Abortion is Funny! Just Ask Larry King!
By Leon H Wolf Posted in Elections — Comments (23) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Before I get into the actual "meat" of this story, I should probably offer a word of explanation as to why I am covering a Larry King broadcast that first aired ten days ago. The answer is very simple: I almost never watch television. Especially when said television is CNN. With the advent of the internet, whenever a talking-head show is scheduled to appear with a guest I'm actually interested in, I'll just either tune in on the web or (more often) snatch a transcript off the internet a couple hours after the fact.
This particular story slipped under my radar because the guest on the Larry King show in question was Bill Maher, piece of human filth extraordinaire, who generally has all the moral compass of your average member of the Khmer Rouge, as evidenced by statements like this from the very Larry King show in question:
More. . .
I am more sympathetic on the abortion issue than I am on most right wing socially conservative issues, because you know, you don't have to be religious to be against abortion.
I do sort of understand what they're saying. If you've ever seen a sonogram, you know, you could see something that's emerging as a human being in there. And we are sort of reaching in and killing it. I'm just not against that.
That's pretty much standard fare for Maher, and not really all that shocking when you consider that Maher sold his soul to the devil for his brief stint on network television. We're still unsure what he pays his studio audience with, in order to get them to laugh at his completely humorless tripe, but suffice it to say that we've come to expect nothing less from HBO's "funniest" "serious" "political commentator."
What IS interesting about this interview was something that Larry King himself actually did. Which, not surprisingly, didn't make it into this transcript of the show and therefore eluded my notice. However, whilst driving home from Jack-in-the-Box tonight, with Bacon Bacon Cheeseburger in hand, the local FM talker was replaying an old Laura Ingraham show in which she played several audio clips of Maher's appearance on Larry King. (A video of the segement in question is avialable here to RealPass subscribers). In one of these clips, Ingraham captured this line from Maher (also available in the transcript:
So, at least he has a shot, I think. We don't know what he'd do if he had to rule on Roe versus Wade, but at least he has a shot, I think, at becoming the kind of justice that is not in the hip pocket of the right wing. Having said that, ladies, get your abortions now. If you need one, go now!
Again, standard fare for Maher. What is not standard fare for supposedly objective television is the fact that Larry King actually laughed in response to this excuse for a "joke"! I was (and am) utterly flabbergasted at this phenomenon, and I long ago thought that I was past the point of amazement at anything Larry King might presume to do.
What kind of contemptible person, in any occupation, would find a "joke" of this sort humorous? What's more, what supposedly objective news anchor would have such a stunning lapse of judgment as to laugh at a joke about women rushing out to get abortions before John Roberts gets confirmed?
This kind of unwarranted and calloused garbage is only funny to those who have such a low regard not only for human life, but also for anyone who does value human life, that they sneeringly view anyone of the pro-life position as such an embarrassing buffoon that their very existence is humorous. Maher here is like the kid in elementary school seeking a few cheap laughs by mimicking the kid with the cleft palate, and King is the buffoon egging him on with laughter.
This behavior is inexcusable for a news anchor, and is further evidence of why viewers continue to flock away from the contemptible liberal shills they find on CNN toward a venue where conservatism is, at the very least, given a fair shake at FoxNews. This particular show, however, represents a brand new low for even CNN, in my view, and should justifiably be met with a further thinning of their already decimated audience.
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Abortion is Funny! Just Ask Larry King! 23 Comments (0 topical, 23 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
I didn't expect him to ask a tough follow-up. I expected him to not laugh at the notion of women "hurrying up to get abortions" before Roberts gets confirmed.
In the first place, it's not funny, so I don't know why he'd be tempted to laugh.
In the second place, it so obviously betrays a bias that even if it were funny, a professional should have stifled the laugh anyway.
In the third place, it's just.. monstrous.
OK, Leon, admit it, that Bacon Bacon Cheesburger has clouded your judgement tonight.
Chiding Larry King for being a lousy news anchor is a bit like ridiculing the San Diego Chicken for his poor color commentary.
Let's just insert "human being" in there and see if it's still monstrous.
I believe that the guy who called himself "The San Diego Chicken" was forced to give up that name during Mark Malone's brief stint as the Chargers' starting quarterback.
He now calls himself The Famous Chicken, to distinguish himself from the no-longer-famous one.
new liberal meme: get your abortions now, ladies! John Roberts wants to not kill your incest babies.
is it even surprising that there's such a lack of respect for human life by these folks? really?
show-one I definitely could miss.
I don't see much humor at all in abortion jokes, and Maher's were really bad ones. Although maybe Bill paid Larry to laugh.
I have to agree with your opinion of Maher, I haven't listened to him, since he compared retarded children to dogs.
For all he knew Maher was talking about Paris Hilton's toy poodle.
He should have been retired years ago. I have seen him give interviews where he has no idea who he was talking to or what was appropriate to say. I think when Tammy Fay Baker was on his show to talk about her terminal cancer, he said 'nice knowing you.' When Sandra Dee died, he spent most of the hour talking about what a sad drunk she was and how great Kevin Spacey was.
to say this, but Maher also betrayed an enormous amount of ignorance in that interview. He is apparently unaware that simply overturning Roe would automatically outlaw all abortion. Rather, it would return the issue to the states (where it probably belongs). So you can count him ignorant and crass.
Bill Maher has many faults, but does it really help to call him a "piece of human filth"?
Repeating, for emphasis:
I do sort of understand what they're saying. If you've ever seen a sonogram, you know, you could see something that's emerging as a human being in there. And we are sort of reaching in and killing it. I'm just not against that.
I don't know about helping, but it's certainly accurate.
He is. I met him and he loves Clinton and hates Bush.
but are afraid to say or intelligent enough not to express on national television. I think Bill Maher provides a great service by illustrating the absurdness of the left-wing thought process.
As far as Larry King, he's just doing what he does best, tossing softballs to guests and shilling for laxatives. Who cares? Be grateful he's no longer wasting space in USA Today writing his wretched column, dot-dot-dot.
Any Republican who is foolish enough to go on Maher's HBO show ("Real Time" I think it's called) deserves to be completely and totally shunned, since that Republican shows absolutely no self-regard, self-respect, or self-worth.
Maher makes his "political" career, if you could call it that, by mocking those with whom he disagrees. He brings on comedic guests that he hopes will embarass his political guests (see: Chris Rock making faces and interrupting a GOP pollster and Republican gubernatorial candidate Asa Hutchinson).
Bill Maher is an embarassment. On an encouraging note, however, many younger liberals idolize him and his attitude.
He is no democrat. He is a libertarian. I like him but I don't see him. I don't have cable.
If anyone knows if his new show is streaming please post it. Have not seen him for a long time.
Stanford
Perhaps you missed Maher's appearance on Craig Ferguson's show (I forget the name). Maher started talking about Michael Jackson's pedophilia, and interjected a story about how he got beaten up all the time as a kid. He made a comment to the effect that being masturbated by a (ex) pop star would be preferable to receiving constant beatings. Ferguson, to his credit, immediately cut Maher off and went to a commercial. Since we can't make people wear signs warning others that the sign-bearer is human filth, name-calling will have to do. I'd say that anyone who is even a slight apologist for molestation fits the bill.
http://ace.mu.nu/archives/079744.php - Ace of Base HQ
that he instinctively knows that he is a miserable,
and genuinely un-liked individual.
I really can't think of a single reason.
He also seems to have a real dislike for children.
He isn't really funny.
He is arrogant and full of himself.
That's a bit much isn't it?
Abortion along with cloning and stem cell research seems to me to be the most pressing ethical issues in domestic policy.
However, just because something is important it does not follow that it is crass, lowbrow or monstrous to joke about it. Humor is a coping mechanism and the form of Maher's joke is what is known as gallows humor. You'll find Shakespeare, Twain, Hemmingway and Buckley all employed it rather often.
He was joking dude and that's all it was. It didn't increase the number of abortions. It didn't decrease anyone's sensitivity to the issue. It made a few people laugh because it is odd to think today something is legal and tomm it is not. Take the bacon burger out of your mouth and get off your high horse.
not unlike a really mean drunk.
even before he became senile and stopped listening to his guests. He moderated a Dem primary debate last year, and actually had to be woken up by Dennis Kucinich. Saturday Night Live had this great spoof of him doing "news and views" where he just spewed non sequiters like "I am STILL not a FAN of Mohammed Ali!" He interrupts his guests constantly at the wrong moments and splutters through half his questions. Why anyone still listens to him is beyond.
Maher I find occasionally funny, but that Michael Jackson molestation defense thing he said crossed the line. It gave me an insight into the way the man thinks, and it's not pretty.
I find maher to be pretty funny at times....the new rules segment on his show cracks me up....the man does bring conservatives on his show and treats them with respect (although he did go over the line with the Schafley interview bringing up her gay son,,,,but she firmly put him in his place) You have to remeber that this man has the same humour as The one, the only, diva of the Right Ann Coulter...("there good friends") both have a sarcastic wit with tongue firmly planted in cheek to get their point across....Maher's comment about abortion was a sacractic joke that shouldn't be taken seriously.....politics is funny.....lighten up
If you expected King to ask any tough follow up questions or actually go as far as to reprimand one of his guests-- well, I guess you really don't watch much TV.
It's not that he's liberal, although he may very well be. It's that he's an unabashed behind-kisser.