S16.E02: Roger McNamee, Zooey Deschanel, Michelle Goldberg, Ro Khanna, and Rick Wilson

[GHScorpiosRule]

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Businessman Roger McNamee is the top-of-show interview guest. Columnist Michelle Goldberg, Calif. Rep. Ro Khanna, Political Strategist Rick Wilson and Actress Zooey Deschanel.

[Caseysgirl]

OMG, Bill was so rude to Zooey Deschanel ! Who the f does he think he is? She likes bread - wow, Bill, let's humiliate her, not let her speak and try to prove that you eat cleaner than she does.  You are an ASS!

[GHScorpiosRule]

Did Bill get schooled by Michelle Goldberg?

McNamee kept repeating himself and I’m not sure what exactly he thinks the solution is?

Zoey was useless. Just what was the point of having her on? And she kept rambling.  It didn’t help that Bill, as usual, kept interrupting.

What’s Bill got against bread?

New Rules was much better this week.

Can Ro Khanna come back?

[sugarbaker design]

17 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Did Bill get schooled by Michelle Goldberg?

He sure did!  I loved the audience reaction when she schooled him on Israel.

[Victor the Crab]

5 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

New Rules was much better this week.

Not by much. Drumph attacked Rosie O'Donnell because she's a woman. Not because she's Irish, like him (or half of him, because he's half Jewish, which he seems never to bring up). But then, Bill sees the need to make it about himself. And he still can't get over some people oohing his jokes because he's such a snowflake.

[Sheenieb]

10 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Zoey was useless. Just what was the point of having her on? And she kept rambling.  It didn’t help that Bill, as usual, kept interrupting.

Yeah, that whole interview could've been scrapped. Zoey seems like a lovely person, but there's something about her that annoys me. She comes across so twee. Like every day her life starts out like the opening scenes of Beauty & The Beast (cartoon version).

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Did Bill get schooled by Michelle Goldberg?

Yup, and that means we probably won't see her again on the panel. Besides, let's not pretend that Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital because he's been following this conflict for decades and wanted to do something meaningful. He just did that to piss people off. He doesn't care.

[ganesh]

I'm getting a little annoyed with the "people get their news from Facebook." yes I read articles that PBS News and the Washington Post post on Facebook. So? It's not the right argument. People lack critical thinking skills. That was the same before Facebook. I get the problem but I don't think this is the right way to address it. 

[iMonrey]

This was a very frustrating episode. I think the one important point made, by Michelle Goldberg, was the fact that the right has invented this scenario where Trump is actually a victim of Russian collusion with the Clinton campaign somehow, and yet at the same time, nobody on the right seems mad at Russia because of it. Like she said, if they believed half of what they're saying, they'd be up in arms and demanding action and sanctions against Russia. Hell, it's the right - they'd probably be demanding war.

Bill's ignorant stance on Jerusalem makes me stubby. Let's just say, if your position begins with "I agree with Trump on this," that should be a big old red flag that you need to reconsider your position.

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Besides, let's not pretend that Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital because he's been following this conflict for decades and wanted to do something meaningful. He just did that to piss people off.

He did it to appease his base of evangelical voters. He can screw all the strippers he wants so far as they're concerned as long as they get what they want. 

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I'm getting a little annoyed with the "people get their news from Facebook." yes I read articles that PBS News and the Washington Post post on Facebook. So? It's not the right argument. People lack critical thinking skills. That was the same before Facebook. I get the problem but I don't think this is the right way to address it. 

It's also the case that the demographic most likely to be influenced by social media is young voters, who at the same time are less likely to vote.

Edited January 27, 2018 by iMonrey

[ganesh]

38 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

He did it to appease his base of evangelical voters. He can screw all the strippers he wants so far as they're concerned as long as they get what they want. 

That's absolutely why. I'm surprised no one brought up that the Palestinians don't want the US involved in mediating any peace talks either. The fact is the Oslo accords iirc had both sides agreeing to a two state solution and to include how they want to deal with Jerusalem because the Palestinians want their capital to be in the eastern side of the city. So Trump just invalidated all of that. 

41 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

It's also the case that the demographic most likely to be influenced by social media is young voters, who at the same time are less likely to vote.

Yeah but I don't even think young people were affected by social media in the way russian bots would have wanted anyway. That's the real problem. I've reported like 100s of obviously fake profiles and Facebook has done nothing to remove them. 

Saying you shouldn't eat bread because there's fungus in it is probably the dumbest thing I have ever heard. I get promoting food education so people can make better choices, but there's also the side where people live in food deserts and only have access to limited selections. I certainly love going to the Farmer's market, but not everyone can. 

I've been saying the show should have more journalists on, and I hope it continues. I found all the panelists to be rather good. 

[angelamh66]

Good lord Bill interrupted a lot this episode. Even more than usual. I didn't really understand what McNamee was trying to say, but how could I when Bill kept interrupting. Loved Michelle Goldberg. Schooled indeed. 

[ganesh]

I thought maybe someone from here sent in the question about demonizing the media and how the right always controls the political narrative since we talk about it so much. 

[DXD526]

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He did it to appease his base of evangelical voters. He can screw all the strippers he wants so far as they're concerned as long as they get what they want. 

This was brought up in Overtime, and while Wilson had a nice comment about American Evangelicals basically owning bullshit mountain, Bill was strangely silent. The hypocrisy of religion is right in his wheelhouse, so I don't know why he had nothing to say. He just glossed over it. It was weird.

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Good lord Bill interrupted a lot this episode.

UGH. McNamee may have been convoluted, but he was at least passionate and wanted to speak, and Bill wouldn't let him. At one point he was trying to say something and Bill interrupted him about five times in a row. It was obvious McNamee was getting frustrated, and so was I. We need a new term for what the host of this show indulges in: Billsplaining. Even men aren't safe from it!

[attica]

2 hours ago, ganesh said:

I'm getting a little annoyed with the "people get their news from Facebook." yes I read articles that PBS News and the Washington Post post on Facebook. So? It's not the right argument.

Remember way way back in the 2000s when 'people got their news from Jon Stewart', and how that was so bad? Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.  I'll be shallow and suggest a dude still sporting McGyver's mullet isn't first on my go-to list for tech support. Making a bomb out of a pen and some batteries, sure. Not so much with the html.

Bill's objection to protesters going to Schumer's house is one reason lobbying is such a bulletproof industry. Pols only listen to the people that meet with them, after all. Getting in the street near their homes/offices is the only way to get a non-corporate point of view across! 

Edited January 27, 2018 by attica

[arachne]

I wonder what Bill means by "fungus" in bread? Is he talking about yeast, which is also responsible for fermentation in beer, wine, and other kinds of alcohol? Should we avoid those as well? (Yeah, I know some of us should, but not all.) What about cheese, and vinegar? My point is, it's not that simple.

[GHScorpiosRule]

13 hours ago, Victor the Crab said:

Not by much. Drumph attacked Rosie O'Donnell because she's a woman. Not because she's Irish, like him (or half of him, because he's half Jewish, which he seems never to bring up). But then, Bill sees the need to make it about himself. And he still can't get over some people oohing his jokes because he's such a snowflake.

No, He attacked Rosie and has never stopped because of what @tvaddict44 said, and also she questioned his “success” as a businessman and what he had said about the beauty pageant organization he owned at the time.

But, before Bill mentioned Rosie, he was so on point about him being “hating Black people,” and backing it up with names of them. As opposed to last week? Last night was an improvement, I thought.

[wknt3]

What a terrible week for interviews. Both conveyed no useful information. Both lacked entertainment value. And both were on subjects that Bill is interested in and yet not only was his knowledge about an inch deep (which of course isn't shocking to any of us at this point) but he also seemed strangely uninterested and lacking passion. What is the point of having someone without star power at the top of the show if you aren't going to do anything with it. If you are going to tell the kids to get off your lawn at least yell and shake your fist! I mean who's going to print the headline "Old Man Mumbles At Cloud"? Why interrupt constantly when you're not really saying anything or even disagreeing to try to get the guest to say exactly what you want them to say?

[candall]

Yes, Trmp went after RO'D with a vengeance because she poked his most sensitive vulnerable spot--his financial/professional success as a businessman.  Calling her fat and ugly was his version of the ultimate putdown for a woman.  Bill had a nice roll going wrt Trmp's overt racism and then ruined it with his segue into "Irish, like me!"

 

I don't know why Bill had to be so jumpy with the initial interview guest.  McNamee said something like ". . . but instead, the Facebook philosophy has always been . . ." and Bill fucking stepped on the conclusion and headed off in another direction.

 

This is such a silly little thing, but I was amused that Bill's frame of reference for automatic soap dispensers is "Airports."  I guess Bill doesn't shop at Target or pop into the restroom where he fills up his car.  Snerk.

[candall]

P.S.  I don't eat bread anymore either.  I read Wheat Belly and I believed that guy's evidence that our bread today wouldn't recognize the Staff o'Life staple our grandparents were eating. (I live in wheat farming country and can see with my own eyes how much wheat has changed.  No more "amber waves of grain," folks.)

[lexytheblasian]

I’m sure Zoey Deschanel had something significant to say but for whatever reason just couldn’t articulate it. Also, Bill seemed more hostile than usual. 

Why does he get upset when the audience doesn’t laugh at his jokes? He needs to relax.

Edited January 28, 2018 by lexytheblasian

[GHScorpiosRule]

3 hours ago, lexytheblasian said:

I’m sure Zoey Deschanel had something significant to say but for whatever reason just couldn’t articulate it. 

All I got from her incoherent babbling was that we need to “talk to” our food or something. She would start to say something then not finish her thought. Like her daughter hates broccoli, but when Deschanel showed her how it grew from the ground or whatever, her daughter got excited. What? I don’t recall if by seeing it in the ground changed her kid’s mind?

[sistermagpie]

5 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

All I got from her incoherent babbling was that we need to “talk to” our food or something. She would start to say something then not finish her thought. Like her daughter hates broccoli, but when Deschanel showed her how it grew from the ground or whatever, her daughter got excited. What? I don’t recall if by seeing it in the ground changed her kid’s mind?

Yeah, she did not do a good job explaining why this thing she was doing was worth doing at all. I get the basic idea that maybe it's better if people think a little bit more about food, but do you really need to start...whatever this is...for that? Is her kid finding broccoli more fascinating growing out of the ground than when it's served to her for dinner really enough of a revelation to sustain...something one would come on TV to publicize?

[lexytheblasian]

19 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Like her daughter hates broccoli, but when Deschanel showed her how it grew from the ground or whatever, her daughter got excited. What?

Yeah... that was weird. I think Bill grew frustrated with her but that doesn’t give him the right to interrupt her nonstop. 

[iMonrey]

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UGH. McNamee may have been convoluted, but he was at least passionate and wanted to speak, and Bill wouldn't let him. At one point he was trying to say something and Bill interrupted him about five times in a row. It was obvious McNamee was getting frustrated, and so was I. We need a new term for what the host of this show indulges in: Billsplaining. Even men aren't safe from it!

It seems like Bill is just a terrible interviewer anymore. Last week he had Michael Wolff and the interview just went nowhere, the same this week with Roger McNamee. Yet, just a few days later I saw Michael Wolff on The Daily Show and the interview was much better, he had much more to say, and was far more engaged. There's just something fundamentally wrong with the way Bill tries to handle an interview.

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Why does he get upset when the audience doesn’t laugh at his jokes? He needs to relax.

He keeps giving the audience the stink eye if they don't laugh or if they groan because he thinks they're doing it because he said something too controversial or politically incorrect and they're all a bunch of special snowflake liberals. He even mumbled "liberals!" during this episode at one point when they groaned or something. But I don't think that's it. I think they aren't laughing because it's just not that funny.

[ganesh]

40 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

It seems like Bill is just a terrible interviewer anymore. Last week he had Michael Wolff and the interview just went nowhere, the same this week with Roger McNamee. Yet, just a few days later I saw Michael Wolff on The Daily Show and the interview was much better, he had much more to say, and was far more engaged. There's just something fundamentally wrong with the way Bill tries to handle an interview.

I don't think he's even been that good. He's a comedian first. However, so is Trevor Noah and he's ok. My advice would be to just get out of the way and let them talk. 

[msrachelj]

On 1/26/2018 at 10:22 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

Did Bill get schooled by Michelle Goldberg?

McNamee kept repeating himself and I’m not sure what exactly he thinks the solution is?

Zoey was useless. Just what was the point of having her on? And she kept rambling.  It didn’t help that Bill, as usual, kept interrupting.

What’s Bill got against bread?

New Rules was much better this week.

Can Ro Khanna come back?

perfect! he did get schooled. and i was going to say the same thing about ms dechanel . what the hell was with all the apologizing? she was a waste. i have no idea what she was on the show for. or what organization or website they were talking about. she was the worst spokesperson they could have had on. she was so afraid someone may not like what she said that she said nothing! 

i don't believe all bread is bad. bill is very stubborn in his beliefs and does not like to hear he may be wrong.

On 1/27/2018 at 8:54 AM, Sheenieb said:

Yeah, that whole interview could've been scrapped. Zoey seems like a lovely person, but there's something about her that annoys me. She comes across so twee. Like every day her life starts out like the opening scenes of Beauty & The Beast (cartoon version).

Yup, and that means we probably won't see her again on the panel. Besides, let's not pretend that Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital because he's been following this conflict for decades and wanted to do something meaningful. He just did that to piss people off. He doesn't care.

yes, she seems like she has a charmed life doesn't she? she is a terrible articulator . i wanted to throttle her and tell her to get to the point and stop being so defensive. 

[sistermagpie]

8 minutes ago, msrachelj said:

yes, she seems like she has a charmed life doesn't she? she is a terrible articulator . i wanted to throttle her and tell her to get to the point and stop being so defensive. 

Yes, she kept repeating how nobody wanted an actor to tell them what to eat--but nobody wants an actor telling them they need to go to the farmer's market and touch tomatoes either. Stop telling us what the thing isn't and start telling us what it is. Which she didn't seem to be able to do. If it's just about knowing where your food comes from not everybody's is going to care that much. And maybe they'll visit the frozen pizza factory instead of a farm.

I note, too, that she kind of avoided the obvious question of, like, slaughterhouses which probably wouldn't have made her daughter psyched to eat anything.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Yeah and I don’t care: I LOVE bread and will keep eating it! Plus there are several kinds of bread I cook, like naan, tandoori naan, roti/chapati that I ate as a kid, and others I buy, like Batura, because I don’t know how to cook it just the way it’s supposed to be, and I’m not going to stop eating it. So SUCK IT, Bill.

[ganesh]

27 minutes ago, msrachelj said:

i don't believe all bread is bad.

Bill needs to have some bread from my lady and the farmer's market I go to.

[TVbitch]

Zoey seemed as light and airy as the characters she usually plays, and I think once Bill determined she was not going to be direct and well spoken, he had little patience for her. (Which I'm sure rattled her even more.) He should have dealt with it better, but I have to admit I lost interest in her immediately too.  

[msrachelj]

14 hours ago, sistermagpie said:

Yes, she kept repeating how nobody wanted an actor to tell them what to eat--but nobody wants an actor telling them they need to go to the farmer's market and touch tomatoes either. Stop telling us what the thing isn't and start telling us what it is. Which she didn't seem to be able to do. If it's just about knowing where your food comes from not everybody's is going to care that much. And maybe they'll visit the frozen pizza factory instead of a farm.

I note, too, that she kind of avoided the obvious question of, like, slaughterhouses which probably wouldn't have made her daughter psyched to eat anything.

yes, good point..i was focused on veggies , forgot about the "where that steak" comes from thing. i wonder if she took her kid to a farm even to see the cows if she would then want to eat one?! cuckoo!!!

 i guess we will never know her views on eating meat since she is unable to get a point across. 

[Hanahope]

This didn't sound like a terribly interesting panel/guest list and the reviews here seem to support that impression.  Taking a pass.

[sugarbaker design]

10 minutes ago, Hanahope said:

This didn't sound like a terribly interesting panel/guest list and the reviews here seem to support that impression.  Taking a pass.

Don't take a pass, it's so worth it to watch Michelle Goldberg own Bill on Israel.  I was very impressed with her: super smart, articulate and not afraid to push back.

[Hanahope]

Ok, I guess I can fast forward through the rest

[Iguana]

While I've never found Zoey Deschanel all that charming, I'm not sure she's solely at fault for the horrible interview segment with Bill.  He really seemed to get hostile when she wouldn't agree with him about not eating certain foods, and he just started barking "Bread BAD!!".   I think she was trying to say that engaging kids about where their food comes from instead of just plopping it on their plate can make them more interested and willing to try (good) food, but she was doing a god awful job of it.  Although Bill didn't help by interrupting her all of the time.  He really needs to let his guests speak more than he does during the interviews.

 

Oh, and Bill?  The Jerusalem issue is a small part of a very big and complex mess that is the middle east right now.  There are reasons why most nations, and the UN, have tried to avoid setting off this particular powder keg, and Trump just went ahead with his usual lack of foresight and consideration.  And gained nothing in return.  

[ganesh]

Yeah, but asking "what foods do you not eat because of what you learned?" isn't a loaded or leading question. Getting "I don't think people want an actor telling them what to eat" isn't really productive.  If you talk about learning more of where your food comes from, then just say something you've learned. Or maybe what resources you used so other people can check them out and learn for themselves. She's not solely at fault, but she wasn't doing herself any favors either. 

[attica]

I ff'd thru the ZD bit; for Bill, talking about food is just Virtue Signaling. And I find it tedious.

[Pippin]

I like bread.  I eat bread.  Sometimes because of migraines and the accompanying digest upheaval, toast is all I can eat.  Suck it, Bill.

Also, not everyone makes the $$$ to be able to run down to a farmer's market to buy organic veggies.  And CBC did an investigation a while back that showed that due to saturation of the soil with generations of pesticide use, a lot of organic vegetables still have chemicals, etc. present.  So you might as well buy regular crops.  I think that a common-sense approach to food is what she was trying to say.  I think.  Anyhow, read the product labels before you buy.  I do, keeping an eye on sugar counts.

And I am personally sick and tired of Bill's "Israel can never ever do anything wrong."  He should take Ms. Goldberg's advice and visit.  I haven't been there but I have seen documentaries and the conditions the Palestinians have to endure are absolutely appalling.  Not to mention the biased "justice" system.  Israeli citizens can literally get away with murder if the victim is Arab.  I don't know about you, but personally, I'd be pissed off enough to throw a stone or two.    

[b2H]

I picked up the episode live at the Israel part.

Other than that, the rest of what I caught was a yawn.  Even New Rules was lame and that is nearly always the best part of the show for me.  This administration must have just taken it out of Bill, as likely it has for all of us.

[DXD526]

Bill is rich and lives in a big city. He has lots of food options available to him and can afford anything he wants. Many, if not most, people live somewhere where they don't have many options, shopping-wise, and if they do, then there are budget concerns. As a rich, single guy in LA, Bill can buy whatever he wants, but he's being willfully obtuse when he talks like everyone is in his position. 

[Broderbits]

4 minutes ago, DXD526 said:

Bill is rich and lives in a big city. He has lots of food options available to him and can afford anything he wants.

Yes, no bread for us peasants; but perhaps some vegan cake?

Who would take nutrition advice from an inarticulate television actress other than the kinds of people who take medical advice from a centerfold model?

[ganesh]

Why have spokespeople then? There's been plenty of celebs on the show that have come on and actually know the issue they support and have an informed opinion on it. Eva Longoria for one. There was the time where one of the guests slammed Sarah Silverman for "only being a comedian." If you're genuinely passionate about your issue and you want to raise awareness and think you can help, then I think they should. 

It goes both ways though, and there's limits. I don't think eating healthy is a bad issue though. ZD just wasn't prepared and didn't do herself any favors, so I don't get why she agreed to be a spokesperson in the first place. 

[iMonrey]

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Yeah and I don’t care: I LOVE bread and will keep eating it! 

Are you Oprah? :-)

From what I can gather, the objection to store-bought, brand name bread is that they are loaded with preservatives and have zero nutritional value. That doesn't mean it'll kill you. And I didn't perceive that Bill was trying to beat anyone over the head with it either, he was just saying, he keeps reading over and over again "bread bad." I think he might have actually been looking for Zooey to weigh in on that and explain why.

On the other hand, I had no idea what point she was trying to make when she focused on this bizarre idea that her daughter would only eat broccoli if she went out and picked it from the garden. That children would eat their vegetables if they saw where they came from, or were more actively invested in growing and harvesting them? That hardly seems likely in most cases. You couldn't force me to eat cauliflower or cucumbers at any age regardless of where they came from. Seems more like Zooey just has a weird kid. 

[ganesh]

8 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

From what I can gather, the objection to store-bought, brand name bread is that they are loaded with preservatives and have zero nutritional value.

That may be true, but when asked, Bill only said, "It has fungus in it." 

Kids will eat vegetables if you put ranch to dip in or cheese on it. 

[Milburn Stone]

On 1/29/2018 at 3:24 PM, ganesh said:

Yeah, but asking "what foods do you not eat because of what you learned?" isn't a loaded or leading question. Getting "I don't think people want an actor telling them what to eat" isn't really productive.  

It also isn't answering the question that was asked! The question was not "what foods do you think people shouldn't eat?" The question was "what foods do you not eat?" Doesn't require giving advice to anybody. Should have been easy enough.

I suspect the reason for the evasion is that she didn't want to piss off an entire industry group, like Oprah did with the cattle ranchers. 

Edited January 31, 2018 by Milburn Stone

[Hanahope]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

From what I can gather, the objection to store-bought, brand name bread is that they are loaded with preservatives and have zero nutritional value. That doesn't mean it'll kill you. And I didn't perceive that Bill was trying to beat anyone over the head with it either, he was just saying, he keeps reading over and over again "bread bad." I think he might have actually been looking for Zooey to weigh in on that and explain why.

And it is an easy answer.  There are plenty of breads available made with whole grains, non-bleached flour, and sugar as opposed to high fructose corn syrup.

[ganesh]

Which again circles around to the point of just promoting food education so each person can make an informed choice. It isn't dictating what they should eat. 

[attica]

19 hours ago, ganesh said:

Bill only said, "It has fungus in it." 

The bread in my fridge has mold, not fungus! It's saved me from syphilis more times than I can count!*

*None of that is actually true. My syphilis is quite advanced.**

**That is not true either.

[Hooper]

I don't get Bill's point about "bread has fungus", at all.  Maybe he was just making a joke?  I couldn't tell.  But yes, bread has (very dead by the time it's been baked at 350 degrees for an hour) yeast in it.  Does Bill also eschew all alcoholic beverages?  Mushrooms?  Blue cheese?  Brie?  Soy sauce/tamari/etc, tempeh, kambucha tea?   I hate to break the news to Bill, but all those nice leafy vegetables are also probably full of fungus.   For someone who is so hostile to religion, Bill sure seems to be equally hostile to any science that doesn't support his prejudices.

[ganesh]

Bill doesn't know how science works. I'd love to know what he eats though.

[Pippin]

10 hours ago, Hooper said:

For someone who is so hostile to religion, Bill sure seems to be equally hostile to any science that doesn't support his prejudices.

Bill actually is religious.  His religion is atheism and he promotes it with a fervor that makes Jehovah Witnesses look like amateurs.  (He's also ruder and more obnoxious than the worst of the bible-thumpers.)