Real Time with Bill Maher - Overtime – Episode #379 (Originally aired 03/04/16)

Episode Date: March 5, 2016

Overtime – Episode #379 (Originally aired 03/04/16) - Bill and his roundtable guests Joanna Cole, Michael Eric Dyson, Fran Lebowitz answer fan questions from the latest show. 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. It should make a noise that goes, I had nothing. Okay, Rahil, do you think countries like France that ban the hijab in certain public arenas are in the right?

You know, Canada, your country, didn't they just pass a law that said you can take your citizenship oath in the... So we're talking about two separate things here. The hijab is the head covering. the headscarf that is worn by many women as a religious obligation, although it's not required. But the face covering is a niquab. What Canada has done is allowed a woman to give testimony with her face covered.

And that is what my organization, the Council for Muslims facing tomorrow, has been lobbying the government to say that the nqab, the face covering, which I call a mask, should be banned in all of them. public spaces. Yeah, I mean, there's another thing where I've heard liberals say, well, it's their culture, they like it. Women don't really like it, right? I mean... Well, I think that if a woman feels that... You're a little brainwashed if you do.

If a woman says that it's her choice and that she likes being covered from head to toe in a sack, then I think she would... She should see a therapist. Come on, you love it. You love it. She loves it. It's very liberating. And your nose, diamond?

Very un-Islamic. I know. How long have you had that? Since I was 15 because it was a fashion. Really? Wow. And then I discovered that this was the best place to have a diamond. No one can steal it. But you know, politically correct people will never ask me,

why are you wearing a earring in your nose? It was a little four-year-old child on a subway train that said loudly to his mom, she's wearing a earring in her nose. And the mom went, shh. And I said, no, let him ask. how else is he going to learn? I'm wearing a earring in my nose.

So, there you go, because it's the best place to hide it. But what about an uncle who says, I got your nose, and then he takes your... Yeah, it hurts. It hurts. You had that uncle, didn't you? The I got your nose guy? Yeah. Well, talking about noses...

Okay. We all have... Yes, we're all Semitic people. Well, you have a beautiful waspy nose. Can you believe it? Yeah, no. Sarah, do you think comedy can play a role in diffusing the appeal of bigoted and hypocritical candidates

like Donald Trump? Oh, please. Next. Yes, we all do. Yeah, exactly. Yes. Matt Lewis. Who could have beaten Donald Trump in the primary

if neither Cruz, Ruby, or Kasich are able to? I mean, I guess that means something. Somebody who didn't run? Mark Marin, maybe, I don't know. Somebody, you need somebody, Ted Nugent. Ted Nugent is pretty close, yeah, is what we have already. Right. I mean, you know, Ted Nugent, who once called Obama an inhuman mongrel,

and then took offense when people said it was racist. I love when they do it. Where are you getting racism from inhuman mongrel? I just, you know, like, the way they... This is my point. I think he could have taken Trump out. Yeah, yeah. and somehow be worse.

Does the panel have a sense of how the Supreme Court will come down on the Texas abortion law? Oh, this, I mean, so this was perhaps the biggest abortion case in 25 years. It was argued this past week before the Supreme Court. Also a week in which B2-dubs, Clarence Thomas spoke from the bench for the first time in 10 years.

But, separate issue. Well, he was also on promoting the movie, sorry, never mind. Making a joke. But you didn't make it. The Anita Hill movie. What? I'm sorry, I'm high from when we're getting high later.

What did you say who spoke? They said, yeah. Yeah. So, you know, before... I wish you were here two weeks ago when I smoked part on the show. How did that go? It went awesome. You saw that?

Yeah, I smoked part right on the show. Yeah, fucking deal with that. During the... Yeah, at the end of the... I think before Antonin and Scalia died, everybody thought it would be a 5-4 decision with Anthony Kennedy being the swing vote. Now that Scalia is no longer on the court,

the question is, is it going to be a 4-4 ruling, in which case the Texas law restricting abortions is upheld, but this policy is not applied nationally, or if Kennedy sides with more liberal justices, will it be 5-3, and it'll be struck down. Yet another argument to appointed justice with the Supreme Court. Well, this is a thing. Nobody ever votes based on the Supreme Court, but it is arguably the most important issue.

It affects literally everything that touches Americans' lives. And I wonder whether this year people... What is going to go on with the... Well, and I think the... Look, I think the president is going to make a nomination, and at the end of the day, I think there's going to be enough public pressure that at least there will be a hearing. And, you know, the average time that a Supreme Court nominee has been pending is like 67 days. He could make multiple appointments. between now and then.

I mean, why they wanted to defraud... Look, can you think about the idea that people who describe themselves as constitutionalists want to take one of the most simple ideas in the Constitution and deny this president that and, you know, is that about race?

Yes, it is. Is it about questioning legitimacy of this president? Absolutely is, and it's got to be stopped, and only the American people can stop it. Yeah, just right now. Oh, shit. You're going to win that. right? Of course.

Up two points in the polls. Yeah. It's just two points? Up two points. All right. You know, he's raised... He's raised... He's raised ten times as much money, too.

He's raised ten times as... Yeah. But that's all right. I got the people. Right. Yeah. Sorry. People. That's whose side I'm on, the people.

Does FBI director James Comey saying that he is closely involved the investigation of Hillary's emails mean that She should be taking the threat of indictment more seriously. I mean, I feel like this is a fantasy on the right that her emails are going to bring her down. This is the Obama Department of Justice who's looking into it. She had this private email server. I mean, I don't know what's in there, but it's weird. It looks like she's hiding stuff.

It's a lack of transparency. It's a legitimate. It looks like she's hiding stuff to people who want it to look like she's hiding stuff. Didn't she have... Didn't she release a billion emails already? Why does she have a private email? Why has the guy who set up the private email now cut a deal? What do you think is on?

He has a cut a deal. They want to talk to him. And he's been granted immunity. He's been granted immunity, which is very typical in a case to allow the prosecutor to talk to them. The investigators will talk. And I think at the end of the day, they're not going to indict Hillary Clinton. I'm just saying, I don't know. Maybe it's nothing.

I'm just saying I think that this is the ob... This is not like, this is not a Republican witch hunt. This is the obfusc. Obama Department of Justice looking into something that looks fishy and looks weird. I think the involvement of Comey says the buck stops here. This is not some low-level prosecutor running amok with this case. Whatever the outcome is, I'm answerable. I'm handling it.

I'm oversea. That's what I think the Comey involvement means. I think it's going to be a legitimate investigation, and then it's going to be closed. And then Donald Trump is going to get their nomination. And I think Hillary's going to get ours, and she's going to win the election. If Donald Trump wins the nomination, I think the Republican Party is going to come apart. This is what is so interesting.

They made their bed. Donald Trump is a manifestation of their behavior. Donald Trump is a hijack. It's a hostile takeover of the Republican Party. You can't spend all this time fearmongering. And then when someone comes to the forefront and blames Mexicans and Muslims and the American people embrace it,

that's from them. They've been primed. Yeah. And, yeah, I mean, I hear this all the time. The party is broken. Yeah, the people are broken, too. I mean, I'm sorry to say that. Okay, let's talk about the Democratic Party

that says that women who support Bernie Sanders are sellouts to their gender, or traitors to their gender. What about that? That is bullying and fearmongering as well. But in a much smaller, little, or great. There are people who support, listen, there are Bernie bros on the Hillary side. They say, if you don't vote for Hillary,

you're not a feminist, and if you vote for Bernie, then the Republicans will win. And so, you know, that's like self-fulfilling prophecy stuff. But I know that I'm a feminist, and I'm voting for Bernie, so I've just debunked it. Here's the thing. I think poor Republicans, they've got such a mess in their party that they want us to have a mess, too.

And what we actually have is a legitimate debate between two highly qualified candidates. At the time you see the debate, you're like, finally, two smart people talking about. You must be a shame when you see these to be. You must be. Donald Trump is a guy who invited Hillary Clinton to his wedding, who supports plan, support, Listen, he's a liberal. People used to play golf together, you know. Donald Trump is a liberal.

He supports funding Planned Parenthood. He supports eminent domain. He supports single pair. He's on both sides of every one of those issues. He's a liberal, and if you take him out, the Republican Party has a pretty strong. He's a liberal. What they have is they have as they have of currency. He's partly a liberal.

Right. And what do you have left? Do you have a cruise who shut down the government? down the government and you have Marco Rubio who was, you know, against immigration before he was for immigration. They're shaking because they've all agreed on the same set of lies and somebody's shaking

it up a little. I don't think a guy who supports killing terrorist families can be described as a little. No, he changed it on that. Today. And waterboarding and worse. Did you hear what his son said? But he changes a lot. He changes all. He's flexible. He says, but I love that I saw that clip. My God, he's ditto. Yes. So yes. You know, today

he'll slam you tomorrow he says he loves you. So he's either very dysfunctional. He's an authoritarian too. That's what concerns me the most. By the way, I don't know if you saw the Vox piece. The number one predictor, if you're a Republican who likes Trump versus a Republican who doesn't, is your propensity toward authoritarianism. That is the key divide. Yes, but when you talk about Muslims, there was a poll that said that 11% of American Muslims are in favor of Trump.

And also he gets some Latino. Yes. This is a lot like the... One in every crowd is what I... This is a lot of the people taking these polls are a lot like the hundred people surveyed in... What's our favorite show? You cannot remember anything. Family feud.

I'm really, I think I'm brain damaged from Pat. I think the vapes cause more damage. You plug it into a wall. It's just... What am I doing? You know, you're just... You're just... traveling to your own drummer.

You're saying, I start sentences, I don't have to finish. That's been done, finishing sentences. I draw an art, you see the circle. Right. So I never got to ask you this. You have a mixed marriage. Yes. You're a Shiite? No.

My husband's from a Shiite family. I'm from a Sunni family, and our children are sushi. Sushis. And that used to be fairly common. I mean, before we invaded Iraq, that was common in Baghdad, right? Yes, it was. It was common in Baghdad. And actually, people said that if this war happens, it's going to take place in the bedrooms of the people in Baghdad. They were intermarriages.

And at the time, I got married, it was still a bit taboo. So both of us sort of ran away from home and came abroad. And people took a bet that this was not going to last. So in June, it'll be 40 years. And I'm sure there are certain small differences like holidays and stuff like that. But in general, when you have a disagreement, I'm sure you can say to each other, but we agree on 95%. We're all on the page with Allah, Muhammad. Of course. Of course.

I don't know. You know, everyone can agree to disagree. We can all learn to get along together if we learn to respect each other's differences. That's what it's about. Well, unfortunately, that is not what religion is great at. It's so weird. No religion is good at that. Religion is always about my way or the highway.

Yeah, my God is better than your God. But eventually, we all realize that if you're a believer, it's the one and only God. So, you know, we need to learn to get over these political differences, you know, which is so much more about patriarchy and power and politics in my part of the world. And that's what the struggle is. You know, the struggle is for power and hegemony. It's not about being a kinder, nicer person. And once we are able to, what I would like to ideally see is this American Islam,

indigenous American Islam, which is pluralistic, democratic, liberal, loving of everyone, accepting of everyone, and accepting of those who have no faith also, which is something you don't see in the Muslim world. And that indigenous American Islam is going to save thousands of the next generation of young Muslims. Here, here. Thank you. What a great final word. Thank you, audience. Thank you, panel. 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.