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Bill Maher Tears Down the Republican Myth that Obama has Ruined America
On Real Time, Bill Maher challenged and shattered the Republican delusion that Obama has ruined America.
Here is the video:
Maher said,
It just doesn’t feel like Obama has ruined America. Republicans used to talk a lot about this thing called the stock market, and how it helped not just the rich, but middle class folks whose pensions and 401ks depended on it, well now they never seem to mention the stock market. Perhaps, because under President Blackenstein the Dow has doubled, or as Republicans call it, devastating economic news.
Now, there certainly still is poverty in our country, but it’s obviously among the underclass that you don’t see. The very people that today’s Republicans could give a sh*t about, so I don’t understand why they’re all so upset about the economy, except of course, it’s their big issue. So they have to pretend that America is a rotten compost where people are eating cat food and wiping their ass with the Pennysaver. And weirdly, Obama kind of has to pretend that too, because if he doesn’t, then he’s out of touch.
So we all wind up living in this fictional picture of America that actually would be more appropriate for the year before Obama took office. Remember 2008? I do. That’s when Lehman Brothers collapsed and the market froze and they measuring GM for a pumpkin lot. And when you opened your bank statement you saw the drowned Japanese girl from The Ring, and then you died.
And yes, I am saying we can keep blaming Bush for that. It’s the same as blaming rats for the Black Plague. Just because you’re sick of hearing historians saying it doesn’t mean it stopped being true. George Bush left a flaming pile of dog sh*t on the White House steps, and now it’s gone, and Mitt Romney has a hell of a nerve running on the idea that I’m going to fix the economy by restoring the policies of the party that destroyed it.
The question that voters should ask themselves over the last month of this campaign is a simple one. Do I want to go back to the policies of George W. Bush? That’s what Mitt Romney is offering. No matter what the issue, foreign or domestic, Romney’s answer is to do what Bush did.
Obama’s argument that progress has been made was greatly aided by the new jobs numbers which prove, as Maher pointed out, that this absurd idea that America has been ruined by President Obama is simply not true.
Only through the bizzaro glasses that cloud the Republican worldview could things like tax cuts and improved access to healthcare be seen as the roots of ruination for our country. However, that’s what Mitt Romney and the GOP have decided to sell the voters.
Maher was correct. Go to the mall, and you’ll see more people shopping. I noticed months ago that friends and family who were putting out applications every day started getting called in for interviews, and they are now getting jobs. The evidence of real tangible economic improvement is all around us, but Republicans are trying to win an election, so they are trying to attach the sins and stumbles of their president to Barack Obama.
Republicans are hoping to make a majority of Americans forget the facts, ignore the signs of economic improvement that are all around them, and vote for Mitt Romney. But just like how we all know that rats caused the Black Plague (Maher’s analogy), the American people haven’t forgotten that it was the Republicans who destroyed the economy.
Romney had a window of opportunity to sell his alternate universe economy right after the debate, but the new jobs numbers sent him crashing back to Earth, and reminded America that Barack Obama really does have this country moving forward.
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17 Responses to Bill Maher Tears Down the Republican Myth that Obama has Ruined America
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Celia
Oct. 6th, 2012 at 5:32 pm
Bill Maher is on it!!!! Obama took over as 1.9 million jobs were lost in 2008. 533,000 jobs in Nov 08. Seems funny everything is Obama’s fault, but ole George is faultless???? Keep drinking the Kool Aid. 3 unfunded wars, prescription drug plan, and massive tax cuts. Follow the dots to the destruction of this country…It is called Republicans!!!!
Ryan Ruddock
Oct. 6th, 2012 at 5:57 pm
It just says “Here’s the video” and then there’s this space. Where’s the video?
Warren G. Richards
Oct. 6th, 2012 at 6:06 pm
Bill Maher is a definite favorite, from early appearances on the sitcom Roseanne and elsewhere to his provacative political show cancelled after that non-witch-lady to his Victory Begins At Home standup concert on HBO, which I quote from on my facebook Info, and his awesome commentary panel show Real Time on HBO now.
Even knowing that HBO needs to keep the interest of a wide array of viewers, the fact that Maher and his fellow-producers continually invite ignoramuses on Real Time is enough to make me turn it off sometimes.
With Maher’s noteworthy liberal views and support of President Obama and the Democrats, I sometimes need to remind myself that he is an entertainer in the business of entertaining everyone; not only us open-minded liberals.
Take care and hangg in there, everyone.
Your friend,
Warren
Warren G. Richards
Kayenta, Mesa and Tucson AZ
Marilyn R. Meier-O'Brien
Oct. 6th, 2012 at 6:38 pm
Keep yup the good work Bill. We have your back as you have President Obamas. TU I’m sorry but my name isn’t O’Brirn it is O’Brien
David Hinson
Oct. 6th, 2012 at 7:23 pm
funny about werewolves, my post on a teabagger site today in part:/ 2 unpaid for wars- on al Qeada just- IRAQ unjust and false claims; TAX cuts to the wealthy resulted in no jobs as promised [3rd occurrance this has happened]; A well timed, planned coup d’etat by the financial engineers of wall street, the largest theft ever perpetrated on the American people and causing a near complete financial collapse [ a sign our top capitalists are selling us out and cannot be trusted] ; the staggering number of businesses, jobs moved out of the U.S. [since our economy is based on GNP, forget the company profits, this is proving to be economic suicide- another sign our top capitalists and leading businessmen are selling out America]and in health care’s rising costs- ALL STUDIES that deal with this are done solely by the insurance and pharmaceutical companies, who have a vested interest on skewing data to lean towards procedures and medicines that make the most profit, and not necessarily the best, least expensive, or healthier choice. don’t forget a bailout of GM, BUT in a contractual agreement that they improve gas mileage by 100% in [12?] years. [something that could have been done already, but the gasoline companies don't want that.] PEOPLE! LOOK AT ALL THOSE MAJOR FINANCIAL GIANTS THAT OUR PRESIDENT HAS TAKEN TO TASK. it takes no scientist to figure out who and why is bankrolling the propaganda machine against him. and you still argue non issues on his citizenship, and religion- and stupid things he has never mentioned- for instance- the ONLY gun bill he has signed was LIFTING brady era restrictions. the wolves have been closing in us for years, so close you think you know them, can pet them…but they will EAT US. Our President is trying to ward off those wolves. STOP LISTENING TO THE WOLVES, THEY ARE NOT OUR FRIENDS. [ i know, pearls before swine]
Sally
Oct. 6th, 2012 at 7:55 pm
And now the ACA has made it possible to catch and arrest a whole bunch of Medicare cheaters in several states. Will Fox even mention this, or will this too, be attributable to some fanciful GOP policy or even something Mitt did in MA? They cannot give one iota of credit to this President. I don’t know what drives him past the daily BS to keep working for even these morons. He is far stronger than I am..I want to strangle a few of them!
Terri
Oct. 6th, 2012 at 8:54 pm
*skipped at least the first half
labman57
Oct. 7th, 2012 at 12:25 am
Perhaps right wing pundits and bloggers have forgotten why Obama was elected. The Bush/Cheney regime took a colossal economic and foreign policy dump on the United States during their 8 year reign, and Obama pledged to spend his first term in office undoing the damage.
So what exactly is their gripe? Well, some right-of-center folks bemoan that they can still smell the stench, essentially complaining “Haven’t you finished cleaning up our mess yet?”, while the more diehard, staunch conservatives indignantly cry out “That is our crap. We like it the way it was. It’s un-American to mess with it. Leave it alone!”
TLH
Oct. 7th, 2012 at 8:42 am
“I noticed months ago that friends and family who were putting out applications every day started getting called in for interviews, and they are now getting jobs.”
Not everyone is. My husband is still searching, 4 years later.
Nora22
Oct. 10th, 2012 at 10:52 pm
A lot of people are still searching–good people with a lot to offer a worthy employer. That’s why there was a jobs bill, and even a veterans’ jobs bill. We need to stop giving incentives to take jobs out of the country in the worst way, as soon as possible.
Romney has no clue and does not care about job stability in the US; his entire career is about destroying jobs and the country. Let’s work hard at reelecting Obama, then even harder at keeping his feet to the fire on correcting the jobs situation.
Jay
Oct. 7th, 2012 at 9:15 am
I finally started working again in August, my first full-time job since June 2007. In 2008 I didn’t have a single hour of paying work. Since then, I had a day here or there as a computer repair contractor, until this job came along. And I am thrilled that I am actually earning enough money to actually pay income taxes.
Anne
Oct. 7th, 2012 at 9:36 am
There have been times I have disagreed with Bill Maher, but he nailed it precisely in this instance. The penchant of so many of Americans for instant gratification even when it comes to solving long-standing problems often keeps folks from seeing the forest for the trees. One of the flaws in our political system is that it’s not conducive to long-term planning, which is necessary for the best outcomes in anything such as education, job training, updating of infrastructure, foreign policy, and health care. Someone could be president for 4 or 8 years and enact important legislation, which could easily be undone by a following president of the opposing political party. I firmly believe that in 2010, that penchant for instant gratification led to the election of state, local, and Congressional politicians who talked a good talk about job creation, but ended up trying to do right-wing social engineering. The issues we are facing took years–more than 6 4-year presidential terms–to develop. As long as folks vote on pique, they will always be part of the problem as opposed to being part of a solution.
clarence swinney
Oct. 7th, 2012 at 11:00 am
CONSERVATIVE HISTORY
1945-1980, we taxed Wealth to pay down wwii debt.
It will be necessary to pay down Conservative 15,000B Debt most incurred since 1980 by Conservatives.
Reagan not Congress submitted 8 budgets
Total-over 7000 Billion for 8 years.
Prior 50 years we spent 6066 Billion
Congress cut his total dollars requested by small amount.
Reagan whined his budgets were dead on arrival
All presidents budgets are adjusted in Congress.
Carter last budget spent 575B and ended with a debt of 917B
Reagan cut revenue by 750B across the board income tax cut.
Larry Speakes his OMB director wrote in his book “Speaking out”
the tax cut was a trojan horse to coverup Reagan 60% cut for the richest
The 750B individual “income” tax cut increased “income” tax revenues by 140 Billion.
That tax cut certainly did not pay for itself.
Reagan Record
Increased spending by 80%-deficits by 110% and debt by 189%
He cut Carter 218,000 per month job growth by 24%
Bush II
Increased spending by 90% –debt by 112% (doubled)–deficit from surplus to 1400B
Worst job creation since Hoover—31,000 per month—2 dumb wars–
Since 1980 three Conservative presidents increased spending from 575B to 3500B(less wjc itsy bitsy)
Deficit from surplus to 1400B—Debt from 1000B to 10,000B—Jobs from Carter 218,000 per month to 99,000. Initiated our involvement in 10 foreign conflicts.
Is Romney a repeat?
techieweenie
Oct. 7th, 2012 at 4:41 pm
Clarence Swinney is there a credible link where to get those numbers….I’d like to show them to a few folks, unless you crunched them yourself, then good work.
TM
Oct. 7th, 2012 at 12:18 pm
Hate to tell you this, but, those “jobs” that have been created are predominantly in low paying service: call centers, retail, food service. Those are NOT the professional jobs that many of us lost and are seeking.
I’ve been out of work since 2008. A professional, highly educated and experienced. I’ve been told I’m too senior nearly every month. I’m 54. Companies are looking for kids with 2-3 yrs experience and will not accept those of us with more.
I just lost my house and will be living in my little car.
Hate to tell you this Bill, but, those people on the streets are NOT all idiots with nothing to offer this society. I speak with people just like me every month. We are the NEW poor. Those who cannot find ANY work and have lost a lifetime of assets, worth, and viability.
Stop perpetuating the myth that those who are still suffering are lazy dolts. We are not. We are for some reason marginalized out of the “official” numbers.
Shiva (Moderator)
Oct. 7th, 2012 at 1:33 pm
Your definition of jobs is a little off. Manufacturing is up, healthcare services are up
I am 62 with a background in quality and just got a job in a manufacturing plant that is busting at the seems with work. And the busting has started in the last year. My position is semi professional. There are lots of places hiring around me that work for toyota and other car suppliers. Depends on where you are
RegNYC
Oct. 7th, 2012 at 1:11 pm
Actually it wasn’t the rats, it was the fleas. But good point anyway.