Bill Maher | Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion - Part 3
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Bill Maher Tag

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 28, 2018 12 Comments
Bill Maher can be infuriatingly liberal, but when he gets something right, he gets it really right. And what he frequently gets right are issues related to free speech, political correctness, liberal intolerance and false accusations of Islamophobia. And Israel. Here are some of the things he has gotten really right that we have previously covered:

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on January 21, 2018 24 Comments
As the #MeToo movement faces backlash from the left and backlash to the backlash from other elements of the left, Bill Maher wades into the controversy.  Maher, who is unafraid to say things that will be unpopular with his leftist audience, stated that he is "down with #MeToo, I’m not down with #MeCarthyism.” Maher notes that the #MeToo movement has developed into a McCarthy-like witch hunt that does not distinguish between degrees of offense or even between a joke and sexual harassment.  He labels them "distinction deniers."

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on April 30, 2017 18 Comments
Yesterday, Professor Jacobson penned a compelling argument about the dangers of being "branded" by President Trump:  Trump brands tend to spread . . . and stick. The latest person to be branded, he explained, is Elizabeth Warren, who falsely claimed to be Native American in an attempt to further her career.  You can read the details here. Speaking at the NRA convention, Trump referred to Warren as "Pocahontas," and the prof observed that "Trump is branding her.  And being someone who was a fake Indian is her brand. She’ll never shake it."

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 29, 2017 22 Comments
I always find it amusing when liberals accuse other liberals of being too soft, too apologetic, too willing to give in. In contrast, liberals portray Republicans, and particularly the dreaded Tea Party, as tough as nails, unapologetic, and unyielding. As they say in liberal land, that is not my "lived experience." And I should know.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 27, 2016 10 Comments
Bill Maher is the proverbial broken clock. While I disagree with him on most issues, he's been accurate and articulate on the problems facing the West from Islamism, and particularly as to the dangers Israel faces. The other night he talked about Donald Trump's address to AIPAC in light of the Brussels terror attack, and made the point that given how miserably Europe treats Israel, perhaps the Europeans will finally understand what Israel faces. Israel National News reports:
During a panel discussion on his late-night HBO show Real Time, Maher blasted the UN and scolded Europe for its behavior towards Israel. "Europe has been real a******s about Israel," Maher said. "I mean, in general. The U.N. – as of 2015, the United Nations Human Rights Council had issued more official condemnations of Israel than the rest of the world's nations combined. I wonder now that Europe has been attacked four times now in a little over a year, and they say ISIS has 400 fighters that they are ready to introduce back into Europe, and they're trying to get a dirty bomb - maybe Europe will have a little more sympathy for what Israel goes through."
Video via RCP:

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on October 17, 2015 19 Comments
Every once in a while, Bill Maher tip toes out of the progressive box and makes statements or asks questions that stun his audience and the media. Reacting to Bernie Sanders' agenda and its estimated $18 trillion price tag, Maher challenged him by asking how America will pay for his radical agenda. Watch:
After beginning the interview by stating that he doesn't think "most Americans realize that they’re already socialists," Maher challenges Sanders' the top 1% can pay for everything under the sun premise.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 20, 2015 12 Comments
As with most Ann Coulter books, her new volume Adios, America! has liberals in a twist. Here's the book's self-description:
Ann Coulter is back, more fearless than ever. In Adios, America she touches the third rail in American politics, attacking the immigration issue head-on and flying in the face of La Raza, the Democrats, a media determined to cover up immigrants' crimes, churches that get paid by the government for their "charity," and greedy Republican businessmen and campaign consultants—all of whom are profiting handsomely from mass immigration that's tearing the country apart. Applying her trademark biting humor to the disaster that is U.S. immigration policy, Coulter proves that immigration is the most important issue facing America today.
Adios America Cover Media Matters quickly developed the meme for attacking the book:

Posted by Amy Miller on February 07, 2015 6 Comments
Last night's Real Time with Bill Maher was a mixed bag of weird and weirder. The brutal burning death of a Jordanian fighter pilot, and Jordan's scorched-earth response, has sparked debate about the best way to respond to the continuing threat of ISIS, as well as the United States' proper role in the conflict. This, of course, has led to an uptick in talking heads gathering together to blame coalition forces for ISIS' brutal retaliation against hostages---and last night, they were out in full force: Via Mediaite:
Johann Hari brought up the brutality from nations supported by the United States and said lots of jihadist actions result from U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. And, he said, “the more we show ourselves to be good or loving or decent people,” the less there will be. Maher didn’t think showing the ISIS video is necessary, and then remarked upon how “America has also burned people alive from the air.” And while he acknowledged that collateral damage from drone strikes is different from deliberately burning a man alive and “we’re not the moral equivalent of ISIS,” Maher said the U.S. isn’t “guilt-free” when it comes to horrible acts.
Watch:

Posted by Mike LaChance on January 18, 2015 12 Comments
Bill Maher has been on a free speech tear lately, and if you look back at the last few months it makes perfect sense. In December of 2014 he was booked to speak at UC-Berkeley's commencement; but liberal students who disagreed with his views on Islam and free speech tried to shut him down. Of course, Professor Jacobson predicted all of this. Maher ultimately spoke at Berkeley---and used the opportunity to bash Republicans. Even so, you have to admire Maher's recent strong defense of free speech. Here's a clip from his Friday show where he took liberals to task on political correctness over Islam. He even takes a poke at the "Stop Rush" crowd. (NSFW for language)
Josh Feldman of Mediaite does a great job outlining the segment:

Posted by Amy Miller on November 08, 2014 8 Comments
Democrats are still in full cover up mode days after the Republican wave crashed over the heads of embattled progressive candidates, and even pundits who have conceded that Democrats totally blew it are still scrambling to convince the American people that the election had nothing to do with the merits of liberal policies. Bill Maher hosted a romp on his Friday night show in which he did his best to convince his guests that this election wasn't a rejection of progressive lawmaking, but a referendum on Barack Obama, his blackness, and...other...things?...that I can't quite tease out at the moment. Via Mediaite:
That being said, he still had some issues with Republicans, like how, Maher claimed, the entire GOP victory was all about a continuing resentment of the “first black president.” Maher said their entire strategy was “screw Obama, we hate Obama,” and was amazed that it actually worked. Senator Bernie Sanders said it’s very easy to beat up on Obama instead of talking about big issues that affect the country. Maher pointed out how few Democratic candidates said anything positive about Obama and said they just suck. He argued they didn’t have that hard of a record to run on, and when actual Democratic policies were on the ballot, voters approved them. Maher said the Democrats were just horrible and “treated Obama like a teenager treats his mother.”
Watch:

Posted by Amy Miller on October 30, 2014 16 Comments
We wrote previously about UC Berkeley students' attempt to block comedian Bill Maher from speaking at the university's commencement ceremonies. Students circulated a petition citing "hateful" statements like the one contained in the tweet below as reasons why Maher should not be allowed to speak at the ceremony. Unfortunately for Berkeley's future community organizers, Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas B. Dirks disagrees with the premise of their petition, and has overturned a student vote blocking Maher from speaking at graduation. Via Inside Higher Ed:
"The UC Berkeley administration cannot and will not accept this decision, which appears to have been based solely on Mr. Maher’s opinions and beliefs, which he conveyed through constitutionally protected speech," said a statement from the university. "For that reason Chancellor Dirks has decided that the invitation will stand, and he looks forward to welcoming Mr. Maher to the Berkeley campus. It should be noted that this decision does not constitute an endorsement of any of Mr. Maher’s prior statements: indeed, the administration’s position on Mr. Maher’s opinions and perspectives is irrelevant in this context, since we fully respect and support his right to express them. More broadly, this university has not in the past and will not in the future shy away from hosting speakers who some deem provocative."

Posted by Mike LaChance on October 28, 2014 24 Comments
Back in September, Prof. Jacobson asked How long before Bill Maher is banned on campus? It turns out the answer is... about a month. Greg Piper of the College Fix reported yesterday:
UC-Berkeley students try to derail Bill Maher from speaking at graduation Comedian, pundit and HBO host Bill Maher is scheduled to speak at the University of California-Berkeley’s December graduation, and students are already lining up to get him disinvited, citing his controversial remarks on Islam, the Daily Californian reports:
The Change.org petition was authored by ASUC Senator Marium Navid, who is backed by the Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian Coalition, or MEMSA, and Khwaja Ahmed, an active MEMSA member. The petition, which urges students to boycott the decision and asks the campus to stop him from speaking, has already gathered more than 1,400 signatures as of Sunday. … “It’s not an issue of freedom of speech, it’s a matter of campus climate,” Navid said. “The First Amendment gives him the right to speak his mind, but it doesn’t give him the right to speak at such an elevated platform as the commencement. That’s a privilege his racist and bigoted remarks don’t give him.” … “(Jon) Stewart and (Stephen) Colbert are critical of religion, too, but Bill Maher has, on several occasions, said to rise up against religious people and religious institutions and take action,” Ahmed said.
Here's an example of what's gotten Maher into trouble with Berkeley students. (language warning – NSFW)
If you watched the video, you may have noticed that Maher mentioned Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 08, 2014 20 Comments
Elizabeth Warren says she "is not running" for President. (You know where I'm going with this, don't you?) Progressives will not take "is not running" for an answer. Ready for Warren is up and running, and now so are other progressive groups in Iowa and New Hampshire, as reported by The Hill, Liberal grass roots gather to find a challenger for Hillary Clinton:
Liberal groups are building a grassroots army in Iowa and New Hampshire in hopes of stopping a Hillary Clinton coronation in 2016. While the progressive groups don’t have a candidate, they are hiring organizers and opening offices as if one will emerge. At a minimum, the groups hope their efforts will push Clinton to the left. And if the political winds blow just right, the activists hope Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) will take the plunge — and turn their organizing work into the foundation for her candidacy.
Bill Maher just kissed the ring (featured image). Watch Warren's reaction when Maher says “You're going to make a terrific presidential candidate and an even better President of the United States!” :

Posted by Joel Engel on February 17, 2013 10 Comments

It’s a good thing for anti-Semites that Israel exists.  If it weren’t for the Jewish state, they’d have no place to hide their “socialism of fools.”  What used to be considered déclassé—“Jews run the world,”etc.—can now be safely repackaged with little or no criticism as...