Tag: Bill Maher

Trump protestors face much bigger problems than Trump

~ Randy Seaver ~ 1 Comment

Earlier today — on the occasion of President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday – millions of Americans took to the streets to participate in hundreds of “No Kings” protests and events all across the country.

From where I sit, those protestors were wasting their time and accomplishing little more than barking at the moon – a theatrical circle-jerk of self-righteous indignation.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not a fan of Donald J. Trump – not by a longshot, but I have some very bad news for the Democrats and all the others who can’t stomach the thought of Trump sitting in the Oval Office:

You have much bigger and much more significant problems than Donald Trump.

This may be hard for you to hear, but Trump is not a king nor a dictator. He is the duly elected president of the United States.

And that fact should scare the bejesus out of all of us.

But no matter how shocked we are, no matter how angry or stunned we may feel about this nightmarish Administration, it is time for the Democrats to accept a very harsh – yet simple — reality. Trump won and you lost.

Instead of carrying cardboard signs and shouting at passing traffic from the side of the road, you should be working to fix what went so terribly wrong on November 5, 2024.

You should also be more concerned about a much bigger – much more frightening – threat to our democracy.

Screaming in the rain may have sort of therapeutic benefit, it may make you feel better; it may even help you believe that you are doing your civic duty – but as my therapist always reminds me: feelings are not facts.

Based upon only statistical data regarding life expectancy, Donald Trump is not going to be with us much longer. Today he turns 79. He’s not in the best of shape. The life expectancy for an American man is 77.4 years. Trump is already on borrowed time.

But when Trump finally does shuffle off his mortal coil, will things then go back to normal? Hardly. Why? Because the bigger threat will still be here.

In fact, do you really believe that things were more normal before Trump returned to the White House? Maybe, but that was only because so many of us were not really paying attention.

The boogeyman is real

During his farewell address from the White House in 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower – a Republican — warned us all about the potential dangers of a “Military Industrial Complex.”

Eisenhower specifically cautioned us regarding “the acquisition of unwarranted influence” by this complex within the government.

He also said this ‘complex’ could lead to the “disastrous rise of misplaced power” and potentially undermine our cherished democratic processes.

Ironically, Eisenhower’s successor was assassinated only a little more than two years later; and so was his brother a few years later during his own campaign for the presidency and so were civil rights leaders Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcom X . . . but I digress.

For the most part — despite the escalation of the Vietnam War, Watergate and the Iran Contra Affair – Americans basically let their eyes glaze over, rushing to embrace color televisions, cordless phones and so many other trinkets of distraction.

“The eagle has landed,” . . . about nine months ahead of National Guard troops slaughtering four unarmed college students who were protesting on the campus of Kent State University in Ohio.

Tin soldiers and Nixon’s coming  . . .

Any of this starting to sound familiar?

Sure, it’s easy and much more convenient to focus our rage and indignation on Donald Trump, but he’s really nothing more than a placeholder, a puppet for a well-oiled machine that has repeatedly proven its effectiveness in eroding our civil liberties.

Trump is little more than a narcissistic, not-very-bright ego maniac. The bad news? He holds the nuclear launch codes.

If nothing else, Donald Trump
is the perfect distraction
to what is really wrong in our country.

What is the real threat?

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center and so many others, hate groups are on the rise in America.

According to the Wall Street Journal (hardly a bastion of liberalism), far-right groups were sharing violent messages ahead of the “No Kings” protests this weekend.

The WSJ also reported that accounts associated with extremist groups are “also sharing detailed information about protest organizers, including names and where protestors work.”

And then? Surprise. Minnesota lawmakers are killed and attacked early Saturday morning because of their political views. Coincidence? Yeah, right?

Sadly, hate groups are nothing new in America. These days, the Klan stays mostly hidden – but not inactive.

While Democrats are growing hoarse, screaming “No Kings,” they seem somewhat reticent to admit that more American voters chose Trump than Harris.

The Democrats also failed to gain back control of the House and lost control of the Senate. Despite the current make-up of the Supreme Court, eroding civil rights, infringements on women’s reproductive rights and the general rise of corporate welfare, the left basically screwed the pooch.

Why?

Well, lots of people much smarter than me have offered their own theories about what went wrong in the last election. But here are some factors that seem painfully obvious (in retrospect).

Democrats lost a big portion of their base leading up to the election. Many people say the party basically abandoned some of its key supporters: from younger men to non-white voters and a middle-class that values labor unions.

Instead, Democrats chased a platform of identity politics and a far-left political ideology that doesn’t match current polling. Their messages were blurred and inconsistent. They simply thought the threat of Trump was enough.

They were wrong.

Despite the fact that many Americans say the Biden Administration was weak on immigration issues, Trump and his allies were able to effectively torpedo a bi-partisan bill that would strengthen and enforce immigration policies just weeks before the election.

And there were lots of other things, namely the failure of Democratic leaders to acknowledge what everyone else already knew: President Joe Biden was mentally failing. They tried to keep it a secret until it became painfully obvious to millions of television viewers in the first debate of 2024.

Jake Tapper, an award-winning journalist and the lead Washington anchor for CNN, recently co-wrote a book about the Biden cover-up: Original Sin.

In a recent episode of Bill Maher’s Real Time talk show, Tapper said the Democrats lost a lot of trust by covering for Biden.

Does any of this really matter? I don’t know. Can it be fixed? I don’t know. Maybe.

But the fact remains that the bigger threats to our democracy go way beyond Donald Trump. Despite whatever batshit thing he says or does, millions of his supporters joyously cheer him on.

That is what should keep you awake at night. If nothing else, Donald Trump is the perfect distraction to what is really wrong in our country.

Randy Seaver is a cranky, nearly insufferable malcontent living in Biddeford. He may be contacted by email: randy@randyseaver.com

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Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye

~ Randy Seaver ~ Leave a comment

Jon Stewart – a comedian and talk show host who was once a darling of the far left and progressive Democrats – found himself in some hot water this week when he made his triumphant return to the Daily Show on the Comedy Central network.

Jon Stewart/Photo: Scott Kowalchy, CBS

Stewart previously hosted the late-night “Daily Show” from 1999 to 2015. The show is generally considered satire, but Stewart was well-known for leaning hard left when it came to discussing politics.

Beyond being a comedian, actor, director and producer, Stewart is also a very decent human being who has consistently used his celebrity status to advocate for veterans in need of health care; and for first-responders who are still suffering from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

Reportedly, viewership of the Daily Show has been somewhat sluggish since Stewart left the network nearly 10 years ago to pursue other projects, namely a streaming show on Apple + TV, The Problem with Jon Stewart.

So how did this funny, sharp-witted philanthropist — who never hesitates to rail against Donald Trump and the Republican Party — piss off almost every member of the Democratic Party on his first night back on the Daily Show stage?

Well, basically, someone didn’t give him the memo before the cameras began rolling on Monday. Stewart, a predictable defender of Democrats, failed to toe the party line.

Stewart (gasp) had the temerity to publicly criticize President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for the 2024 presidential election.

Wait! What?

Here, hold my beer, and I’ll explain.

Stewart decided to not use his very big stage to blindly support the man who he likely will be voting for in November. Instead, Stewart’s monologue focused on what a crappy choice we all have to make in November, Republicans and Democrats.

According to Newsweek, thousands of progressive Democrats spilled their iced-mocha cappuccinos on their laps when Stewart “equally” mocked Biden and Trump for issues related to their age, questioning whether either one of them was fit to serve as our commander-in-chief.

Progressives generally preach all day long about tolerance and diversity, right up until the point when the don’t like the subject matter. Then?

Well then, they are not so tolerant or diverse.

Reportedly, reaction to Stewart’s monologue raised a chorus of voices all over social media. Thousands of viewers pledged to never watch the Daily Show again. Social media platforms, including Facebook, X, Instagram and Tik-Tok, reveal that viewers went ballistic with their comments about Stewart and their disdain for so-called balanced commentary.

Here’s one of the thousands of comments that can be found on social media, according to Newsweek:

“FASCIST!! We’re seriously going to 2016 both sides this s*** again?! WTF is wrong with you?! JFC!! #TheDailyShow is a fascist-enabling s*** show!!”

Fascist? Seriously? Where did this person go to school? Today, apparently, the only thing you need to do in order to be labeled as a “Fascist” is to tell jokes about presidential candidates.

Are history books not available online?

I guess now Stewart can join with Bill Maher – another successful white comedian in his 60s who relishes poking fun at people on both sides of our nation’s political divide.

Maher – who hosts his own show on HBO – is another card-carrying Democrat who drew the ire of his political friends by refusing to be politically correct on his television show, Real Time with Bill Maher.

Maher is hilarious when he goes after politicians, policy makers and pundits of all stripes on his show.

Apparently, it will still be safe for progressive Democrats to watch the Comedy Channel, Tuesday through Friday.

Stewart will be working just part-time, only hosting the Daily Show on Monday nights. Talk about ‘Must-See-TV”  I’ll be watching.

Does that make me a fascist?

[Thanks to loyal reader Jeffrey Tippett for pointing out that there is no such thing as the “Democrat” Party. Such references should properly be listed as the “Democratic” Party . . . you know, the party of Democrats. The error has been corrected, We, here at Lessons In Mediocrity, rely on our readers to keep us on our toes.]

The Crying Game

~ Randy Seaver ~ 3 Comments

A couple of days ago, an exhausted and emotional President Obama visited privately with some of his campaign workers and reportedly got pretty choked up. At one point, the president’s tears began to flow.

For some reason, the White House decided to release this rare footage, despite the fact that it was recorded at an event the media was not allowed to attend.

The reaction? Pundits across the globe praised the president’s candor, his show of genuine appreciation. In fact, President Obama’s crying video has gone viral, attracting more than 1.7 million hits on the campaign’s You Tube channel.

Now let’s compare this to the public reaction from just two years ago, when Republican House Speaker John Boehner cried while being interviewed on 60 Minutes about his new role as Speaker of the House…..well, you remember, right?

Here’s what Bill Maher had to say:

“Did you see the new speaker of the House John Boeher cry? He cries a lot. Mr. Boehner you’ve got to stop crying. For one, your tan is going to run. And what’s he going to do if he loses next time? Put on a Bjork record and cut himself?”

Over the last few days, media pundits and amateur pundits on Facebook have been telling us that it is time for cooperation. It is time for the GOP to brush off its brutal losses and begin working with the Democrats. To steal a phrase, It’s time to put people before politics.

For my part, I am trying. I really am. Check the letter I wrote to President Obama on the day after the election.

But it’s damn hard to accept the media’s blatant hypocrisy. Furthermore, why is it so bad for a man… a strong man, or any man for that matter– to cry? Is it a sign of weakness?

Both Obama and Boehner were captured in honest moments of raw emotional expression. The ability to appropriately express your emotion…whether it’s grief, joy or some hidden pain is generally a sign of good mental health. Do we really want our nation’s leaders bottling up their emotions?

Now, here’s a test. Watch this video and see if it makes you cry….even just a little. I dare ya.

My friends and family know that I cannot watch this scene without crying like a baby. If I were a Democrat, I suppose that would be an endearing quality. But if I am a Republican, I best prepare for some intense criticism.

It will be a lot easier for our nation to heal, if we can just move beyond some of the hypocrisy.

My shirt looks good on you

~ Randy Seaver ~ 5 Comments

You know a political nerve has been pinched when Rush Limbaugh apologizes for comments he made on his national radio show.

Rush’s outrageous comments about Sandra Fluke ignited a deafening outcry from women’s groups and reproductive rights advocates this week, and several of his advertisers are now distancing themselves.

Because this is a presidential election year; and because Rush is an unabashedly conservative pundit, his comments are being used by Democrats to underscore the notion that Republicans are waging a war against women.

Nothing like a bit of hypocrisy just a few days before Super Tuesday.

Check the cheering and applause that HBO talk show host Bill Maher received when he described Sarah Palin as a “dumb twat.”

A few nervous giggles, but applause nonetheless…

So, if a Republican commentator demeans women with vitriolic commentary we gather the pitchforks and demand his head on a stick.

But if a liberal commentator does the same thing, we laugh or just look the other way. Is that how it works?

Make no mistake, both Rush Limbaugh and Bill Maher are pigs, and their outrageous comments should be condemned by everyone with a pulse, regardless of political affiliation.

California Governor Jerry Brown, a former presidential candidate, apologized for comments that were attributed to him and/or his staff, describing Republican opponent Meg Whitman as a whore during the gubernatorial campaign.

From my perspective, an apology doesn’t cut it.

George Will got it right when he said the word “inappropriate” is far too tame for describing Rush Limbaugh’s comments.

“Inappropriate is when you use your salad fork for your entrée,” Will quipped on ABC’s Good Morning America, saying Republicans are too tepid in their response and afraid of Limbaugh and his massive audience.

Violence against women begins when we give ourselves permission to demean them with our discourse.

As the father of two young men, I have an inherent obligation to speak out about the pervasive nature of gender violence and misogyny.

As an amateur pundit, I just wonder why it’s somehow funny when Bill Maher calls a woman a twat, yet outrageous when Rush Limbaugh infers that a woman is a slut.

Dean Scontras, the Republican who challenged Chellie Pingree in the 2010 First District Congressional race, is also bothered by the crystal-clear hypocrisy.

On his Facebook page, Scontras said that until those who sympathize with the left express equal outrage over Maher’s remarks about Palin, they should remain silent about Rush Limbaugh’s comments.

I disagree.

Although I despise the hypocrisy, remaining silent about Rush Limbaugh’s vile  commentary just because Bill Maher was equally (or arguably more) offensive, only serves to amplify and allow a very real war against women to fester – – if only beneath the surface.

Thus, it is now time for my own public apology.

Last week, I penned a post entitled I’m Done Sharing My Wife.

Although I am confident that people who know me understand the context of my satirical commentary, my words were immediately thrust onto the stage of public discourse via the power of the internet.

A very wise woman once told me that words are like toothpaste. Once you squeeze them out, it is virtually impossible to put them back in their container.

So, I will not edit or delete that post. I will leave it where it remains as a constant reminder of my own hypocrisy.

And, hopefully, my willingness to at least acknowledge my own boorish behavior will serve as an example for how not to behave.