S20.E18: Cornel West; Kellyanne Conway; Josh Barro

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Quote

Dr Cornel West is Bill's opening interviewee this week and on the panel he is joined by Kellyanne Conway, former Senior Counselor to President Trump, and journalist Josh Barro.

Original air date 2022.06.10

[Starchild]

Bill's pre-show tweet says KellyAnne Conway is on the show tonight. I can suffer through it if she's the interview, but if she's on the panel I'm not sure I can stomach that. Like her opinion would be worth listening to after everything.

[emmawoodhouse]

She's on the panel. Peace out.

[WendyM]

Gas, gas, gas, gas, gas.

[Hedgehog2022]

4 hours ago, Starchild said:

Bill's pre-show tweet says KellyAnne Conway is on the show tonight. I can suffer through it if she's the interview, but if she's on the panel I'm not sure I can stomach that. Like her opinion would be worth listening to after everything.

She's got a book to sell.

[Poohbear617]

I was screaming at my tv..why did no one challange the bitch with house passed a bill to stop the price gouging of items including gas, 6 common sense bills with basic gun reforms (nothing drastic but a beginning) and a bill that would help US make and import baby formula as well as making it more affordable to WIC and other poor families.....All either were voted down by republicans or blocked even coming to a vote.  Confront her with that then keep saying to her over and over why did they vote no, why, why u cant bitch kellyanne when your side is causeing the problem,  would not have stopped her completely but she would have to switch gears a bit. AS for protesting outsude justice barret and kavenaughhomes, yes guy with gun needed to be s5opord but susan collind and ACB gsve been peacefully protested with chaulk.  Kellyanne saying there were small children inside. Well Christine Ford has had to move 4 times and u said nothing about her...and 3 years ago it was ruled that it was ok yo picket not only vlinics but the homes of the doctors, clinic staff and even patients...so kharma is a bitch.

Edited June 11, 2022 by Poohbear617

[Poohbear617]

Bill once told that milo y asshole to fuck off and went after esper for not saying he would vote for trump...why not kellyanne? And he thanked her for bravely coming here..why brave when u dont challenge her enough...if u wont push back at her then at least let the sudience Boo her for not answering..she got tougher treatment on the view last week.

[WendyM]

48 minutes ago, Poohbear617 said:

I was screaming at my tv..why did no one challange the bitch with house passed a bill to stop the price gouging of items including gas, 6 common sense bills with basic gun reforms (nothing drastic but a beginning) and a bill that would help US make and import baby formula as well as making it more affordable to WIC and other poor families.....All either were voted down by republicans or blocked even coming to a vote.  Confront her with that then keep saying to her over and over why did they vote no, why, why u cant bitch kellyanne when your side is causeing the problem,  would not have stopped her completely but she would have to switch gears a bit. AS for protesting outsude justice barret and kavenaughhomes, yes guy with gun needed to be s5opord but susan collind and ACB gsve been peacefully protested with chaulk.  Kellyanne saying there were small children inside. Well Christine Ford has had to move 4 times and u said nothing about her...and 3 years ago it was ruled that it was ok yo picket not only vlinics but the homes of the doctors, clinic staff and even patients...so kharma is a bitch.

For the life of me...I couldn't think of why no one was challenging her with even a moment of this. If *I'm* sitting on *my* couch and have these rejoinders at the ready, why wouldn't his staff? Or why wouldn't he? After all, at the top he told his audience he watched the hearing so we wouldn't have to, so he must be super informed. And then I think, he must think this overtalking-each-other bit is...entertainment? No, Bill Maher-a-lago. It's not. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

why did no one challange the bitch with house passed a bill to stop the price gouging of items including gas, 6 common sense bills with basic gun reforms (nothing drastic but a beginning) and a bill that would help US make and import baby formula as well as making it more affordable to WIC and other poor families.....All either were voted down by republicans or blocked even coming to a vote. 

Because Bill has only the most rudimentary understanding of politics or what goes on in Congress. Which plays right into the hands of Kellyanne Conway and her ilk who blame everything on the president. I really expected better of Josh Barro, though.

It was ridiculous the way she kept deflecting by asking why everyone was so obsessed with Trump, as though he has become completely irrelevant since leaving office. And no, she is not "brave" to come on this show, she has a book to sell and knows this show is a safe space for her because Bill will give her a platform to spew her nonsense without much pushback. 

Quote

Gas, gas, gas, gas, gas.

Someone should have asked why Americans are entitled to cheap gas and what Republicans would do about it. Conway brought up the Keystone pipeline which is a common right wing talking point but a total red herring. There is nothing the pipeline would do to lower gas prices. 

I cannot stand Cornel West and hate whenever Bill has him on. I cannot follow anything he's saying, it's all brother this and brother that and a lot of gibberish in between.

I will say, the final New Rule about gun violence in movies was spot-on.

[arachne]

IIRC, Bill kept talking a couple years ago about how Trump would never leave the White House! Well, guess what? He did. And now Bill wants credit for predicting that Trump would never accept defeat? Sorry, Bill, not the same thing. 

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I cannot stand Cornel West and hate whenever Bill has him on.

Myself, I found him a bit less obnoxious this week than usual. I wish Cornel West had been on the panel, not be the opening guest. I kept waiting for him to confront Kelllyanne directly, and he never did, not even on Overtime.

If I hear the word "gas" anymore today, it's gonna give me gas! 🤢

[DoctorAtomic]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I cannot stand Cornel West and hate whenever Bill has him on. I cannot follow anything he's saying, it's all brother this and brother that and a lot of gibberish in between.

I wouldn't say it's gibberish, but West certainly is enamoured with the sound of his own voice. He reminds me of a funny roommate I had back in my MS who would get high and just opine while he helped me play Turok. Just bouncing from one topic to another; no filter, just anything would come out. Even Bill looked a little frustrated. I mean, ok, if you're giving a lecture, but it's an interview. Bill wanted to ask some legitimate questions. 

In the interview, Bill listed out some accomplishments that Biden has achieved for African-Americans; appointed first black woman to SCOTUS, banned chokeholds, measures to cut back poverty, etc., and West then went on to criticize Biden for something completely unrelated. This is a quintessential perfect being the enemy of good. Bill countered pragmatically by pointing out that he's a politician; Biden sometimes has his hands tied with what he can do, as are all presidents, and West just went on another tangent without addressing Bill's reasonable point. There's no value to take away from the interview. West offers no insight. 

Say what you want about Conway, and I certainly agree with the prevailing opinion here, but she has the wordsmithing to an art. I can run my mouth when I get riled, but she can keep it going 40+ minutes steady and she hits all the beats rapid fire. And the constant interruptions while Bill is trying to take 7 seconds to set up the topic. Even when everyone is agreeing. 

Barro just isn't a confrontational guy; he's just not going to push back on her. They should have booked someone else. I tend to think Bill likes having her on because he knows her deal, and he wants to see if he can still measure up. 

25 minutes ago, arachne said:

If I hear the word "gas" anymore today, it's gonna give me gas! 

Again, I don't agree with anything she says, but that's the play, no? Gas is $5; Biden is president. Just keep hammering at it. Explaining the ins and outs of gas prices takes a ton of effort. The voting electorate at large just doesn't have the attention span. 

Edited June 11, 2022 by DoctorAtomic

[DXD526]

Ugh. Cornel (brother) West and Kellyanne (alternative facts) Conway on the same episode? I've never leaned on the FF button as much as this week. 

[Welshman in Ca]

9 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Barro just isn't a confrontational guy; he's just not going to push back on her. They should have booked someone else. I tend to think Bill likes having her on because he knows her deal, and he wants to see if he can still measure up. 

He can't measure up to her anymore. The Bill of old would have pulled her up on almost every point rather than just letting her rant on the way she does.

[DoctorAtomic]

I'd recommend the New Rules if that's all anyone is going to watch. Bill parried Conway well enough but that took the majority of the effort. He couldn't establish any substantive narrative. They needed a stronger second panelist. 

The Equalizer is a great underrated movie. It was the clip when Bill said right after - 'that was cool'. 

Edited June 11, 2022 by DoctorAtomic

[iMonrey]

Quote

IIRC, Bill kept talking a couple years ago about how Trump would never leave the White House! Well, guess what? He did. And now Bill wants credit for predicting that Trump would never accept defeat? Sorry, Bill, not the same thing. 

This is at least the third time Bill has shown a montage of himself predicting that Trump would not leave the White House. Good grief, it's downright masturbatory. 

[DoctorAtomic]

New Rules is worth it if only to have West fall flat on his face and get called out by everyone else for factual inaccuracies. 

[The Solution]

14 hours ago, WendyM said:

Gas, gas, gas, gas, gas.

So that explains the sounds (glad I don't have smell-o-vision) coming out of Kellyanne Conway's "face".

Edited June 11, 2022 by The Solution
forgot its name

[Starchild]

1 hour ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Say what you want about Conway, and I certainly agree with the prevailing opinion here, but she has the wordsmithing to an art.

She is good at what she does, much as I hate what she does.

[Welshman in Ca]

28 minutes ago, Starchild said:

She is good at what she does, much as I hate what she does.

She is great at what she does but you can't even agree with her without her arguing about it, she just doesn't shut the fuck up, ever, and even if she is right on anything it just gets lost in her constant arguing and bullshit.

[opus]

2 hours ago, DXD526 said:

Ugh. Cornel (brother) West and Kellyanne (alternative facts) Conway on the same episode? I've never leaned on the FF button as much as this week. 

I never FF-ed, but the mute button got a bit of a workout.

[DoctorAtomic]

4 minutes ago, Welshman in Ca said:

She is great at what she does but you can't even agree with her without her arguing about it, she just doesn't shut the fuck up, ever, and even if she is right on anything it just gets lost in her constant arguing and bullshit.

It's actually ironic that she's all sparring with Bill and he's trying to say that they're in agreement. One could use her own m/o against her to get her to contradict herself. 

[Starchild]

16 minutes ago, Welshman in Ca said:

She is great at what she does but you can't even agree with her without her arguing about it, she just doesn't shut the fuck up, ever, and even if she is right on anything it just gets lost in her constant arguing and bullshit.

If only she would use her powers for good.

[Spartan Girl]

My feelings can be best expressed by: 

[Kenz]

I must be a masochist, because I watched part of this show, when lately I avoid it because Bill Maher has grated on my nerves during the last couple of years. I have never liked Cornel West, but I forced myself to listen to him for a few minutes (with closed captioning on, because he talks so fast and mumbly), but nope, I still can't stand him. When he started bashing Biden, and Bill at least countered with all of the things that Biden has accomplished for minorities, West's answers to that made me hit the FF button with lightening speed. Kelly Anne Conway has to be one of the most obnoxious people on planet Earth. She is a complete idiotic motor-mouth who was there to sell her book, mentioning it  over and over, not because she was brave. Bill should have had some guts and shut her down with some strong counter cuts, but he doesn't want to offend. By the way, gas is expensive and up in price all over the WORLD, because of world economic conditions, not because of Biden. Now I have ruined my mood after watching this stupid show.

Edited June 12, 2022 by Kenz

[JNavarro]

I think Maher DID do a good job at parrying Conway's dogshit arguments.   When she was on most mainstream talk shows she steamrolled people who didn't know how to handle that kind of sophistry.

But it takes up time on a limited show, so she's already "won" by obfuscating the issue to begin with.  You could tell there was more that Bill wanted to discuss but had to spend that time shutting down Conway.  

Barro was fine.  I'm a fan of his, but he's just not going to get to talk much in this format with that kind of guest.  

Edited June 11, 2022 by JNavarro

[Tara]

First, I had no idea what West was saying most of the time. I think every he gave a little “speech”, everyone clapped thinking, ‘I don’t know what the hell he just said, but it must have been special, so I’ll clap.’

I thought Conway WAS called out every time she used gas to sidestep. I felt like it was The View at times, with everyone talking over each other. 

[hurrrz]

I don't think giving Conway a platform is helping anyone. I am ok with GOP angles on this show, I actually think it's important to have varying opinions on issues, Conway though is whole different caliber. She's a bad faith actor and is spinning everything. You can't argue with her, and nothing she has to say has any real value. Don't give her the platform she craves. 

[WendyM]

25 minutes ago, hurrrz said:

I don't think giving Conway a platform is helping anyone. I am ok with GOP angles on this show, I actually think it's important to have varying opinions on issues, Conway though is whole different caliber. She's a bad faith actor and is spinning everything. You can't argue with her, and nothing she has to say has any real value. Don't give her the platform she craves. 

It was telling when Barro asked her whom she was supporting on the GOP side and she wouldn't answer. IIRC, he may have teed up DeSantis for her and she wouldn't bite one way or another. She wouldn't go out on that limb, not this time. Not after she badmouthed her guy before 2016. (I can't remember if this happened during the regular show or Overtime.)

[Hedgehog2022]

12 hours ago, Poohbear617 said:

Bill once told that milo y asshole to fuck off and went after esper for not saying he would vote for trump...why not kellyanne? And he thanked her for bravely coming here..why brave when u dont challenge her enough...if u wont push back at her then at least let the sudience Boo her for not answering..she got tougher treatment on the view last week.

Bill is always telling these MAGA Republicans how “brave” they are for coming on his show…really? Bill fawns over them and says they’re brave and sometimes scolds the audience for booing…seems to me they’re not brave at all…it’s a pretty comfortable place for them to be… and they can fly back home and hope that they were able to sell a few more books. It’s not like they’re teachers at Robb Elementary School putting their lives on the line to protect themselves and their students from an 18 year old with an AR15.

51 minutes ago, hurrrz said:

I don't think giving Conway a platform is helping anyone. I am ok with GOP angles on this show, I actually think it's important to have varying opinions on issues, Conway though is whole different caliber. She's a bad faith actor and is spinning everything. You can't argue with her, and nothing she has to say has any real value. Don't give her the platform she craves. 

Bill should have her husband on…he’s way more interesting and honest.

Edited June 12, 2022 by Hedgehog2022

[Pete Martell]

1 hour ago, hurrrz said:

I don't think giving Conway a platform is helping anyone. I am ok with GOP angles on this show, I actually think it's important to have varying opinions on issues, Conway though is whole different caliber. She's a bad faith actor and is spinning everything. You can't argue with her, and nothing she has to say has any real value. Don't give her the platform she craves. 

Kellyanne Conway is the new Ann Coulter, just more twisting in the wind and less bitter one-liners spat through her teeth. They never have anything of value to say, but they get attention, which is all the media, and Maher, need or want.

[Pete Martell]

Was it only a few years ago Bill Maher was ridiculing comic book films, blaming them for Trump winning in 2016, and saying that people who watch them need  to grow up?

Now, according to Bill Maher, filmgoers, rather than growing up, need to be protected from films like John Wick or Top Gun 2 (or whatever the title is), because they encourage the audience to want to live out their own revenge fantasies. Oh those woke hypocritical liberals and their safe spaces strike again.

Which is it? Do viewers need to start being more adult, or do they need to be coddled at every  turn? What are Bill Maher's approved films? If  they brought out romcoms or yet more Jane Austen and Bronte sisters adaptations I imagine he'd go on about feminized Hollywood painting unrealistic expectations of men and wanting them to be sissies. And I imagine if they did yet another adaptation of The Great Gatsby we'd hear about the elites...more Dickens would probably lead to hearing about how the executives are afraid of 'real America' and have to coddle to long-dead British authors...musicals would lead to jokes about "please say gay," while films that don't star mostly white  casts would be blasted as woke...grossout comedies would lead to Bill telling us that Hollywood wants men to be "soy" and infantilized...

Maybe he has a documentary about his solar panels or bad experiences on college campuses he  can sell for distribution?

Edited June 12, 2022 by Pete Martell

[nichelle]

I actually tuned in because I wanted to see Cornell West. I hadn't heard him in a long time and was interested but that was short lived. I was so disappointed in the Biden topic with him. I stuck around for part of the Conway panel, but it just gave me a headache. I hate seeing her get airtime anywhere. The host/interviewer usually spends the majority of time just trying to find alignment on the fact that the sky is blue. It goes around and around until I have just had enough.

I tuned out during the panel and never saw New Rules. Maybe I'll go back and watch that portion.

[ICantDoThatDave]

I thought Bill did a good job of just *eyeroll*ing Conway for the most part. He could've done more, certainly.  But that was one of the best, most insightful, New Rules in a while, IMO.

EDIT: The one thing I wished anyone (including Bill) had pushed back on Conway when she was like "you're scared of Trump running again" was: We're not scared of him running again, we're scared of what happens if HE LOSES again.

Edited June 12, 2022 by ICantDoThatDave

[The Mighty Peanut]

Bill is such a contradiction. He is quite literally obsessed with what he sees as the left's total inability to take a joke or be contradicted in any way. And then an absolute dumpster fire of a republican comes on and he bends over backwards not to offend them, to call them brave, to shut down boos, to insist their points must be heard. Of all the precious feelings to protect...

[Tara]

What I find hypocritical in Bill is the whole Trump won’t believe he lost the election. He conveniently forgets the years of Democrats and special counsels spending taxpayer dollars trying to prove Trump colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election. And the parade of Democrats who publicly stated Bush stole the 2000 and 2004 elections. It goes both ways, Bill. Don’t pull out your fake outrage on Trump for doing what politicians do. Oh, but this is different….no, it’s not. This is not the forum to go point by point, but it’s the dirty side of politics. So, Bill, let it go or at least face the hypocrisy you’re wearing.

[WendyM]

7 hours ago, The Mighty Peanut said:

Bill is such a contradiction. He is quite literally obsessed with what he sees as the left's total inability to take a joke or be contradicted in any way. And then an absolute dumpster fire of a republican comes on and he bends over backwards not to offend them, to call them brave, to shut down boos, to insist their points must be heard. Of all the precious feelings to protect...

He also thinks when there isn't laughter, it's because the audience is offended. Uh, sometimes it's not FUNNY, Bill.

[Welshman in Ca]

16 hours ago, Kenz said:

 By the way, gas is expensive and up in price all over the WORLD, because of world economic conditions, not because of Biden. Now I have ruined my mood after watching this stupid show.

Spoke to my mother on Friday way before this was on & we worked gas out to be over $12 a gallon in Wales & therefore the UK after converting liters to gallons & pounds to dollars although we didn't account for the US gallon being smaller before anyone asks.

[DoctorAtomic]

17 hours ago, JNavarro said:

But it takes up time on a limited show, so she's already "won" by obfuscating the issue to begin with.  You could tell there was more that Bill wanted to discuss but had to spend that time shutting down Conway. 

How many times did he say, 'we're going to talk about that; right now we're talking about this.' Probably at least 5-7 minutes out of the 20 something that was the actual panel discussion. Job done. That's all she has to do to derail any substantive discussion. Overtime actually was a real discussion. She took her foot off the gas.

[revbfc]

I haven’t watched in a few weeks, but I checked this episode out.

Garbage.

Bill still had no idea how to talk to KAC, so it why bother.

HBO, put this waste of your money out to pasture.

[candall]

I was stunned when I heard the lineup.  Kellyanne Conway??  Who cares about her these days?  Oh, right, she's trying to stay relevant with her new "memoir."

A quick glance at Amazon tells me that only 334 copies have been sold since the release on May 24 and the price has dropped dramatically.  If you buy one of the four summaries of her book, you will be the fifth person to do so.  (Looking for #5--cue confetti.)

1 hour ago, Tara said:

Trump won’t run again, because even his real supporters know he won’t, and shouldn’t, win. Trump is over, and I don’t know why Bill keeps hanging on to this. It’s done, man.

I am surrounded by many people, MANY people, who would lop off an arm to see him re-elected.

[Spartan Girl]

On 6/11/2022 at 10:36 PM, Pete Martell said:

Was it only a few years ago Bill Maher was ridiculing comic book films, blaming them for Trump winning in 2016, and saying that people who watch them need  to grow up?

Now, according to Bill Maher, filmgoers, rather than growing up, need to be protected from films like John Wick or Top Gun 2 (or whatever the title is), because they encourage the audience to want to live out their own revenge fantasies. Oh those woke hypocritical liberals and their safe spaces strike again.

Which is it? Do viewers need to start being more adult, or do they need to be coddled at every  turn? What are Bill Maher's approved films? If  they brought out romcoms or yet more Jane Austen and Bronte sisters adaptations I imagine he'd go on about feminized Hollywood painting unrealistic expectations of men and wanting them to be sissies. And I imagine if they did yet another adaptation of The Great Gatsby we'd hear about the elites...more Dickens would probably lead to hearing about how the executives are afraid of 'real America' and have to coddle to long-dead British authors...musicals would lead to jokes about "please say gay," while films that don't star mostly white  casts would be blasted as woke...grossout comedies would lead to Bill telling us that Hollywood wants men to be "soy" and infantilized...

Maybe he has a documentary about his solar panels or bad experiences on college campuses he  can sell for distribution?

Yeah, other countries like violent movies just as much as the rest of us, yet the majority of them don’t have as bad of a mass shooting problem as we do. So bit of a flaw in that logic, Billy Boy.

[limestation]

I don't know what the hell is wrong with Bill lately. He is letting people come on HIS show, and let's them hijack the entire thing!!! It happened a while back with someone else and it enraged me then but not as much as this!

KAC is the absolute WORST GUEST EVER!!! Rude, obnoxious, nasty and so fucking clueless. This harridan sits down, takes one breath and she's off, not pausing for a second for ANYTHING. So now this low-life has a book to flog so she's trying to make nice with the other side? I would say go learn some manners and class but it's way too late for that. 

Had I known how bad this episode would be, I would have passed. I don't need to have my blood pressure sent soaring into the stratosphere, thank you, Kelly Ann. If he makes another huge lapse of judgement and intelligence and that being having her on again, I will spare myself the rage. She can take her ratty over-processed hair and bullshit opinions to Fox News, a much more appropriate platform for the grotesqueness that is Kelly Ann Conway World.

[revbfc]

20 hours ago, candall said:

A quick glance at Amazon tells me that only 334 copies have been sold since the release on May 24 and the price has dropped dramatically.  If you buy one of the four summaries of her book, you will be the fifth person to do so.  (Looking for #5--cue confetti.)

I’d be interested in knowing the audiobook numbers.  Considering that even Trump supporters find her voice grating, I can’t see how something read BY her would do much better.

[Hedgehog2022]

On 6/11/2022 at 11:03 AM, iMonrey said:

Because Bill has only the most rudimentary understanding of politics or what goes on in Congress. Which plays right into the hands of Kellyanne Conway and her ilk who blame everything on the president. I really expected better of Josh Barro, though.

It was ridiculous the way she kept deflecting by asking why everyone was so obsessed with Trump, as though he has become completely irrelevant since leaving office. And no, she is not "brave" to come on this show, she has a book to sell and knows this show is a safe space for her because Bill will give her a platform to spew her nonsense without much pushback. 

Someone should have asked why Americans are entitled to cheap gas and what Republicans would do about it. Conway brought up the Keystone pipeline which is a common right wing talking point but a total red herring. There is nothing the pipeline would do to lower gas prices. 

I cannot stand Cornel West and hate whenever Bill has him on. I cannot follow anything he's saying, it's all brother this and brother that and a lot of gibberish in between.

I will say, the final New Rule about gun violence in movies was spot-on.

It's been a long time since Cornel West was on the show...I was beginning to think that they had a falling out.

On 6/11/2022 at 10:21 PM, Pete Martell said:

Kellyanne Conway is the new Ann Coulter, just more twisting in the wind and less bitter one-liners spat through her teeth. They never have anything of value to say, but they get attention, which is all the media, and Maher, need or want.

Conway's husband worked with Ann Coulter during the Monica Lewinsky scandal to take down Clinton...so there's that.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I’d be interested in knowing the audiobook numbers.  Considering that even Trump supporters find her voice grating, I can’t see how something read BY her would do much better.

Yeah, I wonder who her audience is these days. If she is admitting that Trump lost the election then Trump supporters will reject her, and she has nothing to offer anyone on the left. 

Bill does not have the skills to maneuver around what-aboutism and spin. Kellyanne Conway and her ilk do not want to talk about January 6th or the hearings. They want to talk about inflation and gas prices and blame it all on Biden. She kept repeating over and over why are you talking about Trump why are you talking about Trump? It's easy enough to simply turn it around on her and ask why she doesn't want to talk about January 6th, but Bill isn't even smart enough or deft enough to do that. It's easy enough to say "People don't want to hear about January 6th, they want to know why prices are so high" but while that may be true, that just doesn't happen to be what they are talking about at the moment. So if she's not going to contribute to that discussion what the hell is she doing there? The only thing she's doing is de-railing a legitimate discussion.

Edited June 13, 2022 by iMonrey