General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums98 159 more signatures needed to fulfil Bill Maher's 60th birthday wish
After his winter hiatus tonight, 5 days before his 60th birthday, Bill Maher resumed his show "Real time" tonight.
It was a show that made me laugh a whole lot, with great guests and lively and valuable discussion and opinions, the only giveaway here is that he had on the 43rd President of the US, the winner of an Oscar, an Emmy and a Nobel Prize as his interview guest:
Senator Al Gore.
It was wonderful to be in Al Gore's "presence" again, after a long time missing him and mourning his supposed loss.
Now here is the thing about the request. Bill said in all the years since his show "Politically incorrect" started in I think he said 1993 he has never asked his audience to help him with anything. Not when he had personal problems, when his mother died, when he had bad break-ups, or when he kept wondering why Stedman Graham won't marry him.
But for this birthday, when he says the only good thing about turning 60 is that you are on the young end of being old, he is asking us to go to
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/ask-president-obama-appear-hbos-real-time-bill-maher
and get the 100 000 signatures needed in one month's time to get President Obama to answer his long standing invitation to come to his show. In his inimitable way he collaged together 2 special segments of clips / one from all the times he has praised Obama (and never did he mention the million he gave as a campaign donation) / and one of all the other shows Obama has graced with his presence which really is just about everybody except, as Bill says: Fox and Friends and himself. In essence, Maher said, he deserves to be in that lineup, and wants all of us to help him get the attention of the White House which is guaranteed by the 100 000 signatures on the website's "We the people / petitions".
I realize I may get a bit of flaming by those who don't like Bill you have the other option to just ignore me.
But I signed it, and hope those of you who have been fans of his decide to help him in this one request he has of us, his audience, in return for the work he has put in to be there for us.
hwmnbn
(4,278 posts)that's good progress.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Of all the things to devote this effort to, he chooses getting ratings for his television show.
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)That is to say, your presumption that this is what he is devoted to in a singular fashion, to the exclusion of other things, is just presumption not based on any actual truth or fact that you know about him.
While the religious types and politicians love to trumpet their good works and bathe in the glory of their own light, most others do not like to make large displays of their largess or efforts for others.
That is to say, Bill is very unlikely to use his own 'good works' as fodder for the show, nor to feather his own image. If Bill did good things to win your approval, they would not be acts of giving but of taking.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)He no longer needs to worry about making a living.
He specifically says in this article that he has never asked his fans/supporters for anything until making this request.
One would think that of all of the things to select for his one call to action on the part of those people that it could be something a tad more noble.
This is just my opinion, of course.
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)private giving as part of one's business. What you want is for him to debase noble things by exploiting them as props for your amusement.
I note you have no comment on the entire concept of doing good privately and doing business publicly. In fact, I notice you really did not respond to what I wrote at all.
That which you drag into the marketplace is in fact no longer noble. It's product.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)I don't really feel particularly strongly about it one way or another - I just don't like Bill Maher and am using this as an excuse to criticize him. Admittedly, it's not a great one.
I will not sign. Maher is a jackass.
bigwillq
(72,790 posts)We agree on something.
Go Chiefs!
joeybee12
(56,177 posts)I don't care. Not much hope for the Patriots . Injuries at the wrong time
bigwillq
(72,790 posts)And yes about the Pats, but injuries are part of the game.
MisterP
(23,730 posts)elias49
(4,259 posts)Maher has lost his edge. I'm not signing.
and I wouldn't ignore, or flame, you just because I think Maher is a douchebag.
KentuckyWoman
(6,666 posts)I'm not a Bill Maher fan but I have nothing against him either. However the guy has been out there a LONG TIME and should be able to run with the big boys on his own by now.
And quite frankly "Help me get attention" is a bit off putting.
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)pintobean
(18,101 posts)I was wondering about you a while back.
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)I got really busy and didn't really have time to post!
Archae
(46,262 posts)He's a religious bigot, anti-vaxx loon, and arrogant pig.
He also went out with Ann Coulter.
(BRAIN BLEACH NEEDED!!!)
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)The man is an edgy idiot, he's stuck in the High School Anarchist phase of worldview development (and I mean no offense to genuine anarchists).