S19.E25: Craig Whitlock; Katty Kay; Ralph Reed

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Bill opens this week's episode by interviewing Washington Post journalist Craig Whitlock. For the panel, he's joined by British journalist Katty Kay and conservative Christian lobbyist Ralph Reed.

Original air date 2021.08.27 

[bobbyjoe]

Just looking at the official guest list and… Ralph Reed?  Was this episode being beamed in from the 1990s?  Who’s on next week, Milli Vanilli?

[revbfc]

I don’t even know what to say about this show anymore.  Katty Kay brought some good points to the table, but Bill & Ralph seemed like they were just there to beat up their bespoke straw men.

[Caseysgirl]

I hope the next  time ( and we know there will be) America decides to go to war and send the sons of the lower class, everyone will remember all these words of wisdom from the right and the left, about how it’s not a patriotic expression of American exceptionalism but an opportunity for the military industrial complex to thrive.  It seems very time we’ve done a deep dive into these wars, we find out that we were having the wool pulled over our eyes for years.

[iMonrey]

Ralph Reed looks like a Munchkin with that little button nose of his. He's a pair of striped stockings away from being one of the Lollipop Guild.

Credit where credit is due: at least Bill didn't pile on Biden like the rest of the media, as I half expected him to. There was a generally reasonable discussion (for this show) about what a mistake Afghanistan was and Bill thankfully pointed out that the "grown-ups" always come into office having to clean up the mess a previous administration left behind then has to take all the flack for it. Never has that been more on display than in this past week.

Of course, Bill could not help veer back into another rant about cancel culture, which was especially ironic when his final new rule was all about people who complain about America. Um, you mean like you, Bill?

I couldn't believe any of these idiots wondered aloud when comedy became about politics. I'm pretty sure you can go all the way back to the middle ages for that, I've seen the archived political cartoons from newspapers going back as far as the invention of the printing press.

[Winston Wolfe]

Actually, I rather liked this week's show. Intelligent guests with valid, well-thought out insights - and no one spoke over anyone else. Nor did they dominate the conversation to the point that the other panelist couldn't get a word in edge-wide. Bill even went easy on his favorite tropes, cancel culture, the overweight, etc. Some weeks it seems like he makes an effort, other weeks not.

A couple of things bugged, though. Telling Ralph Reed (who I didn't know), "yeah, I like you, but don't get you, we're not going to a titty bar together." Way to keep it classy Bill, with a cultured Lady on the panel.

7 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I couldn't believe any of these idiots wondered aloud when comedy became about politics.

The other thing that bugged. Hey Bill, you're a student of comedic history. Remember George Carlin? The Smothers Brothers? That was some brilliant political comedy right there - and they didn't outright attack people, either.

[tessaray]

4 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I couldn't believe any of these idiots wondered aloud when comedy became about politics. I'm pretty sure you can go all the way back to the middle ages for that, I've seen the archived political cartoons from newspapers going back as far as the invention of the printing press.

Right? My jaw dropped at that.

The bit with conservative comedies was clever but not funny. Or maybe it was just me.

 

[DoctorAtomic]

I dismissed anything Reed had to say when he was on the show way back as the mid show interview and told Bill he votes GOP so scotus will overturn Roe someday. Don't act like you're even remotely invested in Afghanistan because you read the deal. 

Kay even called him out on whether he would have supported Biden if he just canned the deal Trump made and he just blathered about conditions. 

I don't hate people, and Bill should have conservatives on the show, but it's not this guy. 

If Kay thinks anonymous Twitter is bad, she should read my student evaluations. 

Edited August 28, 2021 by DoctorAtomic

[DoctorAtomic]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I couldn't believe any of these idiots wondered aloud when comedy became about politics.

To be fair, Bill was saying comedy was more partisan now. He did say Carson used to do political jokes. 

I don't know if that's the late night hosts' fault. Bill said himself - you go where the funny is. Qanon is rich fodder for comedy. Who are the people in Qanon? 

Reed is delusional of he doesn't think church is talking about politics. 

Edited August 28, 2021 by DoctorAtomic

[BrownBear2012]

2 hours ago, Winston Wolfe said:

Actually, I rather liked this week's show. Intelligent guests with valid, well-thought out insights - and no one spoke over anyone else. Nor did they dominate the conversation to the point that the other panelist couldn't get a word in edge-wide. Bill even went easy on his favorite tropes, cancel culture, the overweight, etc. Some weeks it seems like he makes an effort, other weeks not.

A couple of things bugged, though. Telling Ralph Reed (who I didn't know), "yeah, I like you, but don't get you, we're not going to a titty bar together." Way to keep it classy Bill, with a cultured Lady on the panel.

The other thing that bugged. Hey Bill, you're a student of comedic history. Remember George Carlin? The Smothers Brothers? That was some brilliant political comedy right there - and they didn't outright attack people, either.

Maher's crude comment about not going to a "titty bar" with Ralph Reed was, as usual, a perfect illustration of his misogny and disregard of women. To say that with an established, intelligent, classy woman like Katy Kay on the panel, makes it even worse. Such a pathetic little manchild Bill Maher is.

Edited August 28, 2021 by BrownBear2012

[aghst]

2 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Reed is delusional of he doesn't think church is talking about politics. 

He also said Colbert is predictable, so not funny.

Whatever.

When the Colbert Report hit, conservatives didn't get that it was satire, that he was clowning them.

They tried to do their own version of The Daily Show and others and they all bombed.

[Tachi Rocinante]

To be honest, Colbert has been fairly predictable lately, but that's mostly because the jokes write themselves.

[DoctorAtomic]

Kay shot back that the Fox talk show was fairly predictable too. 

I mean, you're coming out with new material 200+ nights out of the year, you're going to have some predictablity. So what? 

I don't watch the nightly talk shows, but I'm doubtful they don't write jokes for both sides.

[Cosmocrush]

On 8/28/2021 at 2:41 AM, revbfc said:

I don’t even know what to say about this show anymore.

I caught the end of this episode after tuning out since the beginning of the season and was rather surprised to hear a rich, straight, white, old man lecture Americans about oppression.  Women, People of Color, LGBTQ.. couldn't possibly have anything to complain about or advocate for because it's so much worse in other countries.   I get what he was trying to do but honestly it falls completely flat coming from a privileged white old man who I suspect spends time yelling at kids to get off his lawn. 

Then he told everyone that we should all sponsor an Afghanistan refugee family in our homes.  Of course I support supporting these new refugees (and have in my own community) but Bill is a single guy with two houses (one is a "retreat on Catalina) that are HUGE.   I hope he is going to take his own advice before telling everyone else what to do.  Sheesh - five minutes back and I'm out again.  

 

 

Edited August 29, 2021 by Cosmocrush
typos

[ApocalypseThen]

I'll give Ralph Reed some credit for being a "good sport" in going along with a lot of Bill's jokes, but he's still just a pathetic hypocrite for the most part. I remember him as a guest a few years ago justifying the religious right's support for Trump, with the typical "We know he's a flawed man...". Yeah the same people who kept saying that Bill Clinton should be impeached because he wasn't a "moral person" for having an affair. 

Reed did seem to get the cliff notes about what was actually written in the Afghanistan deal, but no one pushed back on the implications of his arguments. I really wish someone would have asked him "Ok Ralph, so the Taliban broke the deal, how long do you think we should stay in Afghanistan based on that?" Also, as far as we know, the Taliban had nothing to do with the attack at the airport. So they did stick to the main parts of the deal. Yet, like Bill said, they are THE TALIBAN after all. Did anyone really have a Homer Simpson approach to this thinking they were trustworthy? "Oh Mr. Burns, I think we can trust the president of Cuba." 

While I've never watched late night talk shows beyond YouTube clips, I wonder if they've ever been much different. These guys tend to play it safe and they know they have an older, liberal audience.

Gutfeld is a moron and I doubt his show has any clever takes on making fun of liberals. I'm guessing partly why it's doing well with ratings is that he has no competition from the right wing, whereas the others have to compete against each other. 

 

 

 

 

[iMonrey]

In spite of everything else, I did laugh at Bill's joke about the Nivana baby. I had read about that earlier in the week and couldn't believe it. The guy is obviously looking for a payday.

[Victor the Crab]

Bill's new look with his glasses is about as successful in making people think he's smart as it did for Rick Perry. Which is to say NOT!

No surprise that a disdainful asswipe like Bill thinks Greg Gutfeld is brilliant. Both asswipes love punching down. They're fucking bullies!

20 hours ago, Cosmocrush said:

Then he told everyone that we should all sponsor an Afghanistan refugee family in our homes.  Of course I support supporting these new refugees (and have in my own community) but Bill is a single guy with two houses (one is a "retreat on Catalina) that are HUGE.   I hope he is going to take his own advice before telling everyone else what to do.  Sheesh - five minutes back and I'm out again.  

Bill loves ordering people around and telling them what to do when he won't do it himself, the hypocrite!

[BrownBear2012]

7 hours ago, Victor the Crab said:

Bill's new look with his glasses is about as successful in making people think he's smart as it did for Rick Perry. Which is to say NOT!

No surprise that a disdainful asswipe like Bill thinks Greg Gutfeld is brilliant. Both asswipes love punching down. They're fucking bullies!

Bill loves ordering people around and telling them what to do when he won't do it himself, the hypocrite!

Did Bill really say Greg Gutfeld is brilliant? It's obvious now...he's watching a lot of Fox News and dumbing himself down by doing so. 

[DoctorAtomic]

Bill didn't say that. He was saying that there's more comedy to be made at the liberal side of things, so making a show for the hard right Fox news people makes sense for them. 

[Victor the Crab]

1 hour ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Bill didn't say that. He was saying that there's more comedy to be made at the liberal side of things, so making a show for the hard right Fox news people makes sense for them. 

Bill has a funny way of praising people, if that's the case.

[aghst]

2 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Bill didn't say that. He was saying that there's more comedy to be made at the liberal side of things, so making a show for the hard right Fox news people makes sense for them. 

Yeah he was alluding to woke/cancel culture, as he would call it.

But he's not making jokes about supposedly the intolerant progressives so much as ranting at them.

[RealHousewife]

On 8/29/2021 at 11:29 AM, iMonrey said:

In spite of everything else, I did laugh at Bill's joke about the Nivana baby. I had read about that earlier in the week and couldn't believe it. The guy is obviously looking for a payday.

Absolutely. If I were truly embarrassed about a naked baby picture on an album cover, the last thing I'd do is draw more attention to it.

 

On 8/28/2021 at 11:47 AM, Winston Wolfe said:

Actually, I rather liked this week's show. Intelligent guests with valid, well-thought out insights - and no one spoke over anyone else. Nor did they dominate the conversation to the point that the other panelist couldn't get a word in edge-wide. Bill even went easy on his favorite tropes, cancel culture, the overweight, etc. Some weeks it seems like he makes an effort, other weeks not.

A couple of things bugged, though. Telling Ralph Reed (who I didn't know), "yeah, I like you, but don't get you, we're not going to a titty bar together." Way to keep it classy Bill, with a cultured Lady on the panel.

The other thing that bugged. Hey Bill, you're a student of comedic history. Remember George Carlin? The Smothers Brothers? That was some brilliant political comedy right there - and they didn't outright attack people, either.

I cringed over that too. 

George Carlin was one of the best comics. I'll have to check out Smothers Brothers. 

I do think there's more to make fun of on the liberal side than there used to and that these culture wars have an effect on people.

Some people were offended by Bill's OnlyFans joke. I was watching some progressive youtubers who think landlords are basically evil bastards who need to get jobs. They're the same ones who are strong advocates of sex work. I'm all for it being legal and treating the women like human beings. (Also, I'm not sure just how racy OnlyFans is. I just know it's mostly adult content. There are women who've posed for Playboy who still say porn really is damaging.) But let's be honest, what would you rather have your daughter do? Work hard, invest in real estate and rent out property or be on OnlyFans? I remembered Bill defended landlords awhile back, saying they're not all these wealthy people. Sometimes I think Bill seems like he's changed and that's why his show isn't as enjoyable as it used to be, but he's not wrong that the culture has changed too. I'm not even that old, and when I was a kid, you fit in on the left even as a personally conservative person. You don't as much these days. 

On 8/28/2021 at 1:32 PM, DoctorAtomic said:

If Kay thinks anonymous Twitter is bad, she should read my student evaluations. 

I've heard other professors say this too. I always tried to be very polite and fair on them, but apparently students can be quite nasty. 

[RealHousewife]

Kyle Kulinski of Secular Talk did a video on this episode. He talked about how Bill's changed and dismisses everything as trying to be woke.  I've mentioned him on here before. He's another person around my age who grew up as a fan of Bill's but doesn't care for him anymore. 

 

[iMonrey]

Quote

A couple of things bugged, though. Telling Ralph Reed (who I didn't know), "yeah, I like you, but don't get you, we're not going to a titty bar together." Way to keep it classy Bill, with a cultured Lady on the panel.

Yeah, and also: you don't agree on anything, you stand for completely different things, but gosh darn it you still like each other? Why, exactly? I mean . . . I don't know about you but I typically make friends with people I have common interests with, and with whom I share common values and beliefs. I just think it's strange to be "friends" with someone who disagrees with you about some of the most fundamental things in life. Then again Bill is probably using the word "friends" very loosely.

Quote

Kyle Kulinski of Secular Talk did a video on this episode. He talked about how Bill's changed and dismisses everything as trying to be woke.

I've never heard of him before but it sounds like he's just as sick of Bill's obsession with wokeness as I am. Thanks for the link.

[RealHousewife]

2 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Yeah, and also: you don't agree on anything, you stand for completely different things, but gosh darn it you still like each other? Why, exactly? I mean . . . I don't know about you but I typically make friends with people I have common interests with, and with whom I share common values and beliefs. I just think it's strange to be "friends" with someone who disagrees with you about some of the most fundamental things in life. Then again Bill is probably using the word "friends" very loosely.

I've never heard of him before but it sounds like he's just as sick of Bill's obsession with wokeness as I am. Thanks for the link.

No problem. I'm a big fan of his channel. He's much better than mainstream media. I used to really like Bill, but maybe the stuff he'd say that I enjoyed was all thanks to better writers back then. 

[DoctorAtomic]

34 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Then again Bill is probably using the word "friends" very loosely.

That is my take. I think he meant more like 'doesn't want to smack him.' I mean, I have no time for Reed, but I have to be fair that he was making a sincere attempt to be affable, and wasn't just barking out talking points, nor did he try to steamroll Kay. I certainly don't agree with anything he's talking about, but I can't say the conversation on religion was that bad, for example. Kay reasonably refuted him on important points like the opening topic. 

When you're looking long at the body of the show, how many times here have we rolled our eyes over how many panels where they're just jawing at each other and blowing hot air? You know the 'run your mouth constantly' tactic. How many times have we seen the title here and been like, 'this guy?' tbh, I'll take this version of the show any time. 

I'll take this episode over the Donna Brazile Variety Hour, and I way more agree with her. 

 

[Cosmocrush]

2 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I'll take this episode over the Donna Brazile Variety Hour, and I way more agree with her. 

Ha!  Same.   Great description!

[izabella]

On 8/28/2021 at 6:47 PM, Cosmocrush said:

Then he told everyone that we should all sponsor an Afghanistan refugee family in our homes.  Of course I support supporting these new refugees (and have in my own community) but Bill is a single guy with two houses (one is a "retreat on Catalina) that are HUGE.   I hope he is going to take his own advice before telling everyone else what to do.  Sheesh - five minutes back and I'm out again.  

I thought what he was doing there was highlighting the hypocrisy of everyone who has been wringing their hands for weeks over the fate of the Afghans and whether we'd be able to get them out, but doesn't want the refugees anywhere near their homes and communities, much less would they want to take anyone in.  I wasn't sure if he was aiming that at liberals or conservatives, or both. 

[Victor the Crab]

4 minutes ago, izabella said:

I thought what he was doing there was highlighting the hypocrisy of everyone who has been wringing their hands for weeks over the fate of the Afghans and whether we'd be able to get them out, but doesn't want the refugees anywhere near their homes and communities, much less would they want to take anyone in.  I wasn't sure if he was aiming that at liberals or conservatives, or both. 

At this point, Bill is just whine ordering people because he wants to. He could house Afghani refugees in one of his homes if he wants to make a example of himself for others. But that takes effort and work, which he himself seems to loathe. Plus his Islamophobia would cancel everything out. So I don't really expect Bill to walk the walk after he yells the talk!