Conservative NYT Pulitzer Prize Winner Bret Stephens Destroys Bill Maher

[Madmick]

I haven't watched Maher in a few weeks. I caught up to his most recent episode earlier tonight. It's rare that I've seen Bill this genuinely rustled on his own show. Bret is a Pulitzer Prize winning former Wall Street Journal staffer who was poached by the New York Times. It appears Bill thought that Bret would uncritically affirm his own liberal perspective, here, that the MSM and the NYT are not problematic in their coverage of the news.

Bret had a different conversation in mind. While his comments paint a sparkling picture of the New York Times and their radical new mission, currently, specifically regarding the editorial page, Bret has no desire to play for the liberal team in this segment by haranguing conservative media or conservative perceptions of liberal bias in the media.

Rather, he reminds Bill that the great trap media pundits should strive to avoid is in becoming little more than a platform for affirmation of the consumer's views: to become an echo chamber. The lesson to all is that one should routinely consume and engage material that challenges or opposes one's personal views. Unfortunately for Bill, he fails to see that this is precisely what he feigns to desire, and he runs headlong into a very simple comment that makes him look very, very bad.

Later, he doubles, and then triples down on looking monstrous.

Unfortunately for all of us, Bill isn't the only liberal, nor the only conservative, who lacks the self-awareness to identify where his rhetoric does not align with his cultural attitude. Seeking affirmation has become the rule, not the exception, for conservatives and liberals alike.

 

[elfeliz]

Him and Bill were going back and forth a few years back on the show. The guy is really sharp.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

Would have thought Bill'd have a better reaction to revisiting his own past glory. Seemed to have zero patience (and an agenda) from the get-go.

 

[deltapapha]

I haven't watched Maher in a few weeks. I caught up to his most recent episode earlier tonight. It's rare that I've seen Bill this genuinely rustled on his own show. Bret is a Pulitzer Prize winning former Wall Street Journal staffer who was poached by the New York Times. It appears Bill thought that Bret would uncritically affirm his own liberal perspective, here, that the MSM and the NYT are not problematic in their coverage of the news.

Bret had a different conversation in mind. While his comments paint a sparkling picture of the New York Times and their radical new mission, currently, specifically regarding the editorial page, Bret has no desire to play for the liberal team in this segment by haranguing conservative media or conservative perceptions of liberal bias in the media.

Rather, he reminds Bill that the great trap for media pundits should strive to avoid is in becoming little more than a platform for affirmation of the consumer's views: to become an echo chamber. The lesson to all is that one should routinely consume and engage material that challenges or opposes one's personal views. Unfortunately for Bill, he fails to see that this is precisely what he feigns to desire, and he runs headlong into a very simple comment that makes him look very, very bad.

Later, he doubles, and then triples down on looking monstrous.

Unfortunately for all of us, Bill isn't the only liberal, nor the only conservative, who lacks the self-awareness to identify where his rhetoric does not align with his cultural attitude. Seeking affirmation has become the rule, not the exception, for conservatives and liberals alike.

dear God was I NOT impressed with this guy. And I went into the video totally expecting to be. Also on the bread bag bit. PALeeeeeease. I am simply not buying that it was do to dire poverty. I have put breadbags on my shoes to keep them from getting wet and I know other people who have too, and we weren't hurting for footwear. And I guarantee you Ms. Joni Ernst wasn't either. She's only 47 years old f.f.s. I'm 48 and grew up poor in rural west Louisiana and with due respect to Mrs. Ernst, if she was experiencing third world foot-ware problems in the first world of the seventies and eighties, then her parents were completely worthless slags.

Also! Bret couldn't come up with something better as his main problem with liberals than that they are intellectually condescending!!!! What!???

I could rattle off 10 problems I have with liberals that are worse than that. Intellectual condescension is not a policy issue dumbass.

He just comes across to me as mealy, weak, centrist. Not impressed at all.

 

[LostSoul]

How did this RINO destroy Bill Maher?

 

[deltapapha]

How did this RINO destroy Bill Maher?

I know. And what about his total NON-answer for the worst problem he has with liberals? Intellectual condescension?! A 'republican conservative' gets asked by Bill Maher on national TV what he thinks liberals greatest flaw is and all he can come up with is "they look down on me."

 

[Anung Un Rama]

yeah, I'm sure Bill has trouble calling himself a Democrat. He's been carrying their water, and talking points, shamelessly for the past 8+ years.

 

[Chromosome47]

Was this just a scheme to put us up to watching a 10 minute video of another guy essentially saying "Drumpf will never make it through his first term, everyone hug themselves, it will all be okay"?

She lost, they need to get over it.

 

[PorkPiePusher]

Good watch, though I expected the guy to have a proper go at Bill.

That being said - fuck Bill. He's exactly the type of liberal that makes it hard for me to call myself a liberal. Sure, he has his upsides, like calling out Islam for being responsible for it's followers, but he's the type of guy that would be more bothered by his state rep believing in the Holy Ghost than believing in trickle-down economics. And I know a lot of SDers won't agree, but Brett was right that one of the major problems of liberals intellectual condescension. You should keep in mind that it is exactly this kind of attitude that makes some liberals unable to openly discuss issues and that enables the demonisation of ideological opponents. If liberals didn't see the working class as intellectually (or ideologically) deficient, Antifa wouldn't call them fascists when they point out economic migration as a bigger problem than gender identity politics.

 

[LostSoul]

I know. And what about his total NON-answer for the worst problem he has with liberals? Intellectual condescension?! A 'republican conservative' gets asked by Bill Maher on national TV what he thinks liberals greatest flaw is and all he can come up with is "they look down on me."

Stephens admitted that he has a hard time calling himself a republican. He now works for the NY Times and finds himself as a guest on Bill Maher's show. All of the RINO red flags are there. Hillary is a "survivable event" he says? Like Noah's flood? Not many survived.

 

[jimmas99]

I know. And what about his total NON-answer for the worst problem he has with liberals? Intellectual condescension?! A 'republican conservative' gets asked by Bill Maher on national TV what he thinks liberals greatest flaw is and all he can come up with is "they look down on me."

This^^ Is conservatives that weak that they cant handle intellectual condenscension?

Arent they the ones that keep Hammering about political correctness and snowflake this, snowflake that...

Conservatism is what i Always suspected all about projection .

 

[deltapapha]

This^^ Is conservatives that weak that they cant handle intellectual condenscension?

Arent they the ones that keep Hammering about political correctness and snowflake this, snowflake that...

Conservatism is what i Always suspected all about projection .

Umm...what?

 

[jimmas99]

What? Im agreeing with you....

Umm...what?

 

[The Witcher]

Hardly destroyed him.

 

[EL GOAT]

Bill doesn't have an echo chamber...His show always challenges his views, Im glad the New york Times is doing this.....This is why I like Sherdog, I want people to challenge my views and inform me on BS or on real facts.


The whole bread bag shoes crap, sounds like bullshit to me....I doubt she was so super poor, it was just a typical politician exaggerating story. However, I agree that Liberal Condensation might appear to be a problem to White Right Wing America....I do think that some liberals, think they are retarded or something lol, and that pisses them off....At the same time, those White Right Wing Americans think all Liberals are snobs, which is also bullshit.


I liked the interview..I didn't see any problem or destruction and the Bret guy sounds reasonable, and what we need in this country.

 

[Burning Hammer]

Walks a pretty neutral line and is now a part of a leftist employer and he says he has a hard time calling himself a republican.

While he made good arguments they were only strong because Bill is a dweeb who doesn't know shit about shit. He got stuck on a woman saying she wore breadbags as shoes. Who gives a fuck what she wore? Seriously, if she didn't then she's a liar and nobody cares but if she did you're just an asshole. That does sway people away from you. The logical argument doesn't hold well for most and I think it's ironic because leftists in general think with their feelings more than those on the right.

I also think it's hilarious that he had agreed that Hillary was survivable. We didn't need TPP, and we definitely needed to do something about the ACA/Obamacare. She also clearly had no idea about economics when she used the term "trickle-down." Lastly, she may or may not have believed in the systematic racism meme but the fact she took a stance saying it was real was enough to make me hate her. We don't need to pander to meme's, we need to educate our populace and think critically about what is going on. Look, if Trump was actually so bad he'd be impeached already. No, I don't agree with him on short-term legislation to appease certain interests groups like the coal industry. I do hold him accountable to replace the EPA or come up with something that will enforce proper care of our environment. The fact is Trumps been doing pretty well as president and he's speaking of pure conjecture when it comes to going to war with North Korea. There is nothing there other than Kim Jong Un is becoming more ballsy. The sad part is he's appealing to leftists and the ideologies of their paltform when he we should be thankful that Mexico is our neighbor. What are we to be thankful for? That Mexico was so far behind the development of North America they've been forced into NAFTA and they have no choice but to be cool to us. Let's be real, Mexico is mostly a shithole. Some of it's citizens want to come to America and become citizens, that's awesome. However we still house illegal immigrants in our prisons, people are still coming into this country illegally, a lot of the people who are DACA citizens are uneducated and don't go anywhere. We need people who contribute. Before you mention how we have slackers in America, we need to fix that problem too. We don't need more dysfunction in our society.

 

[FacePunch]

Destruction? Triples down on looking monstrous? Lol - This is melodramatic click bait.

No one was even rustled in that essentially pleasant conversation let alone destroyed. It was hardly even adversarial.


Everyone who has played in the snow as a little kid has put fucking plastic bags in their boots. What are we even talking about here? Now I'm rustled!

 

[HereticBD]

Bill is hopeless in this regard. It's funny that he, and a lot of the left, can't get it through their thick skulls, that nobody likes being talked down to by a smug douche bag.

Yes Bill, there is a way to get your ideas across without calling everyone who disagrees with you "stupid". How is that such a hard concept to understand?

I still like his show, but Bill is a shining example of the mindset of why the left drive so many people away.

 

[TheComebackKid]

I feel like I got suckered into to watching a anti-Trump circle jerk. This guy voted for Hillary and works for tge New York Times lol. Not a credible person and nothing intellectual or enlighting about his opinion.

 

[PrinceOfPain]

Yeah. No.