Thanks for the reminder that Real Time is back.

Just what we need ...more centrist schill takes from a schill

Maher is a pretty interesting showcase of how ideology progresses and how many people that may be seen as liberal overtime if they stay mostly the same end up closer to the right.

They should just cut both his opening monologue and “New Rules” bit at the end. Both are the weakest parts of the show and also force conversations with guests to be rushed dude to time constraints.

But I know his ego will never allow that.

Not so much a centrist as he as all-in on far right culture war bullshit.

they should put his youtube show on cnn might have to stop getting high with the guests though

Good. It’s funny to see the left proves Bill’s point over and over again lol

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Forreal. Especially new rules is so boring and rarely worth ending the convos

You could say that of most elected democrats over the age of 50 lol

Sure I'm not trying to act like it's a unique thing. Maher just has years of television showing it happen

Both just need to be more compact. Short monologue, couple jokes to start us off and get to the guest. Same with new rules. Just close out with it for a few minutes is all. They are fine as intro/outro but go on too long

Totally. I haven't watched Maher since the pandemic completely broke him and any redeeming qualities the show had left but I'm kinda curious how it's evolved since those early pandemic episodes and how far off the deep end he's fallen.

"Even Bill Maher is against the Libs..." is something you regularly see from Twitter folks with the American flag emoji, despite no one thinking Bill Maher is liberal for at least a decade.

Maher's humor devolved into the stereotype of a Libertarian - A Republican who smokes pot.

Notice that while Bill embraces the new love from his right wing friends, he absolutely does not bring up his hatred of religion as much as he used to

When it was acceptable to be openly hostile to Muslims after 9/11, Bill frequently mentioned his Atheism, he loved to attack Islam back then. He would occasionally attack Christianity, but it was typically railing against the Catholic Church

Since he's also devolved into a hack Contrarian, the new Bill Maher will no longer have panels to discuss atheism, he'd lose the diehard MAGA, anti vax types who now make up his fanbase.

Is your username the Sundowner song?

Yup

The show has actually improved after the downslide but not back to its previous quality and that seems gone now. He’s not getting great guests either. He’s pretty mad at the woke stuff but not because it’s wrong but he thinks it’s what’s causing people to not like dems. (Tbf this isn’t a particularly an unpopular opinion). More like he bitches that it’s their platform not that it’s wrong. But he just won’t shut up about jt. He makes a reasonable point than drags out too long. A lot of bitching at “young people” too (although not all misdirected). If anything he’s more open about having libertarian style ideas.

Anyways. Down from before, better than pandemic.

> He’s not getting great guests either.

I think this was my biggest problem when I finally gave up on the show. I agree with everything else you're saying and the worst of his opinions were certainly exacerbated by isolation everyone went through. But the appeal of the show for me was always the quality and variety in the guests. I obviously didn't always agree but on most issues it truly felt like the show had diversity of thought and that whether it was Bill or a panel guest there was a good element of spirited debate and being able to push back on any idea. No matter what you believe I think that kind of skepticism and pushback is important.

But then the pandemic hits, for a while the show is just him and truly awful (but what else were we watching that summer of 2020 lol). Then he goes back to the studio and understandably a lot of people are unable or unwilling to travel. And everything that happens in 2020 further divides people and platforming certain kinds of people becomes actively dangerous and stops others from wanting to engage. Bill himself is even pushing back less. Like, having a Milo or Kellyanne or whomever (just examples) even in 2019 hits different than in late 2020/2021.

Combine that with Bill's opinions getting worse and it just became unwatchable. I believe it's better now but the relief I felt when I finally gave up gives me no desire to go back.

I wouldn't say far right or centrist. He's a Clinton-era neo-liberal who tips towards libertarianism on social issues. His anti-woke schtick is rooted in the latter.

I often skip past both.

. I can provide my own opinions and jokes.

New Rules is getting further and further into "old man yells at cloud" territory.

He’s become insufferable.

He thinks giving these crazy right wing people a platform and asking mayyyybe one pointed question with no follow up is him doing some kind of civic duty.

Maher is clown shoes nowadays.

He’s so aggressively trying to be centrist he’s just become right wing himself. Which is what centrist is in this country.

Left now is what centrist used to be.

Boomeritis is really getting deep into him with age.

Once he stopped traveling due to COVID, he stopped being anywhere near center. Turns out he is an easy mark for right wing talking pieces. Without anyone in the room to tell him how crazy things are, he will parrot all the right wing crap.

Same weakness Rogan has, I believe.