Bill Maher: "Religion Is Bad & Drugs Are Good-Find Me A Campaign Manager"

Bill Maher On Running For Office: "I Think Religion Is Bad And Drugs Are Good. Why Don't You Go Find Me A Campaign Manager?"...

Time | REBECCA WINTERS KEEGAN | May 28, 2006 at 10:08 PM
From the Magazine | Interview
10 Questions for Bill Maher
By REBECCA WINTERS KEEGAN

Posted Sunday, May 28, 2006

In 2002 his comments implying that terrorists are brave helped prompt the cancellation of his ABC talk show, Politically Incorrect. Now Bill Maher, 50, delivers his piquant comedy on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher and Amazon Fishbowl with Bill Maher, which premiered last week and streams on Amazon.com The satirist talked with TIME's Rebecca Winters Keegan about his potential as a political candidate, the network news and what his parents taught him about God.

You describe yourself as a Libertarian. Is that even a political designation anymore? I don't know. There's no one in the Libertarian Party who breaks through, even to Ralph Nader status. I've always thought of it as allowing people to do anything they wanted to do as long as it doesn't hurt somebody else. Sometimes people say to me, "You're not a real Libertarian because Libertarians believe there should be no gun control." I'm not a radical Libertarian, O.K.? Every party has something of a big tent.

What are your fans' politics? They're mostly liberals. It's difficult to get a more balanced audience. We've tried. Conservatives are feeling under the gun right now. They're in a difficult position. They have twice championed a man who turned out not only to not be a conservative but to be not competent in any way. A lot of them are embarrassed and wish this Administration would go away.

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http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1198918-1,00.html

Not at all a Libertarian, since he doesn't seem RW when it comes to economic policies either. He's opposed to the drug war, which is a pretty rational perspective even if it IS coming from a pothead. The drug war has done more damage to the American Justice system and Americans in general than pot could ever do.

His politics aren't all that dissimilar to mine, except he's willing to give a pass to the administration on certain things I'm not willing to tolerate, personally.

I've written him a time or two, suggesting he let a few articulate NON-celebrities on from time to time.

He's anti-authoritarian, but he's basically center-right on economic issues. He basically asked, "What's wrong with setting up personal accounts with Social Security?" Anti-authoritarianism isn't something any one side can claim exclusively.

If it's possible to prove that it would be beneficial in the long run, I wouldn't have a problem with it either. I don't believe this is the case...I'm of the belief it would do more for the banking industry than the citizen, and therefore isn't something I'd support. Big business hardly needs the help. Obviously if he's asking the question, he hasn't been given enough information to form a opinion based on the facts of the case. IMO.

And no, there are plenty of pro-authoritarian liberals...I run into them on a regular basis here. I don't like people with power pushing around people without power, regardless of their ideological point of view.

nice seeing steven king, too.

When he released the cell-phone zombie novel. King was fascinating, and the novel wasn't bad.

The world need more zombie horror.