Bill Maher Torches Clay Aiken For Obama Knock: ‘Redneck Vote Has Sailed’

Television personality Bill Maher participates in a press conference for the film "Religulous" during the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008 in Toronto. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Nothing infuriates Bill Maher quite like Democrats who don’t embrace liberalism.

On that front, the HBO political comedian had some rather colorful words about Clay Aiken, a Democratic candidate for Congress in North Carolina, in an interview with the New York Times “Insider” section on Monday.

Q. What story incited the most fury?

A. Clay Aiken unable to make himself say anything positive about Obama, and saying he didn’t want Obama to come campaign for him. Really, Clay? You’re going to lose. How much worse could it be if the president of the United States came to campaign for you? This is what’s so frustrating about the Democrats: always trying to get votes that are never there, while not exciting their own base. Obama gave people health care, not herpes. Own it. You’re gay in North Carolina. I think the redneck vote has sailed. This could wind up as the beginning of a show-ending monologue on “Real Time.”

Asked if President Obama should campaign for him, Aiken told the Times last week, “I don’t need that. We’re doing well.” The candidate said, “There are certainly areas where I disagree with him.”

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. Spot on as usual, Bill.

    Raise your hand if you’re sick of the Dems acting like spineless, cowardly pussies.

  2. Bill Maher once again doesn’t understand the concept of “politics is local.” Aiken is running in South Carolina, and in a deep red district. Openly supporting Obama would torch him, and the same is true for the Dem in my district, Colorado Springs. Irv Halter was on Maddow’s show last night and actually did an excellent job portraying himself as middle ground, which is crucial to unseat Lamborn.

  3. Sure, Aiken could embrace Obama, and get defeated by 30 points in his election bid, or he could play it locally, and potentially squeak out a win. But even if he loses, he won’t be a spineless, cowardly pussy for embracing Obama!

    You sir, are an idiot. Look up the concept of “politics is local” and get back to me.

  4. “I don’t need that. We’re doing well. The candidate said.”

    Clay is concerned with a more important race, chasing Paris Hilton and Perez Hilton for relevance in Hollywood.

  5. Dear Headline Writer: Please try to refrain from using subjective terms like “Torches” and “Roasts” in the headlines for TPM’s reporting articles.

    Torching and Roasting are ideas that exist purely in the mind of the beholder, and as such might best be reserved for the Editor’s byline, and other opinion pieces/essays.

    Thanks in advance for your consideration.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

66 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for webcelt Avatar for richardinjax Avatar for chammy Avatar for trippin Avatar for wiscojoe Avatar for KenR4th Avatar for roxsteady1 Avatar for Dawn_Rainbow Avatar for kunda311 Avatar for tomdibble Avatar for inthegroove Avatar for mantan Avatar for sniffit Avatar for bluespy Avatar for alansnipes734 Avatar for wargreymon2013 Avatar for lkharter Avatar for jeffrey Avatar for grandpajoe Avatar for ltmcdies Avatar for 62fender Avatar for liberalgal Avatar for TawdryD

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: