Why are TV hosts interested in what Sanders has to say?

[PatrickforO]

38. We try never to miss Maher. I have noticed this parroting a couple times, most

notably when he had some politician on and asked if the real thing with the budget wasn't to 'tackle entitlements.' Having paid full-boat into Social Security and Medicare for about 40 years (at the time), I found myself yelling at the TV.

And, in better times, of course, Maher tried to get left, right and center on his panels. But then he stopped doing that most of the time because he had a few on who just basically kept talking and yelled over everyone else. That's the way they teach their people - don't listen and if someone brings up a conflicting point or calls out a lie, just raise your voice and keep talking.

So Bill stopped doing that pretty much.

Since Trump, he's basically had a different show. He's had a few noted right wingers on - Grover Norquist, Steve Bannon among them - but mostly people to the left, and he's been critical of Trump from the get-go - even during Trump's campaign.

Remember Bill is human, like you and me. Just a guy with a stand up routine. But he learned a huge lesson about this country when he spoke the truth shortly after 911, about how the terrorists who crashed the planes were not cowards, because they gave their lives, and that it was our policies, in part, which had created that terrorism. Capitalism, then, being the root cause of terrorism, though Maher didn't say THAT.

But he was fired, banned from TV for years, and he was bitter about that, so now he transfers his anger at the American people to Muslim countries. You can (or could) see Maher making rants about the danger of Islam. But remember he was persona non grata for what, eight or nine years, before HBO picked him back up again.

Of course, he also did Religilous, which was a paean to atheism, and he often did (to my mind) inappropriate rants or tangents where he would go off and argue religion with some guests.

So there it is. Maher is human. I watch him every time because he is funny, and I learn new stuff. For example, last night he had the Zombie movie guy on, who actually was asked by the government to observe and comment on a national disaster response exercise.

Now, this is important - they were talking about how some countries are using this disaster to impose more authoritarian forms of government. Concerning our exercise, the zombie guy said no, it wasn't about that. He said the exercise was based on a terror nuclear bombing of an American city, and that they had local, state and national government, plus a bunch of lawyers, because not only was the exercise about mitigating the disaster, but also about preserving our rights in the process.

I have participated in such drills - mainly 'table' scenarios, and contributed to the writing our continuity of operation plans at a very local level. But I never thought of it that way, and would not have thought of it that way had I not seen the zombie guy on Maher. That was useful to me. And, I didn't know Seth MacFarlane has cats. I'm a cat guy too.

So, no, to answer your question, I don't shy away from someone who is parroting right-wing talking points because if I do, then I won't hear them, think them out and learn to respond appropriately to them.

A last thing - I have suggested that we have politics forums on My Neighborhood app because people need to discuss these issues at all levels, with their neighbors. My own thought is that since we're neighbors and we know we're neighbors, maybe it will restore some civility to the discourse, while at the same time educating people who would not otherwise be educated about issues that affect them. This is what it is to live as a citizen in a republic - to be able to debate well with people who do not agree with you, then achieve a compromise that allows forward movement. We don't have that at the federal level, but if more people engaged at the local level in real debate, we would have less polarization.

Long answer, I know, but it is a thoughtful one.