S19.E02: Frank Figliuzzi, Kmele Foster and Peter Hamby

[PrincessPurrsALot]

The Interview:

Frank Figliuzzi is a former FBI Assistant Director for Counterintelligence and author of “The FBI Way: Inside the Bureau's Code of Excellence.”

The Panel:

Kmele Foster co-hosts “The Fifth Column” podcast and is the Lead Producer and Co-Founder of Freethink. 

Peter Hamby is a Contributing Writer for Vanity Fair and the host of Snapchat's political show, “Good Luck America.”

Original air date 2021.01.22

[PrincessPurrsALot]

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[angelamh66]

That panel was painful to watch. It legitimately gave me a headache. The Hello Douchebags segment was the only thing worth watching. 

[GoldenGirl90]

There were so many shitty opinions and mistruths being said amongst tonight’s panel that I don’t even know where to begin.

How nice that you’d rather not focus on race, Bill. Great white privilege you got going on there. Unfortunately my skin complexion doesn’t afford me such luxuries. 

And Kmele Foster... SMH. Black communities are disproportionately being affected by COVID. We’re not a monolith of course, but a lot of what he said really bothered me because his stats were just flat-out incorrect and inaccurate. Then again, I believe he said something about being a libertarian, so in that context a lot of what he said doesn’t surprise me. 

He also said Joe Biden “Mr. Magoo‘d” his way to the presidency. I mean, he beat out a multitude of candidates and eventually received the most votes in history - both in the primaries and the general election. To discuss how and why that happened would be OT, but Biden definitely deserves more credit than that. 

Also, is Bill gonna go with the jokes about Biden’s age for 4 years straight? The age jokes are repetitive and not all that funny no matter who tells them quite frankly. 

Peter Hamby is really the only one worth listening to on tonight’s panel.

Edited January 23, 2021 by GoldenGirl90

[ShellsandCheese]

Peter Hamby was good. The other panelists not so much. Bill's schtick is really stale. And yeah, we get it, Biden is old — we all know this, don't need to be reminded of it every five seconds.  

[BrownBear2012]

18 minutes ago, ShellsandCheese said:

Peter Hamby was good. The other panelists not so much. Bill's schtick is really stale. And yeah, we get it, Biden is old — we all know this, don't need to be reminded of it every five seconds.  

Bill being ageist? Snarking on Biden for his age? Nahhh....I can't believe it! LOL. Interesting that Bill never once made an old age joke about his buddy Hugh Hefner when he was alive or Bernie for that matter. Bill hates Millenialls and Gen Zers and mocks Biden for being in his 70's so who does Bill like? Is that all he's got these days? Old man jokes at Biden? What a bore he has become.

[cali1981]

Thanks for the preview folks. PASS!

[amsel]

Bill said that MSNBC doesn't cover Trump's overperformance among some minority groups. It's just not true, as I have seen multiple segments on MSNBC talking about it, particularly his performance in the Rio Grande Valley. I think he's mad his buddy and fellow creep Chris Matthews got fired.

Kmele Foster was just full of shit. Race is the most important factor in American life, and has been for four hundred years. It affects almost everything. His dismissal of race is just total nonsense. There is so much scholarship, evidence, and history that tells the exact opposite story. 

 

Edited January 23, 2021 by amsel

[bobbyjoe]

Quote

Bill said that MSNBC doesn't cover Trump's overperformance among some minority groups. It's just not true, as I have seen multiple segments on MSNBC talking about it

To add to this, Kmele Foster let it slip pass without saying anything when someone tonight said MSNBC doesn’t invite him on.  The fact is he has been on MSNBC, but I can see why he wouldn’t want to mention that tonight, as unlike Bill Maher, MSNBC actually has put Foster on, but in debate with other black critics and activists, not just a white Vanity Fair writer.   And here was Bill— “Mr. Cancel Culture is bad and how dare you try and silence people” remember— twice deliberately attempting to push Hamby out of the conversation by literally tossing out the term “whitesplaining” so that Hamby can’t challenge what Foster was saying without appearing racist.  Hypocrisy, thy name is Maher.
 

If you get a chance, look up the 2018 MSNBC debate between Foster and the critic Toure.  It’s a stark contrast between the way Bill handled things tonight with his usual know-nothing cluelessness and the way Toure pushed back against Foster’s misrepresentations with, wait, what are they called?  Oh, yeah, facts.  Would it kill Bill if he wants so bad to have debates on minority issues to maybe have more than one representative of that minority on at the same time?

Edited January 23, 2021 by bobbyjoe

[film noire]

Maher tonight on Covid (a lesser issue in the show b/c I can't even re: the bullshit 'discussion' about race); 

"...but it's also, I think, on the American medical establishment that never told the American people the best way you can handle this is get yourself in better shape, get your immune system better, stop eating shit food and sugar and day drinking. never had the guts to do that. They wouldn't even say the word 'obesity' on television. That would be fat-shaming. The code is now 'precondition.'"

Hey, old white guy? (since ageism is now fair play with you) try keeping up with where we're at in the pandemic.  Covid is currently killing people with low body fat, no preconditions & a Gwyneth Paltrow/Goop-approved diet ("Dear Diary; today I ate micro greens with bee pollen salad dressing and chia croutons - yum! - the whole plate smelled like my vagina candle!") You've spent decades indulging in magical thinking when it comes to disease and death (all of the preceding apparently foiled by not eating sugar and smoking acres of pot - be careful, old man, pot smoking is linked to lung issues, and that's catnip to Covid. Oh, if only doctors had the guts to say it!) The virus doesn't give a fuck about your hobby horse moral prescriptions, hatred of fat people, and self-declared roolz of beating-the-pandemic.  (Me, I hate  people who say stupid things - like you!  - and yet, the medical establishment has not addressed Maherism.  Quo Vadis and hunh? Still,  I don't turn that into a theory of life; I chalk it up to me finding you increasingly moronic and out of touch - due to your own ego precondition - and me wanting my magical thinking to be turned into bedrock fact. Which it is not.)  So thanks for weighing in (no pun intended!) but I'm going to keep spending my Covid-days in a mask, washing my hands, staying six feet apart, and singing (a la Aretha)  "Day drinking and I'm thinking of you! Day drinking and I'm thinking of you!"...while actually, you know, day-drinking.

 

Edited January 23, 2021 by film noire

[Roxie]

4 hours ago, film noire said:

Maher tonight on Covid (a lesser issue in the show b/c I can't even re: the bullshit 'discussion' about race); 

"...but it's also, I think, on the American medical establishment that never told the American people the best way you can handle this is get yourself in better shape, get your immune system better, stop eating shit food and sugar and day drinking. never had the guts to do that. They wouldn't even say the word 'obesity' on television. That would be fat-shaming. The code is now 'precondition.'"

Hey, old white guy? (since ageism is now fair play with you) try keeping up with where we're at in the pandemic.  Covid is currently killing people with low body fat, no preconditions & a Gwyneth Paltrow/Goop-approved diet ("Dear Diary; today I ate micro greens with bee pollen salad dressing and chia croutons - yum! - the whole plate smelled like my vagina candle!") You've spent decades indulging in magical thinking when it comes to disease and death (all of the preceding apparently foiled by not eating sugar and smoking acres of pot - be careful, old man, pot smoking is linked to lung issues, and that's catnip to Covid. Oh, if only doctors had the guts to say it!) The virus doesn't give a fuck about your hobby horse moral prescriptions, hatred of fat people, and self-declared roolz of beating-the-pandemic.  (Me, I hate  people who say stupid things - like you!  - and yet, the medical establishment has not addressed Maherism.  Quo Vadis and hunh? Still,  I don't turn that into a theory of life; I chalk it up to me finding you increasingly moronic and out of touch - due to your own ego precondition - and me wanting my magical thinking to be turned into bedrock fact. Which it is not.)  So thanks for weighing in (no pun intended!) but I'm going to keep spending my Covid-days in a mask, washing my hands, staying six feet apart, and singing (a la Aretha)  "Day drinking and I'm thinking of you! Day drinking and I'm thinking of you!"...while actually, you know, day-drinking.

 

Thank you!  My thoughts, but said so much better. Why does Bill have such a hatred of fat people? It blinds him to reason. 

[arachne]

After two years of hearing Bill say "Trump will never leave the White House," I hoped in vain for him to at least acknowledge that he'd been wrong. But no, it's as if he'd never said it at all. 🤨

Yeah, I'm afraid we'll have to endure four years of "old president" jokes. (And not just from Bill -- I'm looking at you, Colbert!) However, I suspect the humor well will be mostly dry for a while. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

So Frank Figliuzzi was a dud, too? I’ve seen him on other shows and he knew what he was about. Then again, he’s got a book to plug.

[iMonrey]

Why was Bill so hung up on the FBI "listening to people" during his interview with Figluizzi? It's like he's still living in the 1970s and is paranoid about wire tapping. The FBI doesn't doesn't need secret surveillance to keep tabs on domestic terrorists. They post their plans right on the open internet.

Bill has some weird ducktail thing going on with the back of his head. I found it very distracting.

Quote

Yeah, I'm afraid we'll have to endure four years of "old president" jokes. (And not just from Bill -- I'm looking at you, Colbert!) However, I suspect the humor well will be mostly dry for a while. 

I don't get it. Bill spent most of the primaries railing against ageism, presumably be cause he believed Biden had the best chance of beating Trump. Now that he's in office it's OK to make ageist jokes about him? Nobody ever said Bill wasn't a hypocrite but this one practically gives me whiplash. 

[BrownBear2012]

9 hours ago, film noire said:

Maher tonight on Covid (a lesser issue in the show b/c I can't even re: the bullshit 'discussion' about race); 

"...but it's also, I think, on the American medical establishment that never told the American people the best way you can handle this is get yourself in better shape, get your immune system better, stop eating shit food and sugar and day drinking. never had the guts to do that. They wouldn't even say the word 'obesity' on television. That would be fat-shaming. The code is now 'precondition.'"

Hey, old white guy? (since ageism is now fair play with you) try keeping up with where we're at in the pandemic.  Covid is currently killing people with low body fat, no preconditions & a Gwyneth Paltrow/Goop-approved diet ("Dear Diary; today I ate micro greens with bee pollen salad dressing and chia croutons - yum! - the whole plate smelled like my vagina candle!") You've spent decades indulging in magical thinking when it comes to disease and death (all of the preceding apparently foiled by not eating sugar and smoking acres of pot - be careful, old man, pot smoking is linked to lung issues, and that's catnip to Covid. Oh, if only doctors had the guts to say it!) The virus doesn't give a fuck about your hobby horse moral prescriptions, hatred of fat people, and self-declared roolz of beating-the-pandemic.  (Me, I hate  people who say stupid things - like you!  - and yet, the medical establishment has not addressed Maherism.  Quo Vadis and hunh? Still,  I don't turn that into a theory of life; I chalk it up to me finding you increasingly moronic and out of touch - due to your own ego precondition - and me wanting my magical thinking to be turned into bedrock fact. Which it is not.)  So thanks for weighing in (no pun intended!) but I'm going to keep spending my Covid-days in a mask, washing my hands, staying six feet apart, and singing (a la Aretha)  "Day drinking and I'm thinking of you! Day drinking and I'm thinking of you!"...while actually, you know, day-drinking.

 

Bill doesn't eat real food. He lives on green drinks, nut paste and one "real" meal a week...a piece of fish and a baked potato. So of course, he hates anyone over weight. But I think if he really cared about the health of Americans he would devote one of his shows to discussing the disparity in what's available to the poor and working poor in their communities. They do not have a variety of food stores and big name grocery stores in their communities. They mostly have smaller stores and bodegas that only sell overpriced canned and packaged foods. There is little to no fresh produce or quality proteins available to them in their communities. The food that is available is loaded with additives, sugar, animal fat, high fructose corn syrup, etc.etc.

 Bill could book many guests who have written about this and the "food deserts" that inhabit poor communities where people have to go miles and miles away from their neighborhood to get healthy decent food. What is available to them in their neighborhoods are fast food joints like McDonald's, Taco Bell, Burger King, Popeye's, KFC...this is a very real problem. Instead of being accusatory and demeaning to people who don't live Beverly Hills and can't have Whole Foods deliver to them, why not shine a light on this problem and use your platform for educating yourself and others and maybe try to help out...I wonder if Bill has ever donated to a food bank or donated money to an organization that helps to feed healthy food to those who can't afford it. 

With lines of cars stretched for miles all over America these days of people needing to feed their families, I find it reprehensible that Bill continues to berate and condemn people for their circumstances. He is the epitome of elitism and entitlement. 

Edited January 23, 2021 by BrownBear2012

[DXD526]

Quote

Bill has some weird ducktail thing going on with the back of his head. I found it very distracting.

I wanted to take a pair of hedge clippers to the back of his head. I found my mind drifting off during that inane panel, but the hair always brought me back to reality.

[TVbitch]

Sadly, I am just skipping to new rules at this point (in case it is funny) . 

[angelamh66]

8 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

So Frank Figliuzzi was a dud, too? I’ve seen him on other shows and he knew what he was about. Then again, he’s got a book to plug.

He was actually good, I thought. The panel was just completely infuriating to me so the glow wore off. Haha. 

[Thomas Crown]

I found the opening segment with the FBI guy talking about the American Gov't increasing their spying on it's own people to be very disturbing at the potential implications.  My understanding is that it's already being done quite quite extensively by the various gov't intelligence communities.  So I'm not sure what "new" spying requirements are required by the FBI to properly investigate domestic terrorists and various militia groups. I wish Bill would have simply asked Frank Figluizzi how the current laws prevent them from properly investigating terrorists groups and what new laws they want passed.  Simple enough questions.  Slightly off topic, but I checked Frank Figluizzi's twitter feed after the show and he posted a backstage picture from his dressing room.  Looks like the RT guests get served up a whole lot of liquor before the show. What is this ... "the Bachelor/Bachelorette" ? 🙂 

I thought the topics brought up on the panel were interesting enough just the actual discussion was a let down. Interestingly enough Bill Maher brought up again this week Matt Taibbi's quote about the media presenting the news only in the way that their target audience wants to hear it.  This is one topic that I hope he keeps revisiting because I do agree that presenting the news in a one sided way is never a good thing and only contributes to the divisiveness. 

As for Trump forming a successful new party, that would probably ensure the Republicans never win an election again! Seriously though, the panel was going into the direction of the importance of a viable 3rd party.  Not sure it'll ever happen in my life time, but having a viable 3rd choice in the U.S. would force both parties IMO to work together to get things done for the fear of getting voted out.  

[Tara]

How refreshing is Kmele Foster!  I found him to be an intelligent man with a viewpoint you don’t often see on liberal shows. That’s why I like this show.....it’s one of the few not afraid to show a different viewpoint.

I thought the Figliuzzu was shoveling paranoia and nonsense. And Hamby was shoveling old talking points.