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“Real Time” host and comedian Bill Maher can be particularly perplexing because, at times, he seems to “get it,” while at other times, he veers off into questionable territory—like when he claims that California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been an effective leader.
By “it,” I mean that Maher is one of the rare liberals who regularly criticizes the Democrats and the media, which often operate as one, for their hypocrisy, gaslighting, and outright lying—behaviors that have unfortunately become all too common.
However, on Friday night, Maher didn’t hold back and delivered a blunt assessment: CNN is a shameless, biased news network that is so transparently aligned with progressive politics that it’s almost painful to watch. He mocked the network’s coverage of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ lackluster but far-left speech at the DNC on Thursday night, saying:
“I know what the conservative side of America thinks [of CNN], and I don’t blame them.”
He then discussed one of the few conservative voices on the network—Scott Jennings—and pointed out how Jennings was the only one offering credible commentary, while the rest of the panel simply “gushed” over Harris:
“It wasn’t until 11:23 that the one conservative guy—what’s his name?” Maher asked.
“Scott Jennings,” Collins replied.
“Lonely Scott, I call him,” Maher quipped. “From 8:09 to 8:23 (PT), they were just gushing about how great a speech it was. And I think she did fine, but I didn’t think it was as good as they were making it out to be. If I’m a conservative in America watching CNN just for the straight middle-of-the-road coverage, that’s what I hear for 15 minutes—it’s great. And then Lonely Scott.”
He added, “It does look like tokenism. It’s kind of like the same as ‘The View.’ It’s almost better to have nobody there, like MSNBC.”
Ouch. One might feel sorry for Collins, but given her own biases, sympathy isn’t really warranted.
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Maher also referenced a recent episode of Stephen Colbert’s show, where the audience laughed hysterically when Colbert, a staunch liberal, tried to suggest that CNN was middle-of-the-road. Maher commented:
“I’m a big rooter for CNN, but that tells you a lot, doesn’t it?” he asked. “How do you guys think you’re doing in that arena of like, ‘This is a terribly divided country. We’re not only politicized, a lot of people just hate the other side.’ And CNN, in my view, should be the place where both sides can watch. How do you think you’re doing with that?”
To her credit, Collins tried to respond, but it fell flat; Maher had already dismantled her and her network, leaving her with little to defend.
“I feel like I can speak with authority on this,” Collins said. “I’m from Alabama. I’m from a very red state. I have a very conservative family. A lot of them are Trump voters. They watch my show every night, and I think they know that they can trust me, that, you know, we call bull—- on every side, not just whatever leaning our audience may be, and I think that’s something that people actually want more of… And everyone who was speaking last night, it’s not like they were all Democrats. I mean, Dana Bash, Jake Tapper, Abby Phillip, all my amazing colleagues—they come across giving analysis.”
Maher quickly brought her back to reality:
“They come across that way,” Maher told Collins. “In a moment like that, it was like five to one. It always looks like five to one.”
CNN was once a trusted source for news and unbiased commentary, but that era has long since passed. Maher can be inconsistent and sometimes even contradicts his own viewpoints, but in this instance, he’s spot on. The more people on both sides of the political spectrum call out the DNC propaganda that most of the media peddle, the better chance we have of challenging their false narratives.
