Last Friday’s Real Time with Bill Maher episode was only for those who’ve watched the show for years and could take the insanity. There have been worse episodes in the Bush and Obama era, but given today’s climate, there is nothing worse than when Mark Cuban and Joe Scarborough are on the panel, which followed a sit-down with David Hogg. That alone could lead to many conservatives switching the channel, and I wouldn’t blame them. Yet, Maher also slapped down Hogg’s anti-Israel nonsense right to his face.
Bill Maher challenges David Hogg's naive and waffling opinion on Israel:
— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) October 19, 2024
David Hogg: "I know that the Israeli people don't want the civilian casualties to continue. They want to bring their family members home, the hostages home, and they need to be brought home immediately. But… pic.twitter.com/i88ciupeYW
On the issue of free speech, Maher stood alone on that one as Cuban and Scarborough marginalized and rehashed the ‘Trump is nuts/the rule of law/January 6’ tropes again. The HBO host referenced liberal bureaucrats interfering with Elon Musk’s SpaceX tests. Scarborough also seemed irked by Maher’s take on the spreading of misinformation and how some in this country are far too willing to clamp down on free speech to enhance safety:
Bill Maher warns Democrats like Mark Cuban and Joe Scarborough that their unfair treatment of Elon Musk is proving Republicans' point that Democrats do not care about free speech:
— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) October 19, 2024
Bill Maher: "He launches his rockets from Vandenberg Space Force Base, used to call the Air Force… pic.twitter.com/ATx5At09XG
WATCH: Bill Maher completely schools Mark Cuban and Joe Scarborough for defending censorship and the left’s obsession to clamp down on @ElonMusk.
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) October 19, 2024
“The right thinks that the left is in a very different place with free speech than they have been before. And they're NOT WRONG.… pic.twitter.com/da7QAwdUJp
Bill Maher chastises Joe Scarborough and Mark Cuban for being as biased as Rachel Maddow:
— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) October 19, 2024
Joe Scarborough: "The rule of law. And that's what I believe is at stake in this election."
Bill Maher: "But it's just the attitude that I find scary that the far too willing to stifle… pic.twitter.com/eO1qNzHiLb
Yet, the real gem was Maher’s New Rules commentary, which also served as a coping exercise. Unlike MSNBC, CNN, and the Democratic Party base writ large, Maher knows there’s nothing that can derail Donald Trump regarding an October Surprise. There will be no ‘Hillary Clinton emails’ narrative to torpedo his campaign, where the comedian seemed semi-resigned that Kamala Harris is going to lose the election. He touched upon her atrocious answers during her media blitz that proved his point, like saying she’d change nothing Joe Biden did with the ladies of The View.
“No bueno,” he responded when they played that clip:
If you’re waiting for an October surprise against Trump, dream on, there are better odds of another “Joker” Musical. pic.twitter.com/n8r7pNzU4n
— Bill Maher (@billmaher) October 19, 2024
Via RealClearPolitics:
And finally, new rule, Democrats need to stop thinking an October surprise is going to save us from a second Trump term. I mean, look at this. We've gotten so used to thinking that there's always an October surprise coming that when it doesn't happen, it actually seems weird.
Like a party at Diddy's house where you just dance. The Access Hollywood tape in 2016 was a classic October surprise, and many people thought it was one that would work as grabbing pussy is generally frowned upon, including by James Comey, who was so disgusted by it, he reopened an investigation into Hillary a few weeks later.
[…]
…Trump could drunk drive with a blood alcohol content of a million, doing 200 on a side street and kill a crosswalk of kindergartners and two ducks, and it wouldn't move the needle at all. Trump's superpower as a candidate is that he has been so constantly and ubiquitously awful for so long that it's simply no longer seen, the way you wouldn't notice a new face tattoo on Post Malone. Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards once boasted, the only way I can lose this election is if I'm caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy.
Both of those could happen to Trump tomorrow, and it wouldn't matter. He's banged a porn star and attempted a coup. He steals from charities.
If you're waiting for an October surprise to knock him out, dream on. There are better odds of another Joker musical. There's a new Bob Woodward book that says when Americans couldn't get a COVID test, Trump was sending them to our worst enemy, Putin.
Shrug. Trump said last week that really doing the purge, like in the movie, might be a good crime fighting technique. He's the only candidate where the voters hope he doesn't keep his campaign promises.
[…]
Trump is invulnerable to an October surprise, but she is very vulnerable because she's the one who is still undefined. And as she showed in this week's Bret Baier interview, her go-to when attacked for her own actions is usually Trump is worse. Okay, we know that.
But now undecided voters want to hear about you. They want someone to vote for. This election comes down to this.
Trump has a coalition of voters made up of, A, people who really do like him, and B, people who think with all of his flaws, he's still better than far left insanity. And the voters' big doubt about Kamala is, are you part of far left insanity?
It’s now too late for Kamala to answer that question. Her aversion to such inquiries is all you need to know.