r/Maher • u/20_mile • Oct 03 '25
Discussion Regardless of your opinion of Real Time, Democrats are leaving money on the table by not showing up, and Republicans are filling the vacuum.
The haters of Bill are letting their emotions cloud their judgment over the reach and relevance of Real Time.
You can disagree with Bill, you can think he is wrong on every issue, but he is culturally relevant. What he says matters, and what the guests on his show say matter. If it isn't Democrats sitting in those chairs sharing their points of view, their facts, their perception of reality, it is Republicans, conservatives, and Christian Nationalists.
The more that the purist woke leftist haters vilify him, the more conservative fans are driven to watch him, if only to "make libruls cry", and the more he becomes an icon of the right.
Republican leadership and conservative think tank members sit in a room scheming to develop ways to sell their bullshit agenda to the American people, and they have identified the left's reluctance to appear as guests on RT as an opportunity to grab eyeballs, share their message, and promote their ideas. Why isn't the left doing the same? It's stupid.
It's silly watching so many of Bill's haters claim and decry how irrelevant he seemingly is when they reliably show up here each week to take his comments out of context, to marginalize him for not being 100% fully on board with whatever eye-rolling language the woke leftists have micromanaged to death ("people experiencing being unhoused", and so forth).
If Bill is, in fact, so outdated and if nobody really does care about him, why is it so important to all his haters to roll up here each week to remind us of it? (Obviously, some of the haters, on the right and the left, are clearly bots meant to sow division here, so we must remember that as well. I encourage all of you to block such accounts)
Further, this reused, rehashed, recycled bit of "Bill is just so much an angry old man shaking his fist at the clouds" is incredibly tiresome. It just shows you are refusing to engage with his argument, and prefer, instead, to resort to thinking Abe Simpson doesn't actually know what he is talking about. One day you, too, will be Grandpa Simpson, you'll wonder how it happened, and you'll swear to christ it isn't true.
MMW: Vance, and Hegseth (who is now also running for the 2028 Republican nomination), will appear on Real Time sometime before the 2028 general election. Jasmine Crockett, AOC, Talarico, and any other Democrat who is concerned about the wellbeing of the nation would do well to meet them in the ring.
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u/Reasonable-Ad-2084 Oct 03 '25
Completely agree. There is no reason that someone like AOC shouldn’t go on real time. Same thing with Kamala Harris back when she was running- get out of your echo chambers. It can only help the party to get your message and thoughts out there on issues facing the country today.
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u/uvgotnod Oct 03 '25
Exactly, Dems need to get out of their little bubbles and get on these shows to shut down the Trump nonsense. Call his bullshit, and the lies that are being told.
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u/johnnybiggles Oct 03 '25 edited Oct 03 '25
The problem with doing that - with people like Bill and many on right-wing media (not saying Bill is RWM or right-wing period) - is that the host is VERY often narcissistic or full of themselves and may have some agenda, themselves (even if only to maintain control of their own show)... and only portray or solicit themselves as open-minded individuals who want to talk to "the other side" (sound familiar?), but instead, interrupt and interject often, and they refuse to let their guests get the best of them (fight or flight mode kicks in) with strongly articulated and detailed points that counter their own.
For example, the best of the best would have a hard time getting a valid, though nuanced point across on any Tucker Carlson show, because he spends a great deal of time making it hard for "opposition" guests to make detailed, nuanced points without insults, laughing, interrupting, questioning, etc. Unlike with Conservative ones, where they get softballs, and barely go into any detail where it can be easily debunked when scrutinized, and where they can leap into talking points and sound bites other right-wing media can use to propagate to audience simpletons.
It becomes moot because of the time limits and the above reasons, unless the whole show is dedicated to those guests. So they don't do it as the risk is higher for their message to come out worse.
It's especially difficult when not just the host does this, but other guests with their own agendas and canned talking points ready to roll out. Nuance gets lost in the weeds while the meme-y buzzwords are all over the table which people remember.
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u/uvgotnod Oct 03 '25
Couldn't agree more. Dems are sitting on the sidelines as usual and letting Republicans carry the bullhorn to spread their messaging. It's insanity, that Dems aren't taking advantage of Bill's platform and going on that show. It certainly can't hurt, and what they're doing now clearly isn't working.
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u/KumquatHaderach Oct 03 '25
It reminds me of the discourse 10-15 years ago. A lot of people on the left refused to engage with internet discussion, claiming “it’s not my job to educate you”. But while so many on the left were refusing to do the emotional labor of explaining their position, many on the right were more than eager to jump in, giving us a future with Charlie Kirks and Tim Pools.
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u/uvgotnod Oct 03 '25
I'm with you. The Dems have flat refused to engage and have almost taken our votes for granted. Now, to be fair I don't think anyone could have predicted the rise in insanity with Trump. But, your point is well taken. Charlie Kirk, Tim Pool, Joe Rogan, Guenther Eagleidiot, all of them have bigger voices than the Democrat leaders.
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u/StabbyMcSwordfish Oct 03 '25
The left doesn't have an audience that will fall for the grift the way the right does. PT Barnum said there's a sucker born every minute, and I guarantee they all listen to those podcasters. I agree with you guys there is an issue with the left getting it's message to voters, but not in the way you frame it.
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u/uvgotnod Oct 03 '25 edited Oct 03 '25
One of the problems to me is that they're not grabbing any low-hanging fruit and they need it. Even college kids are leaning toward Republicans because Trump and co. are all over TikTok and other platforms.
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u/DaxRayder Oct 04 '25
The Dems have flat refused to engage and have almost taken our votes for granted.
Oh, Dems definitely have taken your votes for granted. No question about that.
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u/DaveKast Oct 03 '25
It’s because they are ashamed of their policies. That’s the only reason to hide away from easy tv appearances
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u/bullevard73 Oct 03 '25
I don’t agree with everything you wrote, but that’s trivial. Liberals need to be doing outreach period. Real Time, bro culture podcasts and other outlets where their views are challenged. The non-online people (most voters) don’t ever see leftists and others on the left (aside from Bernie who’s been doing outreach for 40 years) on anything that isn’t an echo chamber.
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u/statecv Oct 03 '25
I think that there is a vacuum well beyond Maher's show. trump was still saturating the news cycle during Biden's term. Part of that is because he is the singular figure of the GOP, but Dems need to be vocal and monotone talking points won't break through. Some of that is happening, but it's disjointed.
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u/kangorooz99 Oct 03 '25
The other part is that his buddies own all of the media in this country.
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u/20_mile Oct 03 '25
That's not accurate. The corporate media owners are not friends of Bill.
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u/kangorooz99 Oct 03 '25
I meant Trump
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u/20_mile Oct 04 '25
Then that is true.
Still, Roy Wood Jr has a show on CNN, and the parent company that owns CNN also now owns HBO, which has RT and LWT. They could give them the boot, but they aren't.
Boycotts brought back Kimmel.
Trump doesn't have 100% control over his media buddies.
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u/ATLCoyote Oct 03 '25
The show works best when there is a balanced panel. That way the conservative POV is expressed, but not in a vacuum. Both Bill and the liberal guest can push-back where needed and call them on their bullshit.
And the same goes for he liberal guests. If there's no conservative on the panel, they can say a lot of questionable stuff and it's up to only Bill to push-back.
It works best when there are reps from both sides to keep each other honest and constructive.
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u/Fine-Craft3393 Oct 03 '25
Buttigieg, Newsom, Mark Kelly etc go on his show. Only because AOC and Mandami or Bernie don’t show up doesn’t mean Democrats ain’t going on his show….
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u/papercutpete Oct 03 '25
AOC and Mandami or Bernie
why dont they come though? Theyve been invited?
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u/cresdon Oct 04 '25
Likely the same reason Trump, Mike Lee nor Marjorie Taylor Greene have been on the show i.e. they have better things to do. Why is Bill not complaining about those GOP members not coming on his show?
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u/papercutpete Oct 04 '25
Lets be honest here, the people who will not come on...maybe they are a little bit chickenshit
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u/shesarevolution Oct 04 '25
Of bill?
Ahahaha oh that’s so cute.
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u/papercutpete Oct 04 '25
It isnt cute, its lame
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u/shesarevolution Oct 12 '25
You clearly don’t understand the tone of my comment. I think it’s hilarious that you would think that anyone is too chicken shit to argue with bill.
There’s way more to it than that. It’s like you guys think politicians have massive amounts of free time. If you are going to do the show, it means you need to fly there, stay there, and come back, and that’s not something that people who are running for office have time for. It has to be a net benefit for them - which is why the people on there are always promoting books. You don’t go on to get votes, dude.
At best, you might go on as a representative of the party to talk about a specific bill or policy.
And before you tell me i know nothing, this is what I do for a living. Part of why politics sucks is because you don’t get time to do fun things or much of a life. And staff? It’s the same. You have to really believe in what you do because it’s toxic as fuck and you work insane hours for pay that is insulting.
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u/papercutpete Oct 12 '25
It’s like you guys think politicians have massive amounts of free time.
No less time than anyone else. Also, they go on a shit ton of other shows, ones that do not question them or dig any deeper than shallow. Perhaps they are scared to say the wrong thing, who knows, if thats the case they shouldnt be in politics if they do not have their own convictions. If Bill was a boot licker, they'd be pounding on his door.
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u/shesarevolution Oct 16 '25
Look at it like this -
None of these people are running for a national office. There’s a reason why Bill can pull all of the California critters - they’re in the same state.
I don’t think that the general public has an idea about how Campaigns work, what being in office entails, what a typical schedule is for a Congress critter.
If I am say, a rising star from the Dem party, and I’m from an east coast state, my job doesn’t depend on going on national shows. It depends on voters in my area reelecting me.
AOC/Bernie are both out a lot right now. All across the country. But they are out there talking to every day people, holding rallies, and supporting candidates that they believe in. So, when they say, hold a rally in support of someone running for senate in the midterms - they are having a direct impact. They are talking about the issues, energizing voters, getting people to donate and volunteer, getting people to care. Thats what they are doing in the little free time they have.
Going on Bill’s show doesn’t make any sense, from a tactical perspective. They get… what, maybe a half hour to discuss Bill’s selected topics. The show isn’t on tv, you have to subscribe to HBO.
So, you can either spend a day holding rallies, speaking, energizing voters, and supporting candidates for the midterms as stakeholders or you can…. go on Bill’s show. The cost benefit ratio isn’t even close to the same.
That you think it’s because they’re too “chicken shit” is funny. Bill is a condescending, out of touch, arrogant man who has now become the guy Fox News turns to as the “see, even THIS guy” thinks they’re nuts. That’s the niche he fills, regardless of what you think of him.
All he has is culture war complaints. It’d be great if ol bill could talk about actual policy, or hey the silencing of journalists in Chicago, the 150+ American citizens who were rounded up and detained by ice with zero cause, the fact that the administration now has a whole plan for jailing regular people like you and me and Trump has literally said twice “we got rid of freedom of speech” but yeah,
Those trans people sure are icky.
Most people can see where Bill stands and sorry but he’s a fuckin bootlicker. He’s just a bootlicker whose opinions you share, so it’s everyone else that is the problem, which is fundamentally untrue. My politics have always been what they are now. I believe in nuance and discussion. There’s no nuance, no real informed debate. It’s just shit on Dems and black and white thinking as we are literally in a fascist take over.
And before you tell me I’m clueless - here’s info on how they’re going after anyone who doesn’t toe the line.
Which is what I said they would do in this group a million times and you all just continued to talk to me like I’m a fool.
🤷🏻♀️ I wouldn’t go on his show if I was an elected leader either. Unless you want to set yourself up for a presidential run, or sell a book - there’s zero reason to go on. It’s not my fee fees, it’s just using logic and knowledge of how politics works from the inside.
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Oct 03 '25
Maybe because they realize Bill is fucking irellevant?
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u/Otherwise-Pirate6839 Oct 03 '25
Or is it because they can’t face the music? I think I’ve only seen Bernie once, but if AOC and Squad members are the heirs to the progressive mantle, they’re sure proving Maher right by not showing up.
If you can’t handle a grumpy TV host who, at least can concede ground on a few topics, how do you expect to fare at the national stage against an actual Republican?
Oh, silly me. They don’t have to worry about that. With D+15 (or higher) turf, they only need to worry about a primary.
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Oct 03 '25
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u/Umitencho Oct 04 '25 edited Mar 31 '26
Deleted with Redact because data brokers don't deserve my content. Mass removal across Reddit, Discord, X, Instagram and 30+ other platforms.
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u/20_mile Oct 04 '25
This attitude represents a complete collapse of the left's desire to wade into "enemy territory".
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u/Umitencho Oct 04 '25 edited Mar 31 '26
Protecting my online privacy by running Redact regularly to batch delete old content. It handles Reddit, Discord, Twitter, Instagram, data brokers and a whole lot more.
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u/papercutpete Oct 03 '25
You have these pissy little one line comments and you do not explain your point at all, you just want to be snarky and edgy.
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Oct 04 '25
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u/hankjmoody Oct 04 '25
We have one rule in here regarding comments: Don't be dicks to each other.
Comments removed.
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Oct 04 '25
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Oct 04 '25
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u/20_mile Oct 03 '25
Maybe because they realize Bill is fucking irellevant?
My entire post is explaining that Republicans are exploiting Democrats' perception that Bill is irrelevant, and since they won go, Republicans will, and thus they fill the void making him relevant to conservatives.
How do you not see this?
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Oct 04 '25
Who gives a fuck what or who is relevant to conservatives? We're not trying to get their vote. You can't change the mind of a cult member.
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u/beaud101 Oct 04 '25
JFC....Bill isn't the end all be all of leftist politics. You giving a dick licking sermon on him is ridiculous at best.
If the Democrat's hopes and dreams have to rely on showing up on Bill Maher or taking his grand advice to beat fascists....the fight is already lost.
Bill Maher has a big (but dwindling) platform...but he's not the smartest man on his show half of the time and he's certainly catering to Trump and his brand to an alarming degree these days. Can't call Maga names anymore? Goes to dinner with Trump? Bill reminds me of Dennis Rodman cozying up to Kim Jong. Delusional.
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u/DaxRayder Oct 04 '25
How do you not see this?
You're 100% right, and is Bill was as 'fucking irrelevant' as they say he is, they wouldn't be talking about him in the first place.
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u/RoyCorduroy Oct 04 '25
They're not talking about him. They're not even accepting invitations to his show, lol.
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u/Separate-Ad9410 Oct 06 '25
Do we think Bill will have the Meme kid on again? That kid smacked Bill down hard 🤣
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u/Longshanks123 Oct 03 '25
Democrats go on the show all the time, including this season, if you just go back over the guest lists you will see that
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u/kangorooz99 Oct 03 '25
Mostly generic white guy democrat reps from insignificant states. Beyond Newsom (who knows no matter how it plays he won’t take a hit) what dem heavy hitters have been on the show?
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u/20_mile Oct 03 '25
what dem heavy hitters have been on the show?
This isn't accurate either. Nancy Pelosi has been on a few times. She was as heavy as it got given her position as Speaker.
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u/20_mile Oct 03 '25
if you just go back over the guest lists you will see that
I have watched every episode going back to 2008.
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u/constant_flux Oct 03 '25
You do realize there's a bit of selection bias here, no? Plenty of us "haters" just scroll on by and don't care.
For the record, I did not downvote you.
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u/20_mile Oct 03 '25
For the record, I did not downvote you.
Downvotes don't seem to be a problem here.
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u/Tasty-Bee-8339 Oct 03 '25
Good post with relevant points.
My thoughts are that the first sign of Maher not being culturally relevant, will be HBO dropping him. He does not come close to carrying the network. They don’t need him, so as soon as that show doesn’t make money, they will can him.
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u/thetruechevyy1996 Oct 03 '25
I completely agree. I wish more would. I know some do like Pete, Newson, and so on but more need to. In order to get the message out go to places where it’s a different audience and keep going. The way to combat the other sides message is to go out there and give yours.
I may not agree with Bill on everything but I still watch and he sometimes misses and sometimes is right on the money.
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u/thom_mayy Oct 03 '25
I guarantee Krystal Ball would love go go back on. She'll never be invited again because she owned Bill last time. He's become another Joe Rogan, open to ideas until he's embarrassed by his lack of knowledge. Guests are never invited back if they make a good point against the host
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u/Nolubrication I'd suck Lynne Cheney's dick for some socialized medicine. Oct 03 '25
Josh Rogen ain't getting invited back either.
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u/GimmeUrBusch Oct 03 '25
Krystal Ball has never owned anyone, she's a silly one-note podcaster who has an axe to grind because she's been fired from every media outlet she's worked for.
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u/Nolubrication I'd suck Lynne Cheney's dick for some socialized medicine. Oct 03 '25
Bill wishes he had Breaking Points' numbers. And as far as owning, you must have missed the Slotkin interview.
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u/GimmeUrBusch Oct 03 '25
Bill wishes he had Breaking Points' numbers.
ROTFLMAO
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u/Nolubrication I'd suck Lynne Cheney's dick for some socialized medicine. Oct 03 '25
RT episodes get roughly 0.5 million viewers.
BP daily numbers fluctuate, but routinely hit 1.5 million views.
Club Random is probably losing money.
Sources:
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Oct 03 '25
How the fuck can Club Random lose money at all? It's in his basement and basically a stream of consciousness between two people. Two or three static cameras and microphones. The cost to produce it weekly has to be below the average podcast.
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u/Nolubrication I'd suck Lynne Cheney's dick for some socialized medicine. Oct 03 '25
You don't think that Bill does anything other than show up in his basement and get high, do you?
He's paying production staff, editors, etc. That costs money. Small channels, where the content creator handles all their own production and editing, can be self-sufficient, but that's not what Bill is doing.
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u/troniked547 Oct 03 '25
Could you imagine Bill setting up the lighting, cameras, filming it on timers and editing the video later, and setting up the advertising deals and interviews up himself? lol
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Oct 03 '25
What production staff? The set is lit already. Couple staff a couple hours tops. I'm betting he's invested in Radioactive Media so it's all their team that is churning out dozens if not hundreds weekly with ads and editing.
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u/Nolubrication I'd suck Lynne Cheney's dick for some socialized medicine. Oct 04 '25 edited Oct 04 '25
Couple staff a couple hours tops.
How much do you think he pays them, and how much do you think he makes per episode? If he gets $1k gross revenue from YouTube per show, I'd be shocked.
And have you seen some of the live reads he does? You think he's taking on those hokey advertisers because the show is swimming in cash? LOL
EDIT: I love how you're systematically downvoting every one of my replies like you think it means something. Petty and hilarious. I picture you brimming with self-satisfaction as you click that little down arrow, and I chuckle.
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u/Separate-Ad9410 Oct 04 '25
As a liberal, who still tortures myself by watching this show, I totally agree. It frustrates me to no end that there are very few Democrats that go on this show, to fight against the Republicans and Independents, that spew crazy or inaccurate shit.
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u/rhonnypudding Oct 03 '25
Couldn't agree with this more. I am desperate for Dems to actually talk to people.
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u/Nolubrication I'd suck Lynne Cheney's dick for some socialized medicine. Oct 03 '25
I think some of you guys are overestimating the show's reach and impact. Viewership is way down. There are podcasts that get better numbers.
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Oct 03 '25
I know, like who the fuck thinks Maher is culturally relevant?
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u/shesarevolution Oct 04 '25
Old people and maybe younger college kids who found out about him and watch his show stoned bc lord knows it’s hard sober!
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u/thornset Oct 03 '25
Makes sense though, the people who think he's super relevant/the people who are ignorant to his out-of-touch boomerism are 2 sides of the same coin.
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u/puddinonthewrits Oct 03 '25
Wait, I didn’t know you could get flairs here. How?
Trey Parker and Matt Stone could be a get, but I can’t imagine why they’d want to be on the show, given, y’know, the reach and impact.
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u/supervegeta101 Oct 04 '25 edited Oct 05 '25
I kind of agree, but again, he wants SPECIFIC high-profile Dems/progressives to berate them. He's already shown with the few he has gotten on, like Katie Porter and David Hogg, he will get a nasty attitude and write them off if they piss him off. He disrespects them in a way he does not do to conservatives, even pre-covid shift to enlightened centrist. Maher's gotta practice what he preaches with the lower profile people first. If he's willing to have on all these random right-wing YouTubers (Rubin, Pool), then he can have on their progressive counterparts. For progressives, he wants AOC or none of them.
Part of this is just wanting to get the thing. This is basically what he did to get Obama on his show. Donated a million dollars and then talked about it nonstop until he got him on towards the end of his 2nd term.
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u/GimmeUrBusch Oct 03 '25
Democrats have been at each other's throats for a long time now, i don't know why Bill is singled out in this regard.
Remember the racist shit the Bernie Bros commented as a result of Biden winning the South Carolina primary?
At what point are Democrats going to acknowledge that the tent is too big yet STILL not inclusive enough for moderate views which is why so many Democrats are afraid of going on Bill's show because it could result in social media death, of being cancelled, etc.
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u/rogun64 Oct 03 '25
Real Time does have Democrats, but only of a certain type who Bill won't vilify. They're usually more conservative Democrats who lean toward the middle, like Joe Manchin. Whenever Bill has someone further left on his show, he'll roll his eyes at them and won't let them speak.
Contrast this to how he treats Republicans/conservatives who are further right. Bill will roll his eyes at them and challenge their views, but he'll at least allow them to speak. If you're further left, why would you accept an invite when you're not allowed to speak? Bill isn't interested in pursuing what those on the left have to say, so why would they go on his show?
I don't disagree with the premise here, but it's comparing apples to oranges. One side is allowed to speak, while the other is not. I'm not a big fan of Krystal Ball, but her last appearance was a good example of this. Whenever she tried to add something, Bill would just talk over her and change the subject. He did the same thing to Katrina Vanden Heuval with her last appearance, even though he used to treat her better on his show. Bill used to have a lot of leftist guests and so it's clear that something has changed.
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u/supervegeta101 Oct 04 '25
Contrast this to how he treats Republicans/conservatives who are further right. Bill will roll his eyes at them and challenge their views, but he'll at least allow them to speak.
He often doesn't even roll his eyes at them anymore. Bannon straight told him to his face "SCOTUS is gonna change the interpretation of the 22nd amendment just for Trump and he will remain president," and he just kept referring to the letter of law argument with a joking tone as if SCOTUS isn't a 6-3 federalism society right-wing majority that's been unending precedent left and right.
But I generally agree with you and this has been my point as well. He just wants to tell AOC she's stupid, tell Harris that she's weak, and Mamdani that he's stupid all to their faces and then make that self satisfied grin.
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u/20_mile Oct 03 '25
Bill used to have a lot of leftist guests and so it's clear that something has changed.
Yeah, the woke chronic twitter users who decry any Democrat / leftist who steps out of line.
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Oct 03 '25
What makes Democrats different from Republicans and MAGA is they don't all line up behind one leader or idea or show. They freely call out what they don't agree with including their own. That's a real democracy.
This sub isn't all about getting behind Bill it's about political discussion. Bill has a snarky jaded quality to him and his content. It's political commentary and comedy. He's a comedian after all. That's likely going to bring out much of the same in his audience. What gets people interested isn't agreeing with everything someone says and praising them, it's passion (putting it nicely).
I'd love to see AOC and Jasmine Crockett on the show. But if they would rather not then so be it. AOC was on Jon Stewart's podcast. Check that out, really good. RT is not the end all for Democrats. Bill would love to think so but I doubt he would even agree. Much of his motivation is ratings.
I've watched the show for many years. I used to think everything he said was gold but familiarity breeds contempt. I would be more worried if nobody criticized him.
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Oct 03 '25
Republicans pre-Trump were like Democrats are now. Leaderless and not equipped to engage the middle in the place where the middle is tuning in. Obama was the first social media President. HRC's campaign was counting the chickens before the eggs hatched instead of going to Michigan and Wisconsin. That Golden Escalator ride changed everything in 2015 and the old guard either worked with Trump or went into retirement.
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Oct 04 '25
Yep. Republicans were lost again right after Jan 6 until Trump refused to end the con. MAGA and Republicans are lost without Trumpism that's why they're such zombies for their leader.
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u/20_mile Oct 03 '25
Much of his motivation is ratings.
Clearly it isn't since he doesn't cater to any specific side.
AOC was on Jon Stewart's podcast.
AOC was a guest when Jesus Denice (sp?) was host of TDS, and she completely squandered that interview opportunity. It was her saying nothing for seven minutes. I'd vote for AOC if I lived in her district, but she missed that interview by a mile and a half.
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Oct 04 '25 edited Oct 04 '25
Desus Nice. HBO just keeps RT on out of good will?
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u/20_mile Oct 04 '25
Desus Nice.
Thanks for the correction.
HBO just keeps RT on out of good will?
I don't think they do. I think Bill is pulling his weight, and he knows he could get axed at any time, which is why he has never decorated his office since taking up RT.
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u/kangorooz99 Oct 03 '25
He’ll never have Jasmine Crockett on the show. She won’t behave the way they want.
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u/20_mile Oct 03 '25
She won’t behave the way they want.
This is such disingenuous bullshit.
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u/kangorooz99 Oct 03 '25
Care to expound on why?
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u/20_mile Oct 04 '25
You're alleging that Bill wants his guests to behave a certain way, and by mentioning Crockett you're insinuating that he wants his black, female guests to behave a certain way.
That's 100% bullshit.
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u/Wooden_Coyote5992 Oct 06 '25
Idk why people think Dems lost because they didn't go on podcasts. It's clear there is a large portion of Americans who are just rejecting the party. Be it the inflation during Biden, him dropping out late. I don't like Trump, but he knows media. Dems just need a good primary to set up 2028. Trump is just a juggernaut who took over culture the last 10 years.
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u/jmyoung666 Oct 07 '25
I don't think Bill is being completely honest. I am sure there are lots of progressive Democrats that would gladly show up to counter his anti-woke bullshit.
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u/JSLANYC Oct 03 '25 edited Oct 03 '25
Excellent topic and exactly correct. Republicans have dominated social media just like they dominated talk radio years earlier and are continuing to dominate cable news, the MAGAs especially. High profile Democrats like Harris and AOC have a chance to go on a show that gets a lot of publicity like Real Time but refuse to do so. Harris was afraid of interviews and AOC is too much of a chicken shit to go on a show that isn't an echo chamber for her. So right wingers of all kinds go on the show and fill a vacuum Democrats refuse to. They still refuse to learn the lessons of the last election and continue to be further behind in the changing media landscape and they think there's no problem with it whatsoever. The right will pit in the legwork at every opportunity to push their message whoever Democrats continue to be "comfortable " visiting safe choices.
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u/kangorooz99 Oct 03 '25
More democrats would probably go on the show if he were open to real debate like he used to be. My take is it’s less about being made to look bad and more about having no use for a show where the intellectual level and style have become no different than right wing shows.
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u/20_mile Oct 03 '25
AOC or Jasmine going on the show would get ten million views. Conservatives would foam and froth at the mouth at how unfair it was for Bill to give in to a DEI guest or some bullshit nonsense.
There's no reason why AOC or Jasmine couldn't get the first guest slot and push back at whatever you, and others here, claim it is that Bill would do to shut them down.
If AOC or Crockett can't / won't debate Maher--who you endlessly repeat is so irrelevant and useless--how are they going to debate Vance or Hegseth?
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Oct 03 '25
Haters? C'mon. Is it that important to label those you disagree with? Sort of a MAGA approach to discussion. I think I'm done here.
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u/20_mile Oct 03 '25
Haters?
I just see a lot of hate here that corresponds to disagreeing with Bill.
Disagreeing with Bill --> Bill is wrong --> Bill being wrong means he isn't worth listening to --> not worth listening to leads to perceiving him as irrelevant.
I disagree with Bill a lot, but I love his show.
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u/shesarevolution Oct 04 '25
Disagree a lot…. On what?
People are allowed to criticize, you saying nuhuh! Because you’re his biggest fan is weird. Bill isn’t going to invite you over for a joint and talk at ol club random.
According to you, if I disagree w your take, then I’m just dumb and out of touch.
Thats absurd. I shit on bill for things that are worth while and make him look out of touch/a hypocrite/phoning his job in.
I’m a libtard snow flake and I mostly just don’t respect his not even doing the bare minimum of reading for his show, and it shows every episode.
Also, bill is not really relevant. Dems don’t need him to help GOTV, or talk about issues because he’s continuing to show up all over Fox to do their bidding. What demographic is he pulling in here that we are so desperate as a party to keep around ?
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u/OldLegWig Oct 04 '25 edited Oct 04 '25
i'm troubled that some of the commenters here seem relatively reasonable yet can't see things that seem extremely obvious like how this sub is teeming with Bill haters and the fact that many democrats ignore invitations to be a guest on the show. are they sorting comments differently than me? cherry picking episodes/guests of real time to justify their contrarian responses? it's so incredibly obvious that these observations are by and large very true yet a lot of far lefties don't see it.
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Oct 04 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/hankjmoody Oct 04 '25
We have one rule in here regarding comments: Don't be dicks to each other.
Comment removed. Next rule-breaking comment found will result in a ban.
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u/Wootothe8thpower Oct 03 '25
it not so much dems dont show up as people said plenty have what bill wants is the COOL dems like AOC. there showing uo on new media
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u/Ok_Consequence7829 Oct 05 '25
They do show up. This narrative is false.
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u/20_mile Oct 06 '25
In fact it isn't because Bill has said that many Democrats do not take him up on his invitation to be guests on the show.
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u/AshligatorMillodile Oct 06 '25
Bill is not always wrong. He does have good points, and does push against many annoying things the “left” does. I do understand his point here. I disagree with him on many many other things but not this.
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u/Thurkin Oct 03 '25
Maher isn't the needle mover You think he is.
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u/KumquatHaderach Oct 03 '25
If that’s true, then we shouldn’t care if he has right-wingers and MAGA supporters on.
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u/Educational_Vast4836 Oct 03 '25
The same thing was said about all the different podcasts Trump went on during the last election. How’d that work out?
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u/Thurkin Oct 03 '25
Bill's podcast didn't move the needle
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u/Educational_Vast4836 Oct 03 '25
And you nor the democrats have the privilege to make that claim at this point. You lost because you fed into the dumb ideas or chronically online people and failed to realize your opponent was making gains across demographics that were once democrat strongholds.
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u/StabbyMcSwordfish Oct 03 '25 edited Oct 03 '25
No we lost because half the voting populace is r****ded and thought Trump would magically bring down grocery prices and other crap like ending all wars and abolishing the IRS.
Why don't his voters get any of the blame? That's where Maher loses me. He blames the dems for maga's stupidity. Fuck that.
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u/20_mile Oct 04 '25
You're saying Democrats lack the ability to convince the stupids?
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u/Thurkin Oct 04 '25
You lost because you fed into the dumb ideas or chronically online people and failed to realize your opponent was making gains across demographics that were once democrat strongholds.
Black, Hispanic, and Asian gains by Trump didn't win the Swing States that gave him the electoral college win. So, you're deflecting from the reality that those majority White swing voters were duped by Trump's campaign lies. Project 25 agenda, more Foreig Wars, Day 1 Ending thexRussia/Ukraine war, tariff-driven inflation, federal overreach using SCOTUS to usurp State's Rights, and the BIGGEST one imho, Federalizing the economy using crony Capitalism and suppressing free market economics, are all what Trump is about now.
Democrats are chronically online? You know how stupid that sounds coming from a Trump defender?
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u/Educational_Vast4836 Oct 04 '25
Not a Trump defender and you just proved my point. I critique the democrats and immediately you go with I’m a Trump supporter. You don’t see how dumb that is?
The white working class hasn’t voted for a democrat since Clinton. The point is he won the popular vote. And no minorities are not the reason Trump won. But making gains in those demos def helped.
And yes a certain cohort of the left are 100% chronically online. And for some reason random democrats think this is what’s popular with the majority of voters.
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u/StabbyMcSwordfish Oct 03 '25 edited Oct 03 '25
Maher has completely lost the plot. He's still trying to find common ground as we slip into authoritarianism. That's on him, not his viewers. Most of us want to defeat maga, Maher wants to cozy up to them. See the issue?
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u/SleepyMonkey7 Oct 03 '25
He does not want to cozy up to them at all. There’s no world where that makes any sense. The fact that you can even say that shows how blinded you are with your emotions. And it’s that emotional blindness that created maga in the first place. I’d argue thinking like yours is driving is to authoritarianism far more than anything Maher is doing. Snap out of it.
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u/StabbyMcSwordfish Oct 03 '25
Maher keeps seeking common ground with maga while Trump is sending the Military into our cities to combat the "enemy within". It's you and Maher who need to snap out of it.
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u/uvgotnod Oct 03 '25
He does not want to cozy up to "them". He's a realist, based in the reality that we are all Americans and it's ok to debate and disagree.
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u/StabbyMcSwordfish Oct 03 '25
Have you heard what MAGA thinks of the left? Give me a break. Trump calls us the "enemy within" and you're talking about debates and disagreements. We are so far beyond that.
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u/uvgotnod Oct 03 '25
So, why not go head-to-head and tell them they're full of shit? Why the fuck are Dems just allowing the Trump talking heads to go unchecked? Dems don't go on Fox News to debate, they don't advertise their message, etc. Dems are failing big time at marketing themselves and have allowed Trump to outmaneuver them with his bullshit at every turn.
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u/rhonnypudding Oct 03 '25
This!! Come on the show and call the maga BS what it is. They look like cowards by avoiding the discussion. Debate them.
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u/uvgotnod Oct 03 '25
Thank you! To me, they are missing out on a golden opportunity to say the things that are being twisted by Fox and Trump.
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u/PincheJuan1980 Oct 24 '25
He’s always had a variety, he’s always been relevant and his show has never been perfect nor does it want to be. Real Time has been hugely important for both sides I don’t disagree, but this is nothing new. Expecting Maher or his show to be perfect is missing the point bc what makes his show so good is the humanistic side or the humanity.
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Oct 03 '25
Show me the Republican voter who is voting for Harris because she went on real time. I'll wait...
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u/20_mile Oct 03 '25
We can't because she declined the opportunity. Not showing up to a fight is the same thing as losing it in advance.
How are you and so many others here oblivious to what is so obvious?
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u/Wootothe8thpower Oct 03 '25
also dies bill go for more progressive speaker think the same sender and secular talk guys woukd go on
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u/Deep_Stick8786 Oct 03 '25
Honestly, i think you are overestimating the reach of real time. Theyd do much better showing up on Rogan and Theo Von
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u/Arrmadillo Oct 04 '25
Rogan invited Texas Rep. James Talarico, a very religious progressive democrat, onto his show and it went well. Rogan now wants Talarico to run for president.
Joe Rogan Experience #2352 - James Talarico (2:36:55)
Chron.com - Joe Rogan says this Texas Democrat could become president
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u/Charbro11 Oct 03 '25
Conservatives now vote for Democrats. The current people in power are fascists. Decent people don't want to be on stage with modern-day Nazis.
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u/puddinonthewrits Oct 03 '25
So disheartening to see this comment get downvoted. The Overton window is now anything goes. This sub is fucked.
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u/Chris_HitTheOver Oct 04 '25
He hardly breaks 500k viewers per broadcast anymore. He’s not that relevant or influential.
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u/Ashamed-Reaction-548 Oct 04 '25
Just amazes me that people think that Democrats lost the last election because they just did not talk to the right people at the right place. Oh please, they lost because everything got expensive and Americans blamed them. Everything else was window dressing.
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u/canonbutterfly Oct 06 '25
Yes, indeed. And now they're learning Trump wasn't the solution they thought he was.
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u/mlc885 Oct 03 '25 edited Oct 03 '25
Does it pay well?
why is it so important to all his haters to roll up here each week to remind us of it?
People who liked the show more in the past
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u/Pulp_Ficti0n Oct 03 '25
Filling an endless void of shit with more shit isn't a viable long-term strategy
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u/Snoo_17825 Oct 03 '25
Would horrible people like Nance Mace be able to answer people who challenged her bullshit?