Real Time With Bill Maher: ‘Monologue: Banana Republicans’

Source:Real Time With Bill Maher– talking about Banana Republicans. When he’s right, he’s damn right.

Source:The New Democrat 

“Bill recaps the top stories of the week, including the House GOP’s controversial decision to release “The Memo.”

From Real Time With Bill Maher

Watching CNN yesterday afternoon as I was working ( of course ) they were obviously covering the release of the Devin Nunes memo and they had Robert Baer on who was a career CIA intelligence officer before he retired several years ago that Donald Trump probably sees as some Marxist-Communist member of the so-called Deep State. Communists working for the CIA is about as common as Muslims and Latinos voting for Donald Trump in Alabama.

But that being said, Bob Baer was on CNN yesterday talking about the memo and he called it a piece of trash. Now, if he was part of HBO’s special coverage of the Nunes memo or Showtime, he probably would’ve called it a piece of shit, because that is exactly what it is. All it is, is Trumpian talking points about the FBI and broader intelligence community in America and this conspiracy theory that Donald Trump and his supporters have that the intelligence community is out to get President Trump.

When Bill Maher calls these Trump supporters of the House Banana Republicans, he ain’t lying. These House Republicans on the Intelligence Committee ( of all places ) see themselves now as defense lawyers and operatives for the White House.

These intelligence reports and in Representative Devin Nunes’s case the ( Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee ) unintelligent memo that a seventh grader could’ve edited for their parents and found real holes in it, is nothing more than RNC/White House talking points. That says you have to back President Trump at all costs even if it makes you look like an idiot, or worse a liar, worse than that a corrupt defense lawyer.

This is not one of those partisan squabbles that you see all the time in Washington especially in Congress with Republicans and Democrats looking like they’re fighting each other and accusing each other of cheating in a pickup basketball game or at recess. This is a Republican inter party squabble between House Republicans teaming up with the White House, against the Republican led and mostly Republican intelligence community. Washington Republicans vs. the CIA and FBI.

Representative Devin Nunes who has one of the most important jobs in all of Congress as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, is nothing more than a hack defense lawyer for President Donald Trump. Nunes is a man that the House of Representatives is supposed to rely on for fair and accurate intelligence reports and oversight of the intelligence community. But what does he do instead? Go out of his way to make the intelligence community unfairly look bad because they have negative information about President Trump and his presidential campaign and it now looks like they were working with Russians to get Donal Trump elected President. So they’ve decided they have to make the intelligence community look bad at all costs so President Trump doesn’t take them down in 2018.

Last Week Tonight: John Oliver: ‘Economic Development’

Source:Last Week Tonight– Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver, talking about economic development in America.

Source:The Daily Review

“State and local governments offer large financial incentives to attract employers to their part of the country. John Oliver explains what communities get, or often don’t get, in return.”

From Last Week Tonight

I get that John Oliver don’t like corporate welfare and neither do I and perhaps views any tax incentives as private business and individuals steeling government’s money. (As Socialists would argue) As if government has any of their own money. The old phrase that money doesn’t grow on trees is particularly app when talking about government. Even when government prints money (which is government creating money out of thin air) they need to actually print the bills with a printing machine. Instead of planting paper in the ground and hoping it eventually grows on trees.

If this is about pork barrel spending, then I agree with Oliver on that as well. Tax dollars that are purely designed for politicians to be able to pay off their political debts to their contributors and creates no economic benefit for the constituents that they represent. Which is nothing more than a form of legal bribery in America whether its done from Congress, or at the state and local levels.

The reason why people stay in Congress for so so long, well their several reasons. They represent people who don’t have enough time to research incumbents and candidates, because they’re too busy staring at their i-phones and watching reality TV. Which of course is really important in life, not like trying to figure out where their hard-earned tax dollars go whether its for pork or for anything else.

But also people stay in Congress both in the House and Senate for so long because they get fat from pork. And are too fat to move out of Capitol Hill and actually get a real job. And as long as voters don’t do their homework on people that are supposed to represent them and people who want to replace their porky Representative’s and Senator’s, we’re going to see tax funded scandals like this. Money to companies that only get tax funded subsidies because they knew who in government to call and to payoff.

That fact is if you want jobs and you want Welfare even and a broader welfare state all together, which is the pot fantasy of a lifetime for Socialists in America, you need what John Oliver was talking about the beginning of his rant which are jobs. You want businesses investing in your communities and they need incentive to locate there. They need a workforce that is actually qualified to do the jobs that will be there. I know, that sounds crazy having people qualified for the jobs that they’re supposed to do.

But you also need regulations that are easy to understand and actually make sense, are actually needed, and don’t make doing business in your community too expensive. I know, more commonsense, I guess I’m just old fashioned that way. Otherwise we won’t have a society where everyone is on Welfare and that socialist dream will never come because again money doesn’t grow on trees, not even government money. (Sorry Bernie Sanders supporters) But instead a society where everyone is homeless or looking for an affordable place to live because no one has a job. Because taxes are too high and regulations are so strict that government is practically running what are supposed to be private businesses.

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver: ‘The Confederacy’

Source:Last Week Tonight 

John Oliver, talking about The Confederacy, on Last Week Tonight.

Source:The Daily Review 

“Confederate symbols are still celebrated despite the ugly history they symbolize. John Oliver suggests some representations of southern pride that involve less racism and more Stephen Colbert.”

From Last Week Tonight

I believe this is an example of where Britain is very different from America. In Britain, you basically only have one government because the United Kingdom is a unitarian government with most of the governmental power in the country rests with London in England which gets to decide how the rest of the country including Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and yes England which is actually a territory that is part of Britain, gets to live. Apparently too many people aren’t aware of that and talk about England as if it’s some independent country and talk about England as if they’re talking about France or Germany.

America is very different where power is much more decentralized. We don’t just have fifty states and those fifty states aren’t Federal agencies. They are independent jurisdictions that are part of a nation state known as the United States and have jurisdiction over their own affairs in their state. So if Alabama wants to have confederate statues, thats their business. Even if it offends oversensitive over caffeinated college yuppies that have nothing better to do with their nights like gee I don’t know, studying, getting laid, and instead spend their nights protesting Halloween, Thanksgiving, and now confederate statues.

So if we were in Britain right now whether it was Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, or England, and someone was offended by some statue, Parliament could just declare that statue offensive or the Prime Minister could just do that by herself and that statue would automatically be eliminated. Even if the people in Glasgow, Belfast, Cardiff, or Manchester, aren’t offended by the statue themselves, at least not a majority of the people. But we’re obviously not in Britain and neither is John Oliver.

If someone is offended by a statue in Birmingham, Charlotte, Richmond, Philadelphia, Boston, or wherever else in America, sure they could complain about it and even peacefully protest against it. But don’t expect Congress to pass some law telling some city or cities that they have to remove a certain statue because it offends someone or a group of people. Perhaps especially a group of oversensitive over caffeinated college yuppies, who keep local coffee houses and Red Bull in business all by themselves.

Because Congress would be out of their jurisdiction. And don’t expect the President to even comment on it. Other than maybe President Donald Trump who will say that there’s nothing wrong with having confederate statues. He might complain about having statues that honor African-Americans who fought for the Union in the Civil War, but thats a different issue.

“Mind your own damn business!” Is one of my favorite phrases. I’m not an indifferent person and I see bad things that happen to people all the time that make me feel bad because some innocent person had to experience that. But unless there’s something that is really bad that is going on in Maryland, especially involving the State Government and Annapolis is trying to pass some law that I really don’t like, I could really care less if Alabama or any other Bible Belt state tries to honor some Confederate figure. Or tries to pass some big government law that tries to outlaw homosexuality, or gambling, to use as examples.

We have a Federal Republic and as along as the states are passing laws that are within the U.S. Constitution, they are within their rights. Big government laws like banning homosexuality violate the Constitution and would get thrown simply because they violate the Fourth Amendment and our right to privacy. But as long as any state is within the Constitution and putting up statues and keeping older statues is certainly within the Constitution, states can honor anybody from the Confederacy that they choose too. And if people are offended by that, they can always vote with their feet (to quote to Ronald Reagan) and move to a state that is more politically correct with the times.

Real Time With Bill Maher: ‘New Rule: Liberal States Rights’

Source:Real Time With Bill Maher

– The real Bill Maher.

Source:The Daily Review 

“Bill takes a stand against the “outside agitators” who wants to interfere with California’s progressive agenda.”

From Real Time With Bill Maher

Bill Maher is right about at least one thing that people on the Right including Conservatives, but people who are much further right than that and people who I call Neo-Confederates who believe that the wrong side won the American Civil War, who are Southern Nationalists, back in the day argued for what they call states rights. Which essentially means that the Southeast or Bible Belt knows what’s best for them and dem damn Yankees in Washington need to but the hell out and mind their own damn business.

Back in the day the Democratic Party controlled most of the power in the country. The thing was those the Democratic Party wasn’t really a progressive or conservative party.

They had a Far-Left people who would be called Socialists today the Henry Wallace wing of the party.

They had a progressive Center-Left with that Robert Kennedy represented.

They had a Center-Right that people like Lloyd Bentsen represented, who served in the Congress for a long time and was Mike Dukakis’s vice presidential nominee in 1988.

But the Democratic Party also had a Far-Right. Neo-Confederarate Southern Nationalists, who again believe the wrong side won the American Civil War and that if European-Americans especially Anglo-Protestants can’t treat African-Americans like slaves, they should at least be able to treat them like second-class citizens under law and not have to give them full-citizenship. Which is why we had a civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s.

I’m a what I at least call a liberal-federalist and as a true Liberal I’m not comfortable with large centralized authorities and establishments. One of the basic liberal values is decentralization of authority and spreading the power out and not comfortable with top-down management styles including from government. And that the basic role of the Federal Government is to protect the country from foreign invaders, as well as terrorists and criminals who operate in multiple states. As well as enforcing the U.S. Constitution.

That the states should be able to manage their own affairs as long as they are within the Constitution. Which means not having different laws, access and justice for different Americans. Which is why we have Federal civil rights laws. And most importantly that the power be with the people themselves so they can manage their own affairs as long as they aren’t hurting innocent people.

So if California wants strict environmental laws even if those laws give them high energy prices, those laws are their business. If Texas wants private school choice and use taxpayer dollars to subsidize secular private schools, thats their business. Just as long as California, Texas, and every other state in the union are within the Constitution. That they don’t pass laws that benefit one race, ethnicity, gender, or religion, over another. Or try to create their own military, currency, foreign policy, etc, anything else that would succeed their authority that should be handled by the Federal Government.

What Bill Maher was getting at with his impression of a Dixiecrat from back in the day, (Dixiecrat-right wing Southern Democrat) was sort of what I was talking about earlier that the Federal Government dem damn Yankees (as right wing Southerners would call people up North) should stay the hell out of the business of the Bible Belt states and let those states run their own affairs as they see fit. Even if that means having separate and unequal laws and access for European and African-Americans.

Now go up fifty years with the Republican Party which is now has a large faction for former Dixiecrats now Dixie Republicans and now has most of the governmental power in the country with the White House, complete control of Congress, 34 governorships and as solid majority of state legislatures. The Tea Party Nationalist wing of the Republican Party is no longer talking so much about federalism and states rights.

The Far-Right of the Republican Party with all of this power with controlling both the House, Senate, Justice Department, Supreme Court, now believe they can force every state and locality in the nation to govern like them. And force their political and cultural values on the rest of the country. States rights and federalism now to the Dixie wing of the Republican Party, means you can govern yourselves anyway you want, just as long as they approve of what you’re doing.

If California wants strict environmental laws, the Trump Administration will challenge those laws in court and saying California doesn’t have the authority to do this and environmental laws are for the Federal Government to decide. If Colorado wants legalize marijuana which they passed a few years ago, the Trump Administration will challenge that law in court and argue that marijuana is a Federal issue and not for the states to decide.

Sort of like someone arguing on the Right who is a Religious-Conservtaive who says they believe in individual freedom. But what they really believe in is that people should have the freedom to live the way that Religious Conservatives approve of. But not necessarily have the freedom to make their own decisions. Or someone on the Far-Left who claims to be Pro-Choice. But what they really believe in is that people should have the right to make choices that the Far-Left approves of.

Federalism or states rights, is exactly that. What good is freedom if you can’t make your own decisions? Just because the Federal Government doesn’t believe in environmental laws, private school choice, marijuana legalization, and I could go down the line and if I didn’t have a life maybe I would, but you get the idea, but just because the Feds might not believe in these things why should they be able to force their values on every other state in the nation.

The whole point of a Federal Republic is that when you have large diverse country which is what America certainly is what might work in one part of the country, might not be approved of or work in another part of the country. Which is why you have a Federal Government there to handle the national issues and leave the states and localities to deal with their state and local issues. Again, as long as all three levels of government are within their authority under the U.S. Constitution. Instead of Big Uncle Sammy getting to decide what everyone should think, how everyone should live, how everyone should govern, as if they’re some big over-paternalistic Communist or something.

Real Time With Bill Maher: ‘New Rule: What if Barack Obama Said It?’

Source:Real Time With Bill Maher- 

Source:The Daily Review 

“Bill imagines how Republicans would react if Barack Obama exhibited the same crude behavior as Donald Trump – with a little help from Obama impersonator Reggie Brown.”

From Real Time With Bill Maher

Just too at least sound serious for a minute: The reasons why the Republican Party are holding Donald Trump to a lower standard and perhaps low standard is not the right term and no standard at all would be more accurate, is because they weren’t expecting Donald Trump to be President.

The GOP wasn’t expecting to have to deal with President Trump’s narcissism, inexperience, immaturity, irresponsibility, lack of intelligence (at least when it comes to public affairs) , etc, and I could go on but it’s Saturday and I don’t want to spend my whole day on this. But having to deal with all of Donald Trump’s personal weaknesses like they were producers of a so-called reality TV show having to deal with an inexperienced, irresponsible cast that believes the whole world revolves around them and they are now the latest hot pop culture celebrity.

The GOP was expecting to Hillary Clinton to not only be the next President right now, but for her to defeat Donald Trump going away not just in the popular vote, but in the Electoral College as well. And that the GOP would hold the House, but perhaps Democrats would win back the Senate. And that the GOP would be spending the next two years trying to obstruct and investigate the Clinton Administration, but not having to actually govern themselves.

The other reason except for the Russia investigation where there’s a consensus both in the House and Senate with both parties, that this is a real investigation and that Congress and Special Counsel Robert Mueller should be investigating this and that President Trump shouldn’t be able to fire Bob Mueller simply simply because he might be investigating not just the 2016 Trump Campaign but the White House as well, is because they’re now in bed with Donald Trump and his administration politically. I realize the Washington GOP and Donald Trump are not natural bedmates. Sort of like a top model trying to sleep with a serial killer with hair all over his back and chest who belches as a form of communication.

But for the Republican Party to accomplish anything politically and on policy in 2017-18 before the Congressional mid-terms, they’re going to need a functioning Trump White House and administration to accomplish those things. That is at least popular enough for them pass their agenda. Both the GOP Congress and the Trump Administration, have similar policy agendas and are close enough to work together. For the GOP to at least hold the House and have no real risk of losing the Senate next year, they’re going to have to govern and govern successfully. And they’re going to have to work with the Trump White House to do that.

I mean if the House GOP and the Senate GOP abandons President Donald Trump and says they can’t work with the White House for laundry’s list worth of reasons and I’ve already mentioned several of them and being a potential puppet that was bought by President Vladimir Putin and Russia, would be another one and instead tries to work with House Democrats and Senate Democrats on issues like health care, infrastructure, tax reform, and tells the White House if President Donald Trump that if he vetoes their legislation they’ll just override his vetoes with help of House Democrats and Senate Democrats, because now the House and Senate have these huge majorities on their legislation, because everything they’re doing now has bipartisan support, what incentive would Trump voters and the Tea Party have to vote for Congressional Republican and candidates next year? Republicans would be labeled as RINOS. (Republicans in name only)

The Republican Party is now in a damned if they do, damned if they don’t situation. They’re damned if they stick with Trump (sounds like a campaign sticker) because if he goes down and has no popularity that he can use to govern and Americans aren’t listening to him, Republicans won’t be able to pass anything meaningful out of Congress, at least on their own. And as a result will depress their base and ignite the Democratic base and at the very least lose the House next year and might lose north of 40 seats as well. And perhaps lose the Senate as well.

If the GOP sticks with Trump and his popularity continues to slides or even holds between 33-38%, but because of his bad behavior and what comes out of the Russian investigation, that the Republican Congress is also divided and can’t work with each other and Congressional Democrats have no political incentive to work with Republicans, because they want to at least win back the House in 2018, the Congressional GOP will go down and we’ll have a new Congress in 2019 with Democrats controlling at least the House.

I agree with Bill Maher about the Republican hypocrisy when it comes to Donald Trump.

Had Barack Obama said that John McCain a Vietnam POW wasn’t a war hero, they would’ve called him an agent of the Communist Party of Vietnam. And perhaps the Birthers would then say that Barack Obama is from Vietnam instead of Kenya.

Had Barack said that he openly grabbed women’s pussies in public, Sean Hannity and many others on the Tea Party right would have said that Barack belongs in prison and called him a serial rapist from the ghetto or someplace.

If President Obama had taken as much time off for vacation at this point in his administration, the Tea Party and others would have labeled President Obama as a lazy bum from the hood who wasn’t raised right. And I could go on but I’ll spare you.

And I’m not trying to excuse the GOP’s double standard for Donald Trump, because their hypocrisy is obvious and disgusting. And just trying to explain it in political terms and what they believe they can achieve with a Donald Trump in the White House and how bad a hand they have with him. And they’ve decided that sticking with him at all costs is the best decision they can make right now.