Tavis Smiley interviews Bill Maher

[straygypsy]

Is this the same asshole that said christians commit suicide bombings every single day?

[ozabobododo]

Are you yelling at me in caps lock? Calm down and lower your letters. I just looked up ain't in the dictionary and it is in there. Ironically after the definition it says, used in some varieties of Black English. Also it says that it is widely disapproved as nonstandard and more common in the habitual speech of the less educated. That's straight out of Webster's. I agree that all races use ain't and I never made it a race thing. I just pointed out Bill's condescendence towards Tavis. OKAY!

[ozabobododo]

Anyone else catch Bill being condescending at 4:36? "No I aint runnin". That was hilarious coming from Bill who speaks so well and has such a large vocabulary.

[kaviraj]

Uh Tavis said "ain't" first. Anyway "ain't" isn't a word confined to one race. I learned this from a white guy in South Baltimore: YOU IGNANT!

[jaytee3baxter]

This is silly. I just listened.

Tavis: "You ain't runnin', no?"

Bll: "I ain't runnin."

Ain't is part of vernacular speech and is sometimes deliberately used by educated people for emphasis or informality.

So, how is it condescending of Bill to reply in kind to Tavis?

[ozabobododo]

I could be totally wrong but it seemed like Bill was bothered by him saying "you ain't runnin though". Tavis was saying don't hate on someone doing a job that you would never want to do. You could tell they were all buddy buddy leading up to that. Knowing a little bit about Bill from interviews and watching his show, I definitely sensed some sarcasm from him. Only Bill knows for sure and he would never admit it unless you were having lunch with him and it was off the record.

[OLTJOE]

'This country was a corporation before it was a country'

What an inane comment completely divorced from reality. The modern form of corporations did not exist, legally, until the civil rights movement of the 1960's. It's so painful to see the bald face lies of accepted wisdom in our 'institutions of journalism'. Corporations were carefully controlled ventures created to take on large tasks (building roads, bridges, etc) and very quickly disbanded after the task was complete.

[johnclavis]

It wasn't a modern corporation, no, but it is true to say that many parts of what eventually coalesced into the original 13 states were commercial, for-profit enterprises.

[hardassteel]

I thought it was awkward at the end when the host held up the DVD of Religulous and said "keep the faith." LOL

[OettingerCroat]

i can't believe he just said he wanted some putinism... oh my god Bill, putin and russia are the most vile country and regime on Earth

shut the hell up Bill

[frumpman]

you obviously dont know much about russia, and didn't listen what bill maher said. one of the good things Putin actually did... like one of the 2 good things he actually did one of which was stepping down, was to take back money from the oligarchs and put it into the russian economy at large.

not good for us in the west but certainly for the russian people.

And Bill isn't saying "let's become russia" he said: let's take back some of the money from the rich so that america can survive.

[OettingerCroat]

well I get it, but you can't start to pick apart Putinism just for the parts we might like...

with Putin also came extreme nationalism, resurgence of the secret police, murder of many journalists critical of Putin, jailing political adversaries, "intervening" in the internal politics of a sovereign neighbor (Georgia) on behalf of a population which never even called itself Russian prior to Soviet dissolution, and a bunch of other shit that makes me loathe the thought of commending Putin.

[frumpman]

like I said he did 2 good things take money from the oligarchs and resign (even if he is secretly or not so secretly pulling the strings even so)

What I think bill maher was getting at though is that Obama cant pussy foot around the big companies like so many before him have, he really has to for the sake of america, really fucking hit em' where it hurts, like putin almost ruthlessly but thats where the similarities end, plus even if putin did one commendable thing he's still despicable.

[brady3249ers]

40 million russians lost their lives under stalins rule. The man was sick, really sick.  Hitler was awful, but stalin was worse.

[blink1821985]

yeah but the reason hitler is being held up as so bad was because of his ideology of hatred towards the jews. stalin as paranoid as he was also didn't like jews but he didn't build concentration camps for anyone simply because of their race or heritage

[alichoturko]

Stalin didn't start the war. Hitler was worse.

[brady3249ers]

The war was started because of the most rediculous treaty ever creaed, the Versaille Treaty. It was an impossible treaty to comply by, especially for a proud people like the Germans. So the war was started for a resonable reason, eh, so so, as bad as that sounds. Now, the genocide of the jews was madness and mind-boggling. Totally awful. But Stalin murdered millions of his own people, millions because he was seriously sick in the head. If I had one bullet, I would kill Stalin, not Hitler.

[aghneya]

As a PhD student in history, I can tell you this isn't true. Stalin was a tyrant, but Hitler was the greater murderer. 60 million people died in WWII, which was wholly Hitler's fault. Hitler's army killed 20 million people in Russia alone. The number of people who died in the gulag is probably 1-2 million (Stalin's archives, which were quite open about murder, listed about a half of a million). Also, there were famines caused by bad policies, but that's different from gas chambers.

[tiknoriumatyti]

bullshit, have you heard about Ukraine ? How many people died bcouse of stalin there alone not mentioning the other countries. I don't know who's side of history are you learning but im kinda sure, you didn't read the victims side. ? Gulag was BEFORE the conc. camps. stalin TEACH hitler how to build these things (not directly, the soviets taught the nazi's). It is true , winers write history, thats why we have bad knowledge and I can see from the post you just written.

[aghneya]

you have no proof. everyone knows that tens of millions of people died in wwII, which was hitler's responsibility. no one can top that. i did point out that stalin's rule caused famines, in which many died, but i made a moral distinction between famines and literally killing people. british rule in india and ireland also called famines, but no one called queen victoria a mass murderer. your english doesn't seem too good; i think you missed my point.

[tiknoriumatyti]

Prof would be the archives of countries. Ukraine is arguing and trying to prove the genocide of there people. Because when they opened there archives they sow the atrocities that the soviets thought up and were doing in paper +reality . There is no moral difference , killing is killing, you can kill with a gun or not giving any food (witch would also be torture). Dont forget the Baltic killings, where alot of scholars were brought to Siberia to die. You hould get more sources mister phd.

[aghneya]

well, that's where we disagree. i think a moral distinction should be made between famines and murder. did you know that 3 million people died in india during the 1943 famine of bengal? why doesn't anyone blame winston churchill for that? the indians do (read amartya sen). anyway, my point is not to prove that stalin wasn't a murder, he was, just that hitler was worse.

[tiknoriumatyti]

I know bout that event. Thats the problem, i hold them as horrible as they are, and from my respective (country) stalin is a bigger scumbag then hitler. Jews see hitler and nazis as the top devil (but today they act as bad as the nazis at some respect in the middle east) , yet the post soviet countries see stalin as a bigger demon.

As a historian you should not mix your opinion of morality with facts. Your job is to provide the facts. That is my opinion. Good luck with your work.

[brady3249ers]

Stalin was worse than Hitler. Check this out. In battle, Stalin had a secret force that would bunker down with machine gun posts behind his own lines of russian soldiers (peasants really) to shoot and kill any russian soldier that broke formation or retreated. Oh, and by the way, many of these russian soldiers did not have a weapon. They were told to find one on a dead german soldier. So if you were an unarmed charging russian soldier and got scared and turned back, you would be shot down.

[SpiralOutLateralus]

Hey LamboK28992, Fuck you... Stalin didn't kill people because he was an atheist... He killed people because he was in control and could do whatever he wanted... Unlike Christians who smirk upon the fact that someone like Bill Maher might burn hell or Catholics who stay a Catholic even though priests are fucking little kids or Muslims who chop each others heads off and burn each other alive with Gods permission... Sounds to me like Atheists are safer people to be around on a day to day basis.

[jessie74]

Gulfport, MS loves ya Tavis.

[LamboK28992]

Bill Maher might as well consider himself a communist revolutionary. His "libertarian" stance is absurd. He is one of the farthest left people in American entertainment.

[chukmaty]

Obama was not bipartisan, he closed out the GOP and the GOP did nt vote with him as a result.

[judithbjini]

waa waaaah.

[drwalepen15]

Fuck the Gay Old Party!

[LamboK28992]

LOL GOOD ONE MAN

fuck you

[chukmaty]

mmm hmmm hmmm mmm...

[chukmaty]

best the liberal movement has to offer!

[mazakiel]

Who? Bill? He is not liberal. . .maybe i miss understood

[username02091966]

Bill your right religion is the worlds biggest problem. Religion is the cause for most of the worlds problems and conflicts.

[LamboK28992]

Stalin was an atheist and he was the single most deadly man in human history.

[lovecraftfan311]

tell that the ancient people of canaan as they were slaughtered by the jews

or to the jews about adolf hitler who thought he was doing gods work.

or tell it to the native americans after the colonialist/usa slaughtered them.

if you cry that stalin is evil because of his athiesm and the evil he did, then it is only logical to say that religious groups are more dangerous as they have killed far more for far longer.

[LamboK28992]

Because the US killed native americans for religious reasons, right?

WTF?

[lovecraftfan311]

actually it was justified with religion, its called "manifest destiny" in which the US was destined by providence(god) to controll the territories taken from indians. Historian William E. Weeks' 3rd theme of MD was:the destiny under God to accomplish this work.

[tlen0117]

Watch 'THE OBAMA DECEPTION'

the full version documentary can be seen on youtube the channel name is 'ChangeDaChannel'

Obama is a front man and you silly people are deluded. And without question most of you said much worse about Bush. And by censoring me, you pretty much proved my point about Obama and his supporters. It doesn't matter though, because many are waking up and realizing Obama is not qualified for the job and will be an even bigger joke(you'll weep) than Bush 43.

[novola1972]

Who is in your opinion qualified ? I am not an Obama supporter/hater.

Thank you.

[tlen0117]

definitely the latest 2(bush & obama) were/are unqualified. Spending money faster than they can print it.  it's a shame and a disgrace...

'The Obama Deception' is a movie to watch.

[Bellantoni]

No credible mainstreem journalist ever called Bush a fascist, communist, stalinist, or a nazi even in the deepest darkest days of his reign. However that cant be said about Obama

[jgrover78]

Funny how Bill Maher labels himself a Libertarian. He is as much a Libertarian as this show's host is white.

[fomastephanovitch]

If Putin didn't crush Yukos and usurp their property, oil prices would be considerably lower.

Don't support legalized theft!

[AndStillEyeRise]

"...we got to do a Putin on them!"  classic!

[Nwolf79]

I love how Travis Smiley is holding a Religulous DVD as he says "keep the faith"

[tlen0117]

correction -venezuela

[tlen0117]

'genuine wit'

puh lease-- the dude (obama) is known for his teleprompter crutch. Were the media not so in the tank for him -- he would be ridiculed a la Bush.

[jvilla21]

you ain't runnin lol.

[3rdWorldInvasion]

Obama does not say a word without his teleprompter, he is anything but "real," he is pre-scripted all the way. He is less popular than Bush was at the same time of his administration. It will all end in tears.

[studiologos]

Yhea, but Bush still the worst of all.

[yoshiebe]

duh he is pre scripted all the way. you would be foolish to think that there was any one president in the last hundred years that was unscripted at anytime he was in public.

[yoshiebe]

and i think he 'scripts' himself most of the time. he writes a lot of what he says, and he makes personal edits to the stuff thats handed to him. i know i sound like an obama-maniac, which i am not, but i think its silly to judge someone based on the use of a teleprompter.

[3rdWorldInvasion]

Presidents often create the environment to be off script, such as open news conferences, Obama never goes anywhere without his teleprompter. Bush had his faults, but despite his lack of eloquence, he was at least open and accessible.

[yoshiebe]

i dont disagree that it does perhaps create a slight air of aloofness, but that is all it creates. like i said before, its silly to judge someone on their teleprompter use.

[3rdWorldInvasion]

It goes to transparency... to being truthful, honest and open. Right now what I see is the left-wing of the Democratic party -Pelosi and Emanuel seem to be in charge of politics in America right now, not Obama, he is a teleprompter- strong arming their way, smearing the Republicans each chance they get, while the government -disturbingly enough- goes after private citizens who dare express their disagreement and dissatisfaction with our push toward socialism. Even some Democrats are recoiling.

[yoshiebe]

Gosh, drama queen much. this is going to make you mad, i can tell, but i think people are always comparing the new things that the administration is doing to socialism or communism. honestly, coming from someone who has actually lived in a communist country, this could not be farther from the truth. His use of a teleprompter could just indicate that he doesnt want to mess up in front of an audience, given the fact that the media would probably linger on that for weeks.

[tlen0117]

there are many resemblances to socialism and communism-- the high spending, wealth redistribution.

Jim Cramer, Rush Limbaugh, Rick Santelli, Sean Hannity...

Why is the obama administration singling out non-elected citizens simply because they disagree with obama's wealth draining socialist policies? That is behavior straight out of the communist playbook.

It is our RIGHT as Americans to criticize ANY ADMINISTRATION if we disagree. Someone needs to remind obama that this is America not venezula

[yoshiebe]

its pretty pointless to speak to people with their minds made up already, so i will just go back to my original opinion and say that its silly to judge a president on using a teleprompter. If i were him, i'd want to use a teleprompter all the time too, especially if people were constantly watching and hoping i would mess up so they can galvanize me. And he actually only uses it for speeches, suprise suprise, his witticisms are often real, and he goes off the telepromter too sometimes.

[darsdoodles]

Of course you can disagree with the admin.I dont know what u r talking about when u said the admin is singling out people.THE MEDIA IS NOT THE ADMIN.

And b4 Bush do you know of any openly partisan news shows. I mean they would have shut down such slanted news from FOX a long time ago. I never remember a NETWORK news show that was just there to push one sides views. So you are wrong.

[yoshiebe]

its been a couple days so i forgot what we were talking about...so im not sure what your saing but the obama administration has singled out rush limbaugh for saying those things, which were really stupid by the way...i dont know what you are saying i'm wrong of, you sure we even disagree in the first place? i think we may actually have the same point of view...whatever, im lost, but i have the suspicion that you are accusing someone who agrees with you of being wrong.

[darsdoodles]

Yoshiebe, I was not replying to you. I was replying to someone else that said that Obama's admin was singling out people to pick on. For some reason my post didn't get posted right below the one i responded to.Sorry for the mix up, but yeah we are on the same side. LOL.

[yoshiebe]

oh okay, i thought so. its okay, its youtube, these things happen all the time! :)

[yoshiebe]

I can say with certainty that america is far from communism. Human rights are maintained. we enjoy free speech, free press, and indeed you even have the right to say what you are saying. in a communist country, internet access is limited and your comment would not be permitted? The government, no matter how much 'distribution of wealth', is intent protecting you as a citizen and your rights.

I DONT support many things happening,

but people are overreacting when they say we are communist.

[tlen0117]

no one said full scale communism was occurring, but there is an undeniable neo-marxist overtone in the current administration. obama has signed 17 executive orders in the past 44 days-- it's pretty much rule by fiat at the moment.

come next election cycle obama's powers will be put in check with an elected republican majority in the house & senate. obamania is coming to an end as people see him as an amateur. search youtube to see what happens when obama goes off script--and it ain't pretty

[Rushtrdamus]

New presidents, have to overturn outgoing presidents stupid orders. No stem-cell research, even when the embyo is going in the trash?

If you could tell me the names of those GOP members, you think will be elected, that would be great, because it would be the largest swing, since 94'. Keep dreaming taint0117

[GODSoneandonlySON]

I suppose Tricky Dick Nixon, going after John Lennon in the 70's was OK because Nixon was GOP? I don't know how mold you are, but you sound like a dipshit, saying We are like A communist country. Bush doubled the deficit in 8 years. Were you screaming for him to resign, hell no, because he was one of yours. Don't be a hypocrit. Rush, Cramer,Santelli and Hannity are NOT just citizens, they are public figures, who make money from creating discord. Don't act shocked.

[yoshiebe]

the smearing definitely goes both ways, there is not one party that can point a finger at the other, thats totally the pot calling the kettle black, or whatever that saying is. And i believe you are probably refering to Rush Limbaugh when you say that the government is going after 'private citizens' but when a public figure with a radio show says something as stupid he did he will get a response. the government has a right to free speech too, and a right to respond to something that is said.

[GODSoneandonlySON]

Open and accessible, are you kidding me? His admin, rarely allowed info to be released to the country.

Lack of elquence? HE made up words, that's not a lack of eloquence, That's Stupidity PUT FOOD ON YOUR FAMILY?

MISUNDERESTIMATE? The world thought our president was a dumbass, I'm so proud!

[tlen0117]

and i guess obama claiming he'd been to all "58 states" was brilliance revealed. and he his constant "ughs" and "ah's" when he's without the teleprompter are what?

obama has had just as many gaffes as bush-- only the liberal media won't show it. thank goodness youtubers post them all for public consumption.

[raistallica]

I gotta say that I disagree with you but I can't believe all these people gave you thumbs down until you were censored. These people probably said much worse things about Bush.

[herdofcatz]

wine enema - gold!

[finchy633]

Shit bill is aging fast. Hes sort of morphing into a Kermit the Frog/Tintin compound

[ashane77]

FRACKIN64:

Bill Maher SAYS he's a libertarian, but he's far more of a social-liberal who ascribes to most of the socialistic ideas of the 'Left'.

[BooBTuberToo]

If the top 1% are going to have to pay the majority of the countries taxes, then they should reap the rewards.

[SockbatReplica]

In what other country could the top 1% earn the kind of money they've been making.

[BooBTuberToo]

Obama doesn't even know what HE PASSED in the LARGEST SPENDING BILL IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD. Don't separate him from Bush. He's even more disgusting.

[bgiles26]

Didn't you mean to say that HE SIGNED the LARGEST SPENDING BILL IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD. I believe the Congress is the body that PASSES any bill so they passed the LARGEST SPENDING BILL IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD, not the president.

[fsem10]

i know Maher is a lib but he blows way to much smoke up Obama ass

[Frackin64]

Wow--sour grapes. At least, so far, Obama seems to be doing well. Conservatives had their heads up Bush's ass for eight years while he totally fucked up the country.

[fsem10]

no sour grapes, im a dem and support

Obama < Clinton < republicans, just want people to be Objective instead of being what fox news is for the republicans

Obama himself has already admitted he screwed up, yet GROUPIES like you pretend like he is the a savior

the guy ran a campaign saying tax cuts dont work and yet his stimulus bill had whole bunch of tax cuts, because he wanted to appease the republicans and help his so called "bi-partisan" image

[Frackin64]

Okay--whatever--I'm not an Obama groupie--but for you to say Maher is a lib (he's actually a libertarian--maybe that's what you meant) when he's been pretty critical of the bail-outs etc... just shows you don't know Maher. You also jumped to a whole bunch of conclusions about me.

[cinesimonj]

fsem10 - your complaint about the tax cuts is odd - Obama said that the tax cuts for the rich while the middle class rotted away doesn't work, esp. with the rest of Bush's economic policies such as deregulation & the reality that what little regulation remaining was intentionally not enforced.

Obama pledged the tax cuts in the stimulus, & pledged that he'd do away with the Bush tax cuts.

He's doing what he pledged to do.

The admitted screw ups were relatively inconsequential & valuable PR.

[CoxXximus]

When Putin speaks, GOD LISTENS !

[pirjohelena]

Really?

I'd rather not .

Putin is a creepy guy.

[snowtrot]

Smiley is a foolish racist.

[killerecho]

Antique commode and wine enema

[tonyschmoeredux]

Bill Maher is as intelligent as the aylwives that wash up on the beach.

[bahramf]

You're an idiot.

[tonyschmoeredux]

Pardon my error. Maher is actually slightly more intelligent than the fish.

[niginit]

who's smarter?

in fact, who is the smartest person in your opinion? and why?

imo anyone who denounces religion is smarter than 90% of the earth's population.

[sandweezy]

ahhhhhh hahaha SO TRUE....so true....so true....knowledge > religion

[niginit]

see, sandweezy gets it. COME ON PEOPLE!! WAKE UP!!!!!!!

[sunnyallthetime]

Why is that?

[sandweezy]

because it takes more to have knowledge than to have faith....it takes rationality...it takes reasoning...it takes research....it takes asking questions. I am sorry, but any book that has a talking snake, a guy living in a fish for 3 days, and a virgin mother..................is not going to be taught to my children as anything more than a fairytale.. Matter of fact, I will read it to them right after The 3 Little Pigs.

[sunnyallthetime]

My reply was meant to ask

tonyschmoeredux why he thinks Maher is as intelligent as fish on a beach. I grew up near Lake Michigan so I know what alewives on the beach are like. :-D

[sandweezy]

oh sorry haha...my bad.

[pirjohelena]

Yup! he isn't into any religion or other silly belief system.

[tonyschmoeredux]

Evangelical atheists are the most zealous of all.

[pirjohelena]

Are they?

Bill Maher is an agnostic.

[Rantandreason]

Please show me one of these evangelical atheists

[pirjohelena]

exactly!

[HLGxFeaR]

Love Bill Maher! He is such a smart guy.

[elitemathlete]

That's not Tavis Smiley. Tavis Smiley has a mustache.

[pirjohelena]

Bill is an intelligent guy.

Of coursse he won't talk about One World Government, International Bankers, Eugenics or that 9/11 was an inside job.

[sunnyallthetime]

Your comment is interesting. Do you suppose why Bill won't discuss these topics?

[pirjohelena]

I guess for the same reason that he won't discuss extra-terrestrials abducting people...

Or whether Little Red Riding Hood was a historical person

If he did, I wouldn't care to watch his show.

[niginit]

yeah he doesn't really talk about any of those issues, which is suspect considering that fact that if you follow his logic it basically leads the conclusion that all of government is corrupt and unjust. So, why then is a false-flag operation done by the same government who has been found guilty of doing so in the past (golf of tonken) so absurdly ridiculous that he would actually defend bush!

Bill slams the corporations and government for being complicit in corruption then turns a blind eye.

[pirjohelena]

I think he doesn't believe bush and company to be smart enough to do anything tricky.

I don't think the same people were in the government 1964 as 2001.

[niginit]

I don't think bush n co. are smart enough to boil an egg but that doesn't stop them from hiring people to do it for them.

people don't realize that when people accuse bush of being complicit in 911 it does not mean they think that bush orchestrated and carried out the precise acts. He's a guise and probably not much more besides a crony.

It's widely known that the people who run the show are not those who we vote in. Money controls it all, those with money have the control inherently.

[pirjohelena]

I don't think anybody has total perspective and control of what happens on Earth.

It is too complicated and there are too many factors to involve.

Bush didn't need 911 for his plans with Iraq. Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with 911. I think Bush was planning to attack Iraq anyways.

But I think his Iraq plans failed pretty much. This shows lack of smartness - also that the lies about WMD were so easy revealed...

[niginit]

I don't think that one person controls the earth.

That's not what I'm getting at.

There is a group of elite's at the top and that is proven beyond a doubt. They control the people who run EVERYTHING basically, our system is built that way.

bush needed 911 to scare people into submission so he could do something completely irrational like attack the wrong country with absolutely no evidence and then take away our rights at home.

He succeeded HUGELY. well, those who actually run the show did.

[pirjohelena]

I don't think all the richest people in the world would unite in controlling the world. It is more likely that they would fight each other.

I think the people making money through oil will soon lose their money and power.

People selling drugs certainly don't all work together - everyone wants the biggest share for themselves.

Then there are weapons - that too is sold by many, a very lucrative business. There is a lot of competition between those gangster organisations.

[pirjohelena]

Then there is trafficking. That also is done by lots of different people and organizations.

I think that covers the current four most lucrative "businesses".

Bush maybe has a hold on the people in the USA, but certainly not in Europe.

[pirjohelena]

I see you live in the US. You have the chance now of changing things there.

I don't think the elite in China wants to share power with the Us. Also not the elite in India.

[niginit]

the world is set in place by a minority to maximize profit and suppress truth.

people have been fighting against tyranny for ages and we are not done fighting it yet.

until universal freedom is obtained we are all the slaves to those who presume to dictate our destinies.

go read George Orwell's 1984.

[loganhuss]

"big brother"....great book....read Hitchens "why orwell matters"

[niginit]

yeah, I did.

I think we can assume that 1984 is what the religious are pushing towards. Only far more terrifying and technologically advanced.

Big brother really is god and assembling a society based on the model is the priority for the powerful who use religion to coerce and rule.

[niginit]

I think you're intentions are good in trying to assess this situation but unfortunately I think you are a bit naive as to the scope of this problem.

It's a huge problem that has way too many variables to even begin to accuse a certain group of people.

Let's just say the problem is complicity and religion and with both we have a ruling class and a slave class.

You have to know a great deal about this subject to even begin to understand it's cause and effects.