Real Time with Bill Maher - Overtime - Episode #373 (Originally aired 1/15/16)

Episode Date: January 15, 2016

Overtime - Episode #373 (Originally aired 1/15/16)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 Maher. So here are the questions. Ralph Reed, how important is the evangelical vote in the Republican primaries? Well, in Iowa, it's everything. It's 56 to 60% of the vote in Iowa. Right now, if you look at the Des Moines Register Bloomberg Politics Poll that came out, I guess a couple of days ago, it has Cruz getting 37% of that vote in an 11-person field.

And Trump is where? Trump is probably low 20s. So if that stays where it is, he'll win the Iowa caucuses. Cruz. Based on the strength of his overperformance among that vote. There's still a couple weeks ago. But isn't Dr. Ben really the most Jesusy of all of them? That's true.

Is Jesusy a technical term or is that a theological term? Where did Carson's voters go? There is no technology in your area. We're dealing strictly with the ether here. I don't know. When he divided the fish and the bread, I think people ate, yeah. Well, of course, that's a story. That was written down in a book 2,000 years old.

And even the people who wrote it were not convinced. contemporaries of Jesus. There are as many contemporaneous accounts of his ministry as there are of Aristotle's life. There are none. The gospel, excuse me, Ralph, excuse me. The gospels were written from 70 to 110 AD. He died in 33. St. Paul lived in the 50s, not the 1950s.

There are no contemporary accounts of Jesus. You must know that. There, as I said, there are contemporary eyewitness accounts. Whether or not they were written later or not doesn't vitiate the fact that they live. Doc, would you please referee this? There are no contemporary accounts. There are perennial truths like love thy neighbor as thyself, do on to others as you have others do unto you. Not the question.

But in terms of the particular writings of the text, it certainly occurs decades after that a temporary Thank you. Keep alive the story. But it's by the eyewitnesses who were there. No, it's not. Mark is the first gospel. He wrote it in the year 70. It's 40 years after Jesus was...

But 37, 37. Okay. Okay. Yeah. But not a contemporary. So you're saying that if I write something 37 years from now, which says I knew you and I saw you do this. I saw you do this.

Okay. Well, then we have an issue with definitely. definition of terms. Right, a contemporary is someone who lived at the same time. The answer to the original question is the evangelical vote is going to be very important. That was nice, bro. Right. Brother Rao, Brother Rao. Bill, Brother Rao. Whatever your personal views are, Jesus' followers are still around and they vote. Oh, I know. Well, Brother Ralph. That was a nice move.

Why are you on his team? Because we're both Christian. He's a fellow, he's just wrong about a lot of things. That's all. He's my fellow Christian, brother. Don't seek to divide your panel. What? Don't seek to divide your panel.

It's ugly. I mean, I never understood why black people wanted to adopt the god of the slave master. to be that. Oh, no. No, that's the exact opposite. He's the God of the slave. Do you know that Hebrew scripture is that of an oppressed and persecuted people? Well, God says, you are subordinated, but I make a covenant with you. All you have to do is do justly love mercy while comely with thy God, and you will have a sense of dignity that allows you to stand in the face of Pharaoh.

Now look at your answer. Oh, yeah, that's a different. There's just something about it. No, I... Bill, there's just something about you that sparks a sermon in all of them. Oh, that was a good, another good one, by the rough. It's the best way to spread your bullshit. Okay.

So, John, what do you make a criticism that Oscar nominees didn't represent a diverse enough pool of actors? Oh, I think it's a real shame. But I think the problem, to be honest, isn't really the Oscars. I don't think they should take that responsibility. I think it's Hollywood in general. Who's making the movies? Who's being allowed to direct those movies? Who's being allowed to be in those movies?

So let's start changing that. It's always a strange phenomenon to me that Hollywood, the most liberal place in the world, when 12 years a slave won the Oscars, several Oscar voters admitted we never saw the movie. We just knew it should be the right choice. Oh, is that right? That's very liberal, yes.

And they always pick, I mean, if you have AIDS or you're a slave, you're always going to win the Oscar. Don't fuck with me. I'll say it again. I don't know. I feel like this birthday is having a weird effect on it. But, I mean, it's true.

You know, if you play somebody who is some sort of an affliction, you're going to be a Republican, Julianne Moore. An Emmy. It was an Emmy, but still. Okay. Republicans, same category. Not really the same thing. A little bit.

Okay. Anyway, but why if they're so liberal? do they have this prejudice against nominating black people? You think they would bend over backwards to nominate the black people? Could it possibly be? I mean, who was it up for Will Smith? They wanted to nominate? Yeah, brother Will.

Maybe, could it possibly be just that the other five actually did a better acting job? I'm just asking. I mean, that's a possibility. I mean, I think Leonardo is just a giant. You know that about that. But I think this issue... He got raped by a bear. Come on.

That's like... That's like... AIDS times slaves... I'm talking about his... I'm talking about his crassies. I know. Okay. Dr. West, what is the future of the Black Lives Matter movement?

Well, I hope it's a strong future, though, but it's not a movement yet. It's a moment that has momentum. It's not a movement until it's able to sustain itself. Bring in significant allies to keep... eyes to keep their eyes on the prize, which is freedom and justice for everybody. But it begins on the chocolate side of town, because oftentimes chocolate brothers and sisters are overlooked when you talk about abstract universal category. It's a matter of connecting and then bringing us all in.

Did you see this? You think about this, 87 years ago today, Martin Luther King Jr. was born by precious Alberta, his mother. Oh, is that today? January 15th, 1929. His spirit can still be offered. very much sense. Rihanna asks, I'm guessing not the same one.

Although she is a fan. I know that. I introduced her at the American Music Awards. Is Bill Clinton a liability or an asset on the campaign trail for Hillary? Oh, that's an interesting question. The answer is both. Both. Yeah, he's a major asset, and he's also a liability,

and he's a liability not only because of Trump. These issues related to his past, you know, mistreatment of women, but also... He's the natural. Also the fact that he... He just knows where the jugular is in everybody. I totally agree. Bill Clinton is such a gifted politician that Hillary actually looks worse than she normally would in contrast.

That's true. That's so true. I think what's interesting about him is he allowed Trump to raise not his conduct. Everybody knows what he did. and nobody held it against him even at the time. He had a 67% approval rating the week he was impeached. Well, some people held it against it. Well, a few, yeah.

Yes. The people in your party. I'm talking about the voters, the public. He was reluctant. You're right. Absolutely. More than 60% of the country is, uh, whoa. Whoa. I'm a hell of that.

If they're going to shoot anybody here. Unless they miss, you're fine. But the issue of her conduct during those years. And, you know, I would have thought a lot of people that she was the victim, that her husband cheated. But that is not the case. There's a pretty robust debate about her conduct or treatment of Lewinsky and whatnot. Okay.

I'm going to go eat my cake. Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you, Pado. 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.