Bill Moyers returned this month to PBS stations to once again peddle his far-left hatred of conservatives. On Friday night he took to HBO to discredit the Republican presidential field with the first refuge of liberals unable to sustain an argument: racial smears.
To Bill Maher’s delight, Moyers charged “the delusional fringe has come in from the margin and runs” the Republican Party before he alleged Newt Gingrich is “playing the race card” and so, he maintained, in some sort of attempt at humor: “I would have been very glad that I saved my Confederate money because if he is elected in November, I’ve got enough to get access to the White House, you know – of Confederate money.” Very funny.
Audio: MP3 clip
Later, during the roundtable, Maher echoed Moyers’ take on Gingrich and Republicans, but expanded the racist characterization to cover the Tea Party:
The tea people, who really kind of wagged the dog there in the Republican Party, they finally see somebody they like. I mean, Newt Gingrich, I’m sorry, but he does mirror who they are: Mean, snarling, borderline racist [audience laughter] – I’m sorry, not borderline.
(Moyers & Company runs Sunday nights on many PBS stations. It launched last week and its second episode airs this weekend.)
From the Friday, January 20 Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO:
BILL MAHER: Uniquely I think among people in our discussion on American politics, you can give us historical perspective and I would love to get your historical perspective on this Republican field that we have seen, going back to when there was nine or ten of them on the stage at the debates. You know, I think it’s the craziest I’ve ever seen but, you know, maybe there was somebody -- as an historian you know, maybe in the election of 1840. Were they? Has there ever been a field like this?
BILL MOYERS: Well there was, but it was always on the fringe. I was in the Kennedy-Johnson administration in the ‘60's and Barry Goldwater was the candidate, his Press Secretary, who I know and have had on my show, Vic Gold, said if Barry Goldwater were around today, he couldn’t run for President because his party has become too radical.
MAHER: Or Reagan.
MOYERS: Reagan too. In the ‘60's, the group that’s now in charge of the Republican Party, were on the fringe, they were the far right wing and they were battling the Eisenhower Republicans, the Romney Republicans, the first Romney Republicans, the Rockefeller Republicans. But now the delusional fringe has come in from the margin and runs the party.
MOYERS: Given what the Republicans have said about Newt, I can’t add anything to that discussion. But you know if you had told me, Bill, that in the 21st century, someone, a grown man, would have been playing the race card as it has been played in South Carolina by the former Speaker, I would have been very glad that I saved my Confederate money because if he is elected in November, I’ve got enough to get access to the White House, you know – of Confederate money. [audience applause]
