years. Yeah, that’s not that long a time. Maybe look in the history books to see how our ancestors handled it back in 2011. The mayor said about cuts to the fire department’s budget, There were no reductions that were made that would have impacted the situation.

The fire chief here had a slightly different take. She said, We are screaming to be properly funded. And yes, the budget was cut and it did impact our ability to provide service.

And by the looks of all the fire engines in the boneyard out of service because we didn’t fix them, she’s right. Exposed power lines keep causing fires and keep not getting buried underground because it’s expensive. I’ve heard people say, Do you want to pay more taxes to fund this?

No, I want you to use the exorbitant taxes you already collect to prioritize it. The power lines that cut through Topanga weren’t upgraded because it endangered an herb, the milk vetch, which sounds like something they serve at Passover. I mean, talk about not seeing the forest for the trees.

You know what the absolute worst thing for the environment is? Wildfires. A [20]22 study found that the smoke from just the two in 2020 wiped out 18 years of carbon reduction in the state, which means we suffered the pain of driving those early model Prius’s. California is the place that spends money and gets nothing, which is why you may have noticed when the fires broke out, no one escaped by high speed rail.

We have the highest marginal tax rate in America, higher than almost all other states and soon Greenland. What is included for that? Breadsticks, because it clearly doesn’t cover fire.

That’s government’s job. Protect us from crime, violence, theft, fire. I’m not saying Alabama would have done better with fires by fighting them with prayer in school, but look me in the eye and tell me anyone could have done worse.

We just got our ass kicked by fire. Something Neanderthals fought to a tie. The good news is our fire chief is a lesbian.

Am I against a lesbian being chief? Of course not. Do I think a lesbian can do the job?

Of course I do. And maybe she’s the best person for the job, or maybe they really wanted a lesbian in that job and she’s just the best lesbian for the job. And with essential services, that’s not good enough.

Crowley’s official bio says, Chief Crowley leads a diverse department, creating, supporting and promoting a culture that values diversity, inclusion and equity while striving to meet and exceed the expectations of the communities. Well, you didn’t exceed my expectations, which was that the whole city wouldn’t burn down. But it’s telling that diversity is mentioned twice before we get to while, while striving to meet expectations.

Now, can you do two things at once? Yes. But it matters where your head is.

Deputy Chief Kristen Larson said this.

DEPUTY CHIEF KRISTEN LARSON: LAFD FIREFIGHTER: You want to see somebody that responds to your house, your emergency, whether it’s a medical call or a fire call, that looks like you.

MAHER: Which would sound kind of racist if a Southern sheriff said it. So, so, so we should be sending white firefighters to white houses and black ones to. Who teaches people this bullsh*t?

No one cares what someone looks like when they’re pulling you out of a burning house. Larson also seems to believe that if a female firefighter can’t pick up a man, it’s his fault. She said he got himself into the wrong place if I have to carry him out of a fire.

Well, tell that to these guys, because who pays the highest price when politicians don’t prioritize basic services? The first responders are heroes who every time go above and beyond because they have to, because we leave it all to them. Now, is wokeness the main reason for the fires?

Of course not. But it’s also not wrong to associate some of the unforced errors our government made with the things normies see as hallmarks of uber-progressive politics. Questionable budget priorities, high taxes that get you nothing, making everything about identity politics, virtue signaling overseas instead of tending to the nuts and bolts at home.

Cali has no shortage of safety commissions and agencies and bureaucrats and regulators and, of course, sign language interpreters who communicate with their face. But common sense? We better get some of that back soon, because wildfires in California are like boob jobs in a strip club.

Inevitable, and they’re only going to get bigger.

Elizabeth writes commentary for The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation and a member of the Editorial Board at The Sixteenth Council, a London think tank. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.

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