Color of Change email: Breitbart to appear on the Bill Maher show, Maher uncritical

[alp227]

I just got this email from Color of Change:

We just learned that tonight, Andrew Breitbart — the man behind the take-down of Shirley Sherrod — will appear on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher." Turns out this will be the second time that Maher has had Breitbart on since Breitbart was exposed as a fraud in the Sherrod incident. In the first show, despite Breitbart having recently been shown to be a con-artist, Maher referred to him kindly as a "publisher and journalist" and engaged him as a credible commentator.1

Bill Maher needs to hear from us — if Breitbart is going to appear on his show at all, Maher needs to tell his audience that Breitbart is neither a journalist nor a commentator — that in fact he's a liar, a race-baiter, and a con-artist. Maher needs to know that it's irresponsible for him to give Breitbart a stage without making Breitbart's history and penchant for deception clear.

Can you make a quick phone call to Maher's show? The script below makes it easy (or you can come up with your own).

[phone] - Real Time with Bill Maher

Our suggested script:

Hi, I'm calling because I'm outraged that your show is hosting Andrew Breitbart. He has been exposed over and over again as a race-baiter and a liar, and now he's trying to repair his reputation. Breitbart has been considered a fraud by most of the media since he smeared Shirley Sherrod and the NAACP using deceptively edited video. But in September, Bill Maher had him on the show and referred to him as a journalist and publisher. Bill Maher shouldn't help sanitize Breitbart's image. If he still plans to have Breitbart on tonight, he needs to make it very clear that Breitbart is someone who uses lies to stoke racial fear and conflict, for personal and political gain. Anything less would be irresponsible and shameful.

Wow, I've seen some Maher clips on the PV forum and find Maher sorta funny from what little I've seen or him. And I enjoyed his movie Religulous. But it's disappointing that Maher has a soft spot for anti-vaccine quackery and now even that fraud Andrew Breitbart! Meanwhile, last friday (1 hour 6 minutes mark) Thom Hartmann skewered Breitbart on the radio.

How often does Maher interview conservatives, and does Maher take a challenging approach like Jon Stewart did for instance with Ken Blackwell?

[tularetom]

1. Don't watch - it's sickening

He doesn't fawn over them but he never challenges them and doesn't shut them up when they try to take over the show.

Although sometimes another guest will step up and smack the right winger down. I'm thinking in particular of Richard Belzer from Law & Order - he's done it several times.

[alp227]

2. I don't even have cable so I can't watch anyway

and of course Breitbart isn't even worth PREMIUM cable beyond Fox News

[DutchLiberal]

3. Usually, Bill Maher makes the right-wing guests look like misinformed loons...

... by slapping them silly with arguments, facts and figures that totally disprove the conservative's lies. However, he does let a few things slip past him occasionally. I think because he doesn't want to gang up on the conservative guest with his other liberal guests. He does want conservatives to come on the show to avoid the 'echo chamber' environment.

[PADemD]

4. You can submit questions for his "overtime" segment online.

His other guests are Gov. Deval Patrick, Laura Flanders, Mark McKinnon, and John Waters.

[AtomicKitten]

5. "Voice mailbox is full." Damn, I was ready to give 'em an earful.

[name not needed]

6. This will not end well for Breitbart.

Just like his last appearance didn't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FO9Eg0Gfr0

[AtomicKitten]

7. Maher to Dyson: "That's some motherfucking articulateness."

:thumbsup:

[DutchLiberal]

10. Unfortunately, the top rated comments on YouTube:

'Dyson is an "articulate" racist himself. He knew he met his match with Breitbart so he just kept babbling his liberal bullshit to shut him up.'

'Dyson made no sense what so ever. He practiced that nonsense in the shower'

And this disproves Dyson's arguments... how?!

[MindPilot]

8. Get your own TV show...

And then you can control who appears and how they are treated. Until then your choice is to watch or don't.

Bill Maher is a comic and stuff like this is nothing more than fresh heckler meat.

[DefenseLawyer]

9. Maher isn't all that deep

He knows what's funny. He's usually on the right side of things, from my point of view. but he's very "black and white". If an issue gets complicated I notice he often times gravitates to the most simplistic approach. Probably because nuance isn't funny.