Call this an expected response, but Bill Maher applauded President Barack Obama for his ability to juggle several issues while running country. Yet still, he was unable to withhold a cynical response when it comes to a segment of the American people’s reaction to the killing Osama bin Laden earlier this week.
In an appearance on Tuesday night’s “The Joy Behar Show” on HLN, host Joy Behar asked Maher if killing bin Laden helped his 2012 chances. Maher didn’t concede the election for Obama, but did say he demonstrated his ability to multi-task.
“Well, I mean you would think it would be a shoo-in but that’s, of course, what they said about Bush in 1991 when his ratings were sky-high from the Iraq war,” Maher said. “So much can happen between now and then, but, you know, if America can’t give credit to our ninja president now, I don’t know when they can. You know, he just is obviously a very competent, multi-tasking ninja.”
But according to Maher’s assessment, Obama’s deeds should make ideology irrelevant.
“He just seems to be — he seems to be able to do things that the other side can’t,” Maher said. “And isn’t that what you want in a president? I mean, at the end of the day, the ideology should go out the window. It should be about efficiency and competency. And you know when I hear Donald Trump say he’s the worst president ever. Really? You know, got health care passed, stopped a depression from happening, you know, the economy, the shape it was in compared to where it is now, finally got this bin Laden monkey off our back, I just – it’s just hatred. They’re just haters.”
The “Real Time” host was still skeptical of the American people’s willingness to see that his greatness in the wake of the recent event. However, he still doubted Obama could win the white vote, even though the GOP has won the white vote in presidential elections dating back to 1968.
“Well, let’s remember that he was running against the ghost of Mrs. Muir,” he said. “That had a lot to do with it. And the situation the country had been left in, I think any Democrat would have won. Let’s remember, he did not win the white vote. But yes, you know — look. He’s a master politician. There is no doubt about it. Besides being such an effective leader, he knows how to play the political game. I’m one of the people on the left, Joy, you know this and you are too at times, I see you talk about him all the time. And you – you’re pretty hard at him sometimes when you don’t think he’s doing the things that we would like to see the perfect liberal president do.”
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It comes down how Obama plays his card he said and right now the Republican Party hasn’t put up a real juggernaut to force Obama to expend a lot of political capital.
“But given the situation he’s in, you know, I think he’s got a calculus in his mind that, you know, I have this much political capital,” Maher said. “And when it gets up to here, I spend it. And when it’s down here, I don’t. And I think he knows that. I think he knows exactly how much to spend and when he can do it and, you know, if I was betting my own money I would bet anything on his re- election because honestly at the end of the day, who are the Republicans putting up? Who do they have? They can’t rely on Tim Pawlenty’s raw sex appeal forever.”