Have you ever known someone who’s had a “religious” experience after taking their first philosophy or religion 101 class in college?  They arrive on campus with a loosely held set of beliefs, then a professor or a documentary challenges those beliefs, and suddenly the blinders have come off and the newly emancipated must now set the captives free and and tell anyone who can stand to listen about their personal enlightenment experience.  I tell you what, nobody sets young minds free and speaks truth to power like a radical tenured professor. 

Upon finishing such classes or logging out of one’s MyList/Documentary Netflix account, newly “freed thinkers,” oddly enough, arrive at the same conclusions to the causes of injustices in society. 

Many times, these conclusions have a certain flavor to them and they are usually more egocentric and feeling based.  How else could one explain the thought processes that lead to such in-depth analyses as: Wal-Mart, Koch Brothers, Haliburton, Fox News, Religious Right, Oil Companies, Wall Street, Corporations, Chick-Fil-A, and Hobby Lobby? 

The latest victim to espouse such juvenile thinking is Bill Maher.  Maher hosted a political discussion panel that included, Jerry Seinfeld, former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, NBC journalist Andrea Mitchell, and former Utah governor John Huntsman. 

During one of Maher’s self-aggrandizing monologues, he stated that though the politicians in Washington D.C are extremely polarized, it is probably more that the citizens of the United States are polarized and the politicians simply reflect that in their governance. 

So, who’s to blame for this rabid hyper-polarization?  Well, just like any garden variety post adolescent idealistic 19 year old, Maher puts the blame solely on…. wait for it… original thought alert … FOX NEWS!  Instantly, Maher pauses to soak up the affirmation from his clapping audience.

Governor Haley Barbour goes on to dismantle Maher’s house of cards with the greatest of ease.

What Bill Maher is trying to do is don the guise of intellectual non-partisanship in order to take advantage of the accolades that come with it.  Lets face it, when someone calls time out and tries to assign blame on both sides, their fingers are pointing everywhere except with themselves.  Here’s what Bill Maher (NOT FOX NEWS) has conveniently forgotten about his role in polarizing the political dialogue in this country:

If that wasn’t enough, here are two guests that Bill Maher has allowed to “polarize” the political discourse. 

And nothing brings about political unity than a sex advice columnist wanting to F@#$ the s#!t out of a Republican Presidential Nominee. 

 

And need I remind you Maher began his soap box speech on the dangers of political polarization after Michael Moore and Keith Olbermann played the role of fluffer for Maher’s opening standup routine?

You remember Moore?  He has yet to make a non-polarizing movie that hasn’t been debunked.  Keith Olbermann is the one who proudly pronounced that someone should make a t-shirt for the fascist President Bush with the word… wait for it… FASCIST on it. 

What underpins a lot of what Bill Maher is saying about polarization and partisanship is a fundamental disbelief in liberty and freedom.  Essentially, he wants Fox News to quit being such a hinderance to his secular messages. 

Anyone with a sense of history with Bill Maher knows that his agenda is to spout off liberal ideas and to mock the people that don’t agree with him.  In his mind, he has already formulated what the correct way to view and guide this country and the sooner everyone else jumps on board, the better.  And if you do not agree with this view, then it’s you who are the idiot and Bill Maher and Jon Stewart will make fun of you on TV.  You can’t get anymore polarizing than that. 

When someone is trying to appear to be above such rancorous partisan gridlock, pause for a moment and consider if there is some part that this person played in steering the political discourse to where it is now.  Remember what George Will said about American Gridlock.  “Gridlock is not an American problem. It is an American achievement.”

Bill Maher has already determined that he and those like him have the correct vision for this country and they would like it if you didn’t do all of this arguing.  To quote Thomas Sowell, “A moral monopoly is the antithesis of a marketplace of ideas.”  Maher preaches nonpartisanship but what he’s really after is your utter compliance.