Is Bill Maher Real?

So I watch Bill Maher on Bill O’Reilly last night (Sept. 29, 2010). For me, it’s like getting two teeth drilled since I happen to feel both of these fine gentlemen represent much of what’s wrong in our modern arena of debate. Not that you can’t be straight forward about opinions, or say you think this or that is wrong. But listening to them talk, you have to wonder if it’s all a scam for ratings and money. Do these two (and others) really believe what they say? Surely they can’t believe all of it.

Take Maher. O’Reilly asks him to admit that there are extremists on both sides of the debate. That’s obvious, as any group, ideology, movement or anything has it’s bad apples. Maher’s response? No way! There are only extremists on one side, the Right. I tried to see if he was smirking when he said it, but couldn’t tell. That would be like saying ‘No way! The world is too flat!’ Who could believe him? Yet how many do believe him, and others in our media, simply because they are on ‘Our Side (TM)’? I would like to think Maher was being facetious, or obnoxiously sarcastic, but a little voice can’t help but think he isn’t. One of the great coups of the Left has been it’s insistence that liberalism is not a belief, but the TRUTH. It could be he actually believes that anyone on his side of the debate is incapable of extremism. It’s one of the differences between the modern “conservative” and “liberal” movements. If that’s so, then there should be no excuse for clear thinking and free thinking individuals to listen to him any more than they would listen to someone insisting there really wasn’t a moon landing.