During a series of recent interviews to promote his new book, Bill Maher unwittingly revealed just how misinformed and emotional some on the left have become. On a recent episode of Megyn Kelly’s podcast, at least he was forthright.
It was evident from the start that Maher assumed Kelly was a thoughtless bimbo from Fox News and believed he could make his assertions without any challenge. In his usual smug manner, he insisted Trump was a tyrant set to destroy American democracy, the J6 protesters were dangerous insurrectionists, the border crisis was as severe under Trump as it is under Biden, Hillary Clinton never claimed Trump was an illegitimate president, and no one cared about the Hunter Biden laptop.
Instead of “pouncing” on Maher, Kelly reluctantly but reasonably corrected him on each of these points: Trump had already served four years and left office after losing the 2020 election; the J6 protesters were nowhere near bringing down the American government; the border situation is far worse under Biden, who purposefully refuses to address it; Hillary Clinton has repeatedly declared Trump an illegitimate president for years; and many Americans would have changed their vote if they knew Biden’s son was involved in influence-peddling for his father. To these rebuttals, Maher only rolled his eyes and feigned pity for Kelly’s apparent ignorance. Normally, he would mock and insult her as he does on his own show, but he had a book to sell.
Although Kelly was gracious enough to agree to disagree with Maher, no one else should let him off the hook. As Scott Adams commented on X, “[Maher’s] job is talking about politics. He’s one of the smartest Democrats, and probably interested in the truth.” It’s one thing for a typical partisan hack to spread these falsehoods, but it’s another thing for a self-proclaimed, free-thinking, “old-school liberal” like Maher to do so. Not only should he know better, but he is one of the few public figures expected to transcend politics and seek the truth.
Except that he doesn’t know better, and he doesn’t really care about the truth. As argued two years ago, Maher is a leftist who has been mocking conservatives for decades. At no point has he ever been interested in serious discussions with them. Long before Jon Stewart popularized the pundit-comedian, Maher pioneered this genre with his ’90s talk show “Politically Incorrect.” Similar to his “debate” with Megyn Kelly, he would engage with a group of guests on his show but usually have the last laugh.
Maher can at best be credited for his media savvy. Earlier this month, conservative writer and commentator Jason Whitlock mentioned: “[Maher’s] not a common-sense leftist. There is no such thing. It’s the equivalent of calling me a low-calorie obese person. It’s not true. Maher is a common-sense businessman.” All of it is a facade and always has been.
For that reason, conservatives should stop seeking common ground with people like Maher and recognize the stark differences.
It’s clear that Maher is profoundly misinformed on basic issues. He’s not just ignorant about today’s political and cultural situation; he believes the very opposite of what is true. He consumes vast amounts of left-wing propaganda and never questions any of it. Instead, he questions the conservatives who critically analyze these narratives and arguments.
Rhetorically, this works to his advantage because it places the burden on conservatives to gather all relevant facts, debunk the lies, and educate Maher on what’s really happening. Unless his interlocutor is as well-informed and tenacious as Megyn Kelly, Maher can get away with his version of events and appear clever.
It’s essential to realize that this is how many leftists operate. Like Maher, they often have inflated egos because of their college degrees, occasional readings of the New York Times, and listening to NPR. They parrot the lies and only doubt the doubters. They give themselves excessive pats on the back for their willingness to debate and nominally tolerate the other side. They’re often laden with unearned praise for doing the bare minimum and arriving at the truth years later.
And, like Maher, they are utterly deluded. Their perception of reality is so distorted that they can no longer have an honest debate or discussion. Even when confronted with direct evidence to the contrary, such as when Kelly played a clip of Hillary Clinton saying Trump’s win was illegitimate, they continue to believe the lies they’ve been told.
Megyn Kelly’s job requires dealing with people like Maher, so it’s no real loss for her. However, the rest of us can learn from her example and be more effective in our debates with the leftists in our lives. They’re not as smart as they think, and their sources are more guided by vanity than by truth. Debates with them are only won if they are proven wrong and humiliated.
To succeed in this, we should always seek out the truth and show a willingness to push back and call leftists’ bluff. Even if it seems unkind, we should remember that the left started this, and they won’t stop until they learn the hard way, like Bill Maher.
