Real Time with Bill Maher - Ep. #520: Senator Amy Klobuchar, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

Episode Date: February 15, 2020

Bill’s guests are Senator Amy Klobuchar, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, Katie Couric, Van Jones, and Bret Stephens (Originally aired 2/14/20) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to an HBO podcast from the HBO late-night series, Real Time with Bill Maugh. Love on Valentine's Day, isn't it? It's Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day, and I tell you, if you're a guy who took your date to a free TV taping, good luck getting late tonight, okay?

And also, you have a three-day weekend, right? President's Day is Monday. President's Day, we've come a long way from George Washington, that would be. Washington said, I cannot lie, I chopped down the cherry tree. Trump would say, I never met that tree. My chopping is perfect. Perfect. A lot of people are saying it.

But yes, welcome to post-democracy America. Where we asked the question, what if Scarface was white? Well, that's what happened. You know, the Republican Senate has decided that Trump is, emperor, and they said if Trump is making us money, he can basically do whatever he wants. The same way Disney was all those years with Harvey Weinstein.

Fans and friends of Mr. Weinstein, good to know. Always boo first. It's safe. Wait, Weinstein's an asshole. I like that. Well, the latest in the last gasp of a nation of dying laws was this week when Roger Stone, you remember Roger Stone, guy who looks like the doorman at an

He is like, he's Trump's original political advisers. You know, that they go way back. He has known Roger over three wives. And Roger, you know, was the conduit between Russia and Wiggy Leaks, and he was convicted of seven felonies in a fair court done by pros, and he was going to get seven to nine in prison, and then Trump tweets, unfair. And, of course, the Justice Department, led by Bill Maher intervenes,

and then Trump and Barr play their ventriloquist game where the dummy pretends he's mad. Barr was like, I'm drawing a line in the swamp. He said this yesterday. He said, Donald Trump's tweeting is making it impossible for me to do my job. Yes, because you're supposed to be a cop, and he's a crook. Trump's the guy who asked you to

bury a dead body with him and then puts it on YouTube. So, and then this is great. Trump went on Geraldo's podcast. Haraldo has a podcast yet. And, you know, the entire podcast was, you know, Travolto picking Trump's brain. You thought Al Capone's vault was empty. But, you know, so, you know,

Trump on the podcast admits that he did, in fact, order Rudy. to go to Ukraine and dig up dirt on the Bidens, which was the opposite of what he claimed in his impeachment trial, which was a whole week ago. But hey, you know what? We had the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday,

so I guess we're still pretending that we're having an election and that it's going to matter and then he's not going to... Okay, I'll get to the way. But, yeah, Bernie Sanders won Iowa and New Hampshire. He's also leading in the national... which means we have a new front-runner.

Michael Bloomberg. What the fuck? Well, Bloomberg must be the front-runner because liberals are calling him a racist. Keep booing. That's how you lost the last election. But, you know, Bloomberg does have some blind spots. I'm not going to lie about that.

He's not too good on pot either. But, hey, I will happily vote for him if he is the winning bidder. Trump loves to mock Bloomberg for being short, but you know what? He's not short on cash. He has got ads everywhere. Have you seen this?

They're on Facebook. They're on YouTube. They're on television. I saw one on Pornhub. The title was Rich Daddy Pays for it. But the good news is the field is finally winnowing with the Democrats. A lot of them are getting out. Yes.

Michael Bennett is out Michael Bennett's that guy at the party who makes sure he says goodbye to you and you're like I didn't know you were here I thought Mayor Pete got the short drift he won I think Iowa he has the most delegates and Rush Limbaugh said today that Mayor Pete

that's not going to happen because he's gay and how's it going to look Rush said a gay guy kissing his husband on stage next to Mr. Man he said that Mr. Man Donald Trump He's got a point I tell you, when I see a guy wearing two pounds of bronzer, with this platinum blonde comb over,

teased to perfection, the first thing I think is, what a man. All right, we've got a great show, Katie Kirk, Van Jones, and Brett Stevens are here at Old Letter. We're speaking with Representative Pamela Gaiapal. But first up, she is the senator from Minnesota who's running for the Democratic nomination of her president. She had a very good week. Amy Klobuchar.

Yes, I'm ready to come to California. I was going to say, well, sure, that's where the money is. For the votes. The votes. Well, this state's in the bag. We don't care about this date. It's a Super Tuesday state. Oh, for the nomination.

Yeah. I'm thinking about winning. I'm sorry. Crazy me. But, hey, you got the real-time bounce. Yes. You're on? Oh, that means something.

A couple of months ago. And now, I didn't know. know, if I was you, I would say to saying to myself, I've been waiting my whole life to hear the word surging next to my name. You are surging. Do you like surging? And why are you surging?

It's much better than not surging. And I think it is because for me, as you know, I didn't have the biggest bank account. I still don't. Not the loudest voice, not the tallest one. And despite the Bloomberg back and forth with the president where the president claimed he was 5'4,

I am the only one that is truly 5'4. Thomas Jefferson was 5'4. Exactly. There is a president that was 5'4, Jefferson. That's when dudes were 5'4. But I think for me what it is, is one, I've got the receipts, I've made the case that I am the one

that has repeatedly led a ticket and won and brought in moderate Republicans' independence as well as a fired-up Democratic base. I've done that repeatedly. That's what we want to win big against this guy. I admire anybody who can get up every day and say the same line. No, no, I know. I'm glad you're doing it. I'm just saying. I admire it. Okay, but other people...

It must be grueling. It must be like Groundhog Day. Every day, you have to say... No, of course, you've got to beat it into their heads. Some people say the lines. I've actually lived there. I know. That is a difference. And then the second thing is... The second thing is that I think in the debate, that gave me the opportunity to, one, repeatedly show I'm tough enough to take on the president.

And two, make the case that this is all... about having someone they can put themselves in the shoes of the regular people in this country. Because this president has no empathy. He cannot do that. He always thinks about himself first. Well, okay, but then why do 83% of farmers? Now, you know farmers. You're from Minnesota. They have farmers? Sure, everybody is. A lot of farmers. We're fifth in the country. Reagan New Jersey has farmers. Everybody's got farmers. Okay. You're a big farm state. Okay. So why do 83% of farmers say they're for Trump? Well, that's where they may be in the past.

I don't think that's where they're going to be in 2016. No, 2020. And where they were in 2016, I don't think it's going to be where they are in 2020. And let me make the case. There's been a 25% increase in farm bankruptcies. It's not just the farmers. It's the rural economy. So why don't that, why isn't, that's the point.

Why isn't that reflected in the number of farmers who are a ginem? Oh, because they have to have a candidate running against him. that does not see the Midwest as flyover country. And I'm going to be able to say to him on the debate stage, farm bankruptcy is up 25%. You're not doing anything on child care in the rural areas or child poverty,

and you are treating the people in the middle of the country like they are poker chips in one of your bankrupt casino. With all, okay. Instead of, and for me... For me, they're my friends and neighbors. With all due respect, Democrats have been pitching that for a while, and it doesn't work.

on a lot of people who it should were, I agree. Rationally, that is the argument. I'm asking you, why doesn't it sink in? Why do they not trust that? Let's think about what happened in some of the races around the country. Two congressional seats in Iowa in 2018, here are my proof points, right? Went to Democrats because it was a check on Donald Trump. It was an economic check, but it was also a decency check, a patriotism check.

Laura Kelly is now the governor of Kansas. She beat Chris Kobach. Gretchen Whitmer is now the governor of Michigan. Look at those seats in Orange County. Look where Jackie Rosen got elected in Nevada. We don't know these people. I know. I know.

I'm just telling you. Now you have made my point for me, Beaumach. They are not celebrities. They don't have the biggest bank account, but they won. Because people could relate to them as a kingdom. I'm just saying when you go, Herb Kleineman and the people are like, yeah, that's why she's inside D.C.

because she thinks we know. No, no, no. I'm making the point. The people in those states know exactly what I'm talking about. You can have Democrats that bring people with them instead of shutting them out.

As long as you were talking to swing states, I'm good with it. Because you do have to get those states, right? Yeah. Okay, so now here's the thing with the Democratic Party, and what we've been hearing all week, is Bernie Sanders won in New Hampshire, but the people in the moderate lane,

and I'm sure this drives you crazy because it lumps you and people don't like to be lumped. So I'm sorry, but the truth is that there's all, America likes our contests like our sports. There's got to be an American conference and a national conference, so we have a Super Bowl.

In the Democratic Party, it's the far left, right? The progress, whatever I want to call it, and then the moderate lane, even though all your moderates are quite progressive. So moderates together, you've got too many in your lane. You got you and Pete and Biden and Bloomberg coming in. And then Bernie's all alone in that lane.

Yeah, they're all being. and A comes before B. Yeah. All right. But you know what I'm saying? Your lane is actually winning, but Bernie's winning the actual battle because he's the only one in his lane.

When you combine the moderates, they're like two to one over the far left. What do you do about that? First of all, Elizabeth's in his lane. And secondly... How much anymore? Okay. They kind of consolidated that.

They used to have your problem. Okay, so secondly, this is a primary. We've only had two small states go. Nevada's next, then South Carolina, then Super Tuesday, which includes California. So you don't want to winnow it down and just say, hey, hey, little people in the lane, you go away, because we're going to give it to the billionaires and the guy everyone knows. I don't think that's democracy. I think you have to figure out when you look at who has won in the past and led a ticket to victory,

a peanut farmer in Georgia, right? Bill Clinton, a guy named Barack Obama that people didn't think we're going to win. I mean, I just, I think you can't just make that decision based on these dynamics right now. You have to let the people look at the candidates and make a decision. Okay, so how do you think Trump,

if you're the candidate, will attack you? Because he's never attacked you, to my knowledge. Oh, yes, he did. Oh, he has? What does he say? You have a nickname? No, when I announced... Oh, you gotta get one.

You're nobody unless you got a nickname. No, no. When I announced in the middle of that blizzard in Minnesota with four inches of snow on my head and talked about climate change, he quickly tweeted out that making fun of me for talking about climate change in a blizzard, which makes no sense, and then called me

Snow Woman. So then I tweeted back, which will give you a sense of how I'm going to deal with him, I think you need humor to deal with this guy. And he uses humor, even though he's known one bit funny. I wrote back. I wrote back. I wrote back this. I said,

the science is on my side, Donald Trump, and I'd like to see how your hair would fare in a blizzard. So, that's what we have on our side. Rape your wit. Sweets, very enthusiastic audiences in liberal cities. Here's what he has.

Military, police, and then he throws in the bikers. Oh, no? So, okay, I'm going to ask this question because I ask it of every Democratic politician who comes on here. I just want to make clear, I have built the coalition with a lot of groups that aren't traditionally in our party, and I think if we bring them in, in a big way, as well as our

fired-up base, we win. That's not what I'm talking about that. Okay, let's go. I'm saying you win. Okay, great. I'm glad we agree. That's different than him leaving. That's what I want to know. What is the plan? And I think we need to start talking about it now,

because it's very hard for me to imagine you winning the electoral vote, fair and square, and him sending out a congratulatory telegram. Great. So glad you won. We had a good match, and let me tell you where I keep the, you know, important

papers. He's not leaving. These people are not going to give a power. What is the plan if he says, I find irregularities, the people who ran it in Iowa, screwed it up again. I have to stay.

It was rigged. He's already said this many times. What do you do then? The first thing you do is now. You start now. Good. And that is to win big, which I believe will help. And now just don't...

Secondly... Come on. You win all these states in the country harder for him to say. Secondly, you make sure that we have backup paper ballots. You push for... Those are my bills.

You do everything to protect our election. We're living in the era of fake news. Okay. And not, there's no facts anymore. It's just about power. We have always had a peaceful transition of power in this country. Always have had. We have. Correct. We are now in a different world.

When you have the people on your side, in a big way. Oh, he has a lot of people on his side, the ones with the guns. I think we'll do this. I think that the law we, what we have to unite on as a country is that the rule of law cannot handle four more years of a guy

that thinks he's above it. Democracy can't handle. Will you at least start asking the people in power, the police and the military, what would you do if he said he wouldn't leave? Would you at least start asking them, get them on the record? I think that the, um...

Okay, all right. You need that transition. And one other thing I'd like to add is that every single Republican I've run against in my entire career has left politics for good. And never returned. That might, I mean, it's just a fact.

Great good luck. Congratulations on your. surge. Amy Clevershire. All right, let's meet our panel. He is a CNN host and the CEO of Reform Alliance, Van Jones, Van the Man.

How you doing? He is a New York Times columnist and an MSNBC contributor, Brett Stevens over here. Brett, great to see you, as always. And this is a big get for us. She is one of America's favorite award-winning journalist and the founder of Katie Couric Media.

Katie Kirk. One clock. On my computer thing. You don't want to plug that? All right. Don't forget to send us your questions for tonight's overtime. We're going to answer them after the show on YouTube. Okay, I know I'm the crazy person because I say he's not leaving.

You were obsessed with this, Bill. Yeah, it's only our country. I'm sorry. I'm a little obsessed. No, but what has made you so focused on this? Everything Donald Trump has ever done. I laid it out a couple of weeks ago. He said it himself in 2016.

He said when he thought he was going to live. lose. It's rigged. He doesn't accept any... I guess the question I ask is, in countries where they pull that kind of stuff off, the generals turn out to be traitors. I have not seen any evidence yet that the generals are actually unpatriotic.

If that happens, I think we're in trouble, but I think America's military would be happy to walk in there and take him out. We'll see. Okay, well, maybe. And it's, you know, it's all great that we're so happy with the hypothetical best outcome.

Because that's what's all problem, hoping and smiling. Okay, so let me just say, the way dictators take over is they buy off different factions. You buy off the donor class, like with tax cuts, you buy off the business

people with getting rid of regulations. You buy off the military, you're right, with some of them don't like them, but he gives them everything they want. A lot of money goes to the military. And then there's the police. I just want to read you what happened this

week, there was a New York City policeman who was assassinated, which is a horrible thing. And Mayor de Blasio tweeted this was a premeditated assassination attempt against New York's finest. It was an attack on all New Yorkers, supportive, I would say, of the police. But he had also previously supported Black Lives Matter. This is the response from the head of the policeman's union. This is not a rogue person. Mayor de Blasio, the members of the NYB, are declaring war on you. We do not respect you. Do not visit us in hospitals.

You sold the NYPD to the vile creatures. I don't know who that is, but the 1% who hate cops but vote for you. New York City cops have been assassinated because of you. This isn't over. Game on. So please tell me, when Donald Trump says he's not leaving and he calls for these people and they love his dirty draws, what's going to happen? But this is, I mean, the other aspect of what people do in dictatorships is the lobster gets boiled in the pot.

By slow degrees, you become increasingly used to behavior that five years ago would have shocked us. Correct. And now you're like, oh, you just kind of shrug the president's tweeting once again. He's fired his officers. He's making fun of, he's marching people out of the White House. And he supported this guy. Donald Trump actually tweeted out supporting the... that of course and he went to

the way we're talking about the head of the union he went to the white house and they he tweeted out the head of the union guy great meeting real Donald Trump has our back yes they love Donald Trump and he loves them but a lot of a lot of people in the NYPD

disavowed those comments so Bill and you know this is a long long standing feud because they turned their backs to Bill de Blasio in 2014 during that police officer's funeral so I don't think that is uniformly representative of the NYPD. I think that's a rogue guy. But it's

representative of what's happened to the country under Trump because you can dislike Bill de Blasio, you can oppose him politically. Right. But it's a different thing when you say you're going to war against the democratically elected mayor of a city. Right. And that's the world I'm listening. And when the president supports

it too. And when the president supports it. I think that Trump supported it is really worrisome. To you, I'm not as crazy as I say. And he loses, but won't leave. And then who gets rid of him? The police? This is the police. Don't you get it?

Like, I understand your concern. I'm seriously. And you can bad things happen in countries and people have taken democracy for granted for way too. Yeah, we're not that special. Exactly. And I think we forget, a Democratic Republic is the most rare and fragile form of government in human history. They almost never work out. Very fragile.

And that's why we have to be vigilant. But, you know, I also know, having sued a lot of police departments, the police officers, frankly, the police officers' union tends to be the most reactionary, and there are a lot of police officers themselves who don't go along with the union. So we just can't put them all in one bucket, that's all I'm saying. No, but about 90% of police support Trump. He has amazingly, and when he mentions, he says this outright, he says, we have the rough people.

And then he mentions, I love this, the military, the police, and the bikers. Like if you had the whole U.S. military and the police, that would, wouldn't be enough. Let's bring in the guys with the pool cues from Altamont. Look, it just shows you how little Donald Trump knows about the military in which he refused to serve. Because when you think of Jim

Mattis, when you think of General Kelly, the so-called rough people, Marine and Marine generals, these are people, everyone I've known in the military van, is absolutely right. They are sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States. They are the most patriotic Americans. And they understand that

the Constitution is not a formula for a dictatorship or for a man to extend his studies. But they're also sworn to follow the commander in chief. They're sworn chain of command. But it is one of the great achievements of American democracy that our military swears allegiance to the Constitution, not to

the commander in chief. And we do and all the way down to the West Point. What did the Senate do with impeachment? Didn't they swear an oath? You know, the thing I like about this conversation is this. Fine, fine. You're assuming that the Democrats can win.

and then he won't leave. I would like to talk about what it's going to take for your first part of your synest to happen. Yeah, I know. Well, by the way, interesting. 44% of Democrats think the Democrats will win.

No, we can't. 80% of the Republicans think they will win. And also, I saw polls. It's Bernie, Biden, and Bloomberg. it's three 78-year-old white guys. What does that say? And by the way, this wouldn't be that rare, I think, in another country

where the elderly are revered, where the only dumb country that thinks youth people are smart? Youth people, that wasn't too smart. Young people. But what does that say that after all this winnowing and all the diversity, it's 378-year-old... It was Bloomberg's birthday today. Three-78-year-old guys.

You've got a 30-s. You can't count Pete totally out, though, 37 years old. But I'm saying these are the three guys at the time. You can't count anybody. You just met the woman who is likeliest if she gets the nomination to defeat Donald Trump. For the simple reason, not only do I think she's the smartest, not only do I think that she has the most crossover appeal, but she is the one person who defeats Trump's most effective argument,

which is that you have to vote for me because the left is crazy. The left is socialist. That's the argument that he's going to make, and it's impossible to make it against her. As she points out, she keeps winning Republican voters. Right. But I think, you know, Trump... I think Trump is dying to run against Bernie.

You know? I mean, that... Don't you think that basically the Republicans are licking their chops, wanting to... And it's so early. Three quarters of Democrats want an alternative from Bernie Sanders. So you're seeing what you talk to Amy about.

Right. Amy, Katie. Hi. where, you know, there's this fractured moderate, moderate, you know, part of the Democratic Party, and they're all valid for votes. But three quarters of the people, so I think that you are going to have somebody

after Nevada and South Carolina and Super Tuesdays emerge. It's just going to happen. Well, it's provided the circular firing squad of the Democratic Party and the activist base on Twitter doesn't essentially blow up everyone on the road to the nomination. But they say Twitter is not that powerful.

You know, I think that people who in the political punditry world think that it's all knowing, but it really isn't. It's not knowing at all. It's when will journalists learn? It's not... It's nothing. It's nothing.

It's nothing. It's... Also, the people on it are a bunch of loud mouths who just do nothing but tweet. It's like judging the mood of subway riders by the graffiti on the subway. But I just want... I'll say one more thing, and then I'll shut up about Trump never going away.

But he might, I don't think he will, go away for President Klobuchar. If it's Bernie Sanders, I'm telling you, they will, not a lot of people who will never let that happen. Bernie Sanders, you will never see, even if he gets the nomination and wins, you'll never see him do this. Johnny Fontaine never gets that part.

He never becomes president. They will not let a socialist president. That's my belief. Let me just say this, in defense of Bernie Sanders. A big mistake got made in 2016 when Democrats at the top of the party thought they were smarter than the voters and obviously put their finger on the scale. Let the Democratic Party, let our voters vote, trust the Democratic Party to make the right decision. If the Democratic high up step in and try to derail Bernie Sanders, it's impossible to put this thing back together.

Let the voters vote. Sure. Let them go. Well, you think they would be, they're doing that? They did it last time. You think they're doing it this time? That's Trump's theory. And Steve Bannon, a conspiracy theory, against Bernie.

Here's what I think all of us saw with our own eyes in 2016. There was an insurgency inside of our party. The DNC was not neutral. I think Bernie would have lost anyway because he didn't have enough black support, but they muddied the waters and we still have not healed. All I'm saying is trust this party, trust democracy, let the voters vote, and I think we'll get the right back. Well, to me, one good thing was that, I mean, I like Joe Biden as a person,

but I'm kind of glad that he's fading. And he said something this week. Let me show you the tape. He was talking to somebody in a town hall, and he uses this term a lot when he wants to call a person a liar. Show it. I was a Democratic caucus.

You have been to a caucus? No, you haven't. You're a lying dog-faced pony soldier. Lying dog-faced pony soldier. And people were like, what does this mean? And he said he got it from a... John Wayne movie, of course, like, most of the country are like, who the hell is John

Wayne? It wasn't even from that. It was from a Tyrone Power movie. Even more people don't know. But it turns out Bernie is often quoting movie lines that don't really exist. You mean Biden or Bernie? Biden is quoting movie lines. Thank you. That's why you were so good

in all those of you. For example, he once said, Life is like a box of X-Lax. He just gets in a little He says, Luke, I am your daddy-o. I love the smell of Ben Gay in the morning. The first rule of hair club is you do not talk about hair club.

Get these up. Keep your friends close and your enema's closer. He's older. You talking to me? Well, speak up. Why are you whispering? I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to shop at this Walgreens anymore. And I feel the need, the need to pee.

All right, she is the Democratic Congresswoman from Washington 7th District and co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Please welcome Representative Pramilla Jayapal. Hello, what a great pleasure to meet you. Thank you. I've been joined you on television. So, as a big Bernie booster, you must be feeling very very... good this week. I am feeling great.

Yeah, you're having a good week. Tell me about something that I've been reading about lately that there is a myth of the Bernie Bros. We had this image, I must admit, I did too. Doesn't look like me? No, but, you know, that it was mostly these younger, in-celly white men, and I read the statistics and no. In fact, Bernie does worse with white men than anybody, and it's more women who are for them, more Latinos. How did we get it wrong? Twitter. Twitter, I mean, I do think Twitter is a big part of it. People look at that and think it means everything.

Right. But Bernie Sanders has assembled the most diverse coalition there is. He is energizing young people. He's got tons of women of color. He's got tons of people of color more broadly. But he is also playing to a forgotten group of blue-collar workers who really believe he's going to fight

for them. And that combination of this very diverse coalition of voters that have not turned out before, that frankly any other candidate would be thrilled to have this kind of coalition, he's got them, but he is also speaking to a lot of people

that really feel like he will fight for them. I mean, just in 2016, we lost Michigan for the first time in 28 years. Democratic, lost Michigan. We lost Wisconsin for the first time in 32 years. Guess who won 71 of 72 counties in Wisconsin? It was Bernie Sanders. So when you look at the appeal of Bernie Sanders, I think it is really unusual to have somebody who can do both things. Really build that broader base, but also play to these Trump, some of them, Trump voters.

Yes, and there is a Trump-Burney crossover. There always has been. But here's what Trump. me about this. Three quarters of the country say they think their life is going to be better in a year and the economy is going to be better. Clinton used to always say elections are about the future. His theme song, don't stop thinking about tomorrow. Okay. So if people think the world is going to get better, is that a good time for, is that good fertile ground for a revolution? Is that the time when it doesn't sound like people want a revolution under that condition? Well, people want their lives to be better in a year, and I don't think many people want to spend their time

thinking that life is not going to get better. That's a terrible situation. But you don't always hear that stat under precedence. But listen to also the other stat, which is we have the worst inequality since the 1920s. We've got three people, two of whom live in my state of Washington, who have the same amount of wealth as the bottom 50% of Americans. That's 160 million Americans. People are struggling.

500,000 Americans every year file for bankruptcy because of medically related causes. We have half a million people who are without housing tonight. Jeff Bezos. You know him. Where is he from?

Our wonderful city of Seattle. Yes, he's from your neck of the woods. Well, he gave up, Arneen, and moved here. We got him, lucky us. Well, have fun with that. He just bought a house for $165 million. but granite countertops. Is that furnace?

No. And an above-ground pool, which is... All right. These details matter. Does that happen under Bernie Sanders? Is that legal? Look. Now, how socialist are we getting?

I just want to know. Not that I got that kind of money. I mean, you know, here's the thing. But I might. There are a lot of people who have been called socialist over the course of our history. FDR was called socialists. Carville called him a communist.

He calls himself a socialist. Well, you know, sometimes he does. Sometimes he calls himself a social democrat. Sometimes he calls himself a democratic socialist. But the label is not what's important. I think what is important is what is he fighting for? These ideas like Medicare for all, like college for all, these are not radical ideas. They're actually the same ideas that a lot of other countries,

in the world that are our peer countries have implemented. So the idea of government coming in as the great equalizer of opportunity is actually something that Republicans have decided they're going to call socialist throughout the history of our time. Medicare, called it

socialist. Social security, called it socialists. It is. It's a form of equalizing opportunity. There's nothing wrong with a to my view a certain amount of socialism. You need a mixed It's a mix. It's a mix.

What people worry about is he's going to take it to a different place. And also, let me ask about one last thing, Medicare for All. Yeah. He was for Medicare for All. Pete has Medicare for All who want it. That sounds more reasonable. Tell me why that's not. And tell me why the Democrats' best issue is health care.

Yeah. Seems like we're playing with fire giving Trump a talking point. You're going to outlaw employer-based Medicare, which more than half of the people. people have? Why are you giving them the talking point? Democrats are going to take away your Medicare for all health care. Well, you know, I'm the

House sponsor. I know you are. I'm asking. And I believe you've got a lot of convincing to do of people. Well, actually no, we have a lot of convincing of pundits to do, but the American people believe in Medicare for all. Seven and ten. Not when you tell them you take

that employer base is going to be outlawed. No, actually that's not true. Well, it is true that it goes down only until you ask the next question and say, do you like your insurance company or do you like your doctor? If you knew that you had your doctor,

would you still want private insurance? And everyone says no. If you know what an idiot your doctor was, you wouldn't like him either. That's just another... All right. Let me ask everybody about this race and Michael Bloomberg.

First of all, he was insulting Trump the other day. Oh, my God. It was so amazing, wasn't it? Okay, this is exactly... Again, you're so helpful. Can we show you... And then I'll last it.

The tweet. Show you the... Show Michael Bloomberg doing his thing. Somebody said, you know, that he's tall and me. He calls me Little Mike. And the answer is, Donald, where I come from, we measure your height from your neck up. But the president attacked me again this morning on Twitter.

Thank you very much, Donald. He sees our poll numbers, and I think it's fair to say he is scared because he knows I have the record and the resources to defeat him. Well, we cut off the laughs there. It's the best part of the tweet was... He was getting laughs, and yes.

Well, the best part of the tweet was, he said, we're both from New York, we know the same people. Behind your back, people call you a... What did they say? A carnival barker, barking clown, who inherited a ton of money but through stupid deals and incompetence lost it all,

or something like that. Trump is like a huge. He's seeking missile. He can detect your vulnerabilities. A bully. And Bloomberg, I think, in that one tweet, Donald Trump hates that his back was turned, you know, that all the New York macas turned their back on him,

and he never was quite accepted into society. And then the art of the deal, the idea that he's a bad dealmaker. He is. So I talked to somebody from the Bloomberg campaign, they said they're hiring an expert on narcissism and combining that. No, combined.

No, this is for real. Combining that person with a comedy writer to get in Donald Trump's head. Isn't it a great country, everyone? You can say vote for me. I'm actually a billionaire. Right. My question is, is this where you have to be? It seems like Bloomberg shot up in the polls, and now, obviously a lot of that is...

$350 million. And by the way, I bet you that $350 million he has spent, all came from the Trump. tax cut that he got. I don't think he spent one dollar that he wouldn't have had. That's probably true. Yeah. Okay. They say he could spend as much as one to two billion dollars before

the campaign is done. He's got 60 billion. Can I ask you a question? If Bloomberg is the nominee, will Bernie voters support him? Or are they going to go home? No, look, I think that everyone is

united around getting Donald Trump out. But I will just tell you that we have to also have somebody that inspires people. They won't vote for Donald Trump. But what happened in 2016 is that a lot of people stayed home. I mean, in the state of Michigan, 98,000 voters voted on every line except for the president. A lot of people stayed home. Then why wasn't there a greater turnout in the Iowa caucuses?

It was pretty flat, and the people who did turn out did not vote for Bernie. Well, actually, if you look at under- height the margin of the people. Yeah, if you look at under 25, there was a 65% increase, and Bernie got more votes of that turnout, that age group, than the next three candidates combined. I think what happened, when I looked at the numbers, the people in the older categories, actually, that turnout went down. And I, this is just conjecture, but I wonder if it's because they were like, look, we'll just vote for anybody. We're not going to get into this right now. It takes four hours at the caucuses. We got a stand.

there. And in New Hampshire. Too much of a problem. We're not going to do it. And in New Hampshire, you did see that the numbers go up. Okay. So, Bloomberg is a racist. Was trending a few days ago.

Which is not the only reason we're going to lose, but it's not helping. You mean his racism is not helping? Well, people not liking his racism. So you think he's a racist? Well, listen, I don't, I don't. This is because of the stop and frisk. If people don't know the problem. I haven't met him, so I don't know.

I do know that the policies that he's, oversaw in New York were a horror show for African-American and Latino people for years. And what I'm disappointed by, and what I think he's got to make up some ground on, is when he says, well, now 20 minutes before I'm running for president, I think it was a mistake, and I didn't know. It's unfair to all the people who tried to make it known for years and years for him to take that way out. I think the country deserves a better answer than that. Well, he's going to be asked that question.

Well, he's been asked, and he's been answered. and been apologizing. Yeah, but yeah, he apologized today on Twitter, but when he's in that debate, you can rest assured he'll be asked repeatedly about his supportive stop and stress. It just seems to me that the party of civil rights, the Democratic Party,

is always losing this rhetorical battle to the party of racial indifference. Trump is going after the black vote. You know, he got more than Mitt Romney. He got 8%. Mitt Romney was running against Barack Obama, so not exactly that. Yeah, I know, I understand.

Not exactly a fair comparison. Well, that's assuming black people only, you know, that's a little insulting. But, look, Mike Bloomberg won close to 50% of the African-American vote in New York as a Republican when he ran in 2005. Now these comments have come out, and he should apologize for them.

Totally, they're horrible. But if we have a society in which you're essentially read your Miranda warning, the moment you open your mouth, that everything you have said, do say, might say, in context, out of context, deliberately or by accident, will be held against you. But you know, you're going to create a toxic moment. It's not about what he said. No, no, no, no, it's about what he said.

It's about his policy agenda that he oversaw. It's not about the words. There were 675,000 people affected by Stop and Frisk. 80% of them were, like, Latino and black. I completely think that it's wonderful when people recognize their mistakes. We want them to do that. But if you're going to run for President of the United States, you've got to have a track record that shows it's more than just hollow words. Okay, but could I just interject the, because we're talking about his comments,

people may not have heard them. This came out. He said 95% of your murders, murderers and murder victims fit one MO. They are male minorities 16 to 25. Is that a, is that, that untrue? It's where he goes with that. He says the way you do with it. I'm just asking if this is true. I don't know I don't know the numbers in New York. I don't know the numbers in New York. He said that's true in New York. That's true where the crime

that's true in virtually every city and that's where the real crime is. You've got to get the guns out of the hands of the people that are getting killed. I don't think he did it. I think he has real blind spots this guy. But I don't think he did it

because he thought he was not helping. think he thought he was helping, and I think he pictured, he's a business guy. He didn't picture the person, and by the way, part of this is because the police can't be trusted with this policy, because they do throw people against the wall instead of doing it the way they should, sometimes, not all. Okay, but he's picturing not that person. He's picturing the store owner who is saying, you know, I don't, I'm, my neighborhood's a tough neighborhood.

Can you help me? I understand the direction that you're going, but you actually left out the thing that I think offended people the most. it's not some rogue cop who's out there throwing people against the wall. He said himself the way you do it is you throw these people

up against the wall. That's what, that's the quote. And that's the problem. Is that that attitude started at the top with him and he's got to take more responsibility. He said it in the quote. You throw him against the wall. And that's not the way you deal with it. I'm going to tell you something else. As somebody who spent a lot of time in the communities he's talking about,

there is a way to get those guns out of people's pockets. You know what you do? you give them books, you give them opportunity, you give them love, and they give up the guns himself. And that's what's working. And so... If it's a high-crime neighborhood, that's not a thing that works in a week or a month.

Hey, listen, he can get black support. You are correct. There's a lot of older black voters who will support him right now, and you have a lot of black elected officials who are going to support him right now. He's going well. But if he wants younger African-Americans

who suffer through this whole wave of these policies to come around to him, he's got to have a better answer. That's all I'm saying. I'm just saying we've been through this before with Super Predator and Hillary Clinton. You know, Hillary Clinton used the word Super Predator in 1996.

It was never in reference to anyone of any race. She was talking. She said, we have to organize against gangs, just as in the previous generation. We had to organize against the mob, meaning the mafia. We need to take these people on. They're often connected to big drug cartels.

And then she said, there are kind of kids. We call super predators, no conscious, no empathy. The Clintons were asked. to help, this was a much higher crime time in 1996. And she got labeled, Colin Kaepernick said it.

He said it. He said she's as much a racist as Trump, basically. And then you know, then Trump gets elected. Trump gets elected. Look, I think that there are obviously comments that people make, but when black and brown folks get told over and over again

to just forget about racism or forget about racist comments. We're not saying that. Or forget about racist comments. Or forget about racist policies. it doesn't go over well. What we're looking for are people who are ready to invest in communities and in opportunity.

And we got to call it out when we see it. That doesn't mean that you can never come together, but you also can't let these things stand. Right. You can't let them stand. But people are not their worst comment. They're not their worst date. Of course.

And we need to have a politics that recognizes that fact. They're the totality of their record. And if the Democratic Party simply starts a plumbus, purity test to everyone, so it's busy blowing one kind of... There's only one winner. The Clinton's the president of the United States. But I don't think that's what it's about. The Clintons played cute on trade with NAFTA, and it cost them later with white voters,

and nobody says anything about it. When those white guys walked away from the Clintons over NAFTA, no one said anything about it. They played cute on crime policy. It cost them with young black voters, and it's the same thing. Those policies in the 90s turned out to have bad consequences for two groups, white workers and young African Americans, and both took it out in the Clinton.

It's fair. It's fair on both sides. Just trying to win the election that's not going to count. All right. New rules, everybody. New rules. New rules. Stop wondering what this is all about. I figured it out. It all makes sense now. The erratic behavior, the rambling speeches. That's not Trump. That's Nicholas Cage with Trump's face son on. New rule, someone must tell researchers who recently concluded that, yes, cats do have facial expressions.

Cool. Now do Kristen Stewart. I like it. Neurole, seriously? You know what? At this point, let's just replace these parking signs with a troll who tells you a riddle you can't figure out. It is he who parks at three, but at four will pay more. Neuro, these two fashion models have to stop looking at me

like they're daring me to take a stab at a pronoun. Neural, essential oils have to admit they're really not that essential. In fact, many people go their entire lives without experiencing sin. So let's just admit there's only one oil that's truly essential Astroglyde. It's Valentine's Day, you see? It was for Valentine's Day. I'm romantic.

Thank you. And finally, new rule here on Valentine's Night. Every couple must ask themselves, do you have an unhealthy relationship with technology? When you wake up, do you turn toward your partner, or do you pick up your phone? I keep reading about it. I keep reading about these people who identify as digosexuals or robosexuals.

People who prefer to have relationships with, even have sex with, their phone. Or a robot, or a doll. And I know where this is going. Because everything that happens in life happens in movies first. X. Makina, Lars and the Real Girl, AI, Westworld, Blade Runner, 2049, her. All of them featuring hookups that violate

my number one rule in relationships. Never make love to someone. You have to unplug to clean. Let's look at the disturbing trend on this chart. From the beginning of time to 1937, there were zero instances of any kind of hanky-panky with machines.

Then came the first in-home washing machines, followed by the first housewife sitting on them. Then in 1968, the Hitachi magic wand made men obsolete. In 1998, the first webcam girls allowed interpersonal relationships to happen in real time through your computer.

2007, a new product called the iPhone. Make sexting, Tinder, and Dickpicks mainstream. 2018, Real Doll X comes on the market. Gone are the days when having a sex doll meant you'd fuck an air mattress with rouge on it. Now, they look like this. Yeah, you thought about it, didn't you? And not only is this doll made from high-end silicone

and sculpted to perfection, like the real housewives, but she's actually part robot now so she can simulate orgasms, just like a real woman. I knew I couldn't get through that one. This is so realistic. And this stuff isn't just for men anymore, by the way. They're working on a male companion. They're working on a male companion to the female robot shown here.

No, wait. No, here, that's not it. This is it. This is Henry, a male sex bot with a huge bionic dick that ejaculates face moisturizer from Sephora. How are we supposed to compete with that? And this is not just a passing fad, like fidget spinners or the rule of law. A guy in China couldn't

find a wife, so he built one. It can only speak a few words, but he says he has plans for improving it by making it speak even fewer. He said that. I didn't say that. He said. In France, there's a woman with a similar story who says she isn't attracted to human men, only male robots. So she made one with her 3D printer, and now they're engaged.

She says she simply dislikes physical contact with human flesh. Well, you know, there's an app for kissing your phone now. But no tongue, that would be weird. This German woman claims she's erotically in love with the Boeing 737. Hey, look, planes are sexy. I can see falling in love with one. But a Boeing? That's not safe sex.

There's a guy in Japan who, who married a hologram, which is great unless the electricity goes out. And he says, to judge him by human standards is, quote, simply not right. He says, it's as if you were trying to talk a gay man into dating a woman. This is a movement now.

They're here. They've got gears. Get used to it. This is the latest emerging sexual orientation demanding equality. People who don't need people. And feel that makes them the luckiest people in the world. But has no one noticed that in all the movies where human-machine interaction takes place,

it never ends well for the humans. Sure, at first, the sex is great. But then they turn on you, and if I wanted to get fucked by an app, I'd caucus in Iowa. It is a dangerous trend for men and women to be finding ways to get along without each other. Human-to-human romance, sex, love. It's the last bond. holding us together. Really, politics is gone,

a common culture is gone, we need to keep fucking. And that is my message to you on this Valentine's night. Find someone you love and fuck them. All right, that's our show. We're off next week,

and back on the 28th, I'll be at the Performing Arts Center in North Charleston, February 16th, at the Comerica and Phoenix, February 22nd, at the Fox in Atlanta, March 28th. I want to thank Van Jones. Brett Stevens, Kenny Kirk, Pramela Jaya Paul, I'm Amy Klobuchar.

Stay tuned for overtime on YouTube. Catch all new episodes of real-time with Bill Maher every Friday night at 10 or watch them anytime on HBO On Demand. For more information, log on to HBO.com.