Renewal of Real Time

With the elections over, and thoughts turning to other issues, I want to say thanks to Bill Maher and his show Real Time for enlightening Americans leading up to the elections (not that all of them were tuned in).  Unlike many talking head shows, this is one that truly hosts individuals from the left and right to debate an issue for a solid hour.  Who would have thought an Irish-Catholic Jewish comic from New Jersey could be the serious voice in political debates? And I was happy earlier this year when I read his show had been renewed for another two seasons. 

Recent guests on his show have included James Carville, Andrew Sullivan, Rob Reiner, Michael Steele, Eliot Spitzer, Barney Frank, Ana Coulter, and Darrell Issa. It has been quite a cast of characters with informative and funny results.  If we needed anything this last political season it was a little bit of humor. 

Back in 2011, Rob Sheffield in Rolling Stone wrote a column titled "The Last Flamethrower" where he called Maher "Don Rickles times Thomas Paine," which is very apt.  Sheffield went on to write, "He had nothing to lose, so he was willing to say things that nobody else was willing to say.  Now that he's been vindicated by history, he's got an even bigger ego - and in this case, that just makes him funnier."

I hope Bill Maher is around for many more years since we need both his humor and the ego that goes with it. 

If you do not get HBO, you can check out the audio clips on iTunes.