Furthermore, there’s little to fear from Real Time’s animus for Citizens United. Maher, a longtime critic of the decision, wants to counter the influence of big corporate money in politics. But as we found out, big business bucks aren’t anywhere near enough to guarantee election outcomes. A 2012 analysis by The Washington Post revealed just how little changed. “Never before,” the Post’s reporters began their write-up, “has so much political money been spent to achieve so little.” If Maher’s attempted flip is successful, it’ll help inspire copycats in both parties to spend their money more wisely—and perhaps even realize that Citizens United was rightly decided, but hardly the end of the world.
Now let’s revisit the little matter of the contemptuous snarking that’s sure to loom large in this venture. Yes, political discourse in America has always been pretty ugly. No, that doesn’t mean we ought to revel in it. But, again—think about how Maher’s shifting gears. What’s worse: channeling anger and disgust into the practical effort of unseating the Republican least deserving of office, or taking a moment out of every show to ridicule a guy in a bubble pretending to be a dumb conservative? As Maher himself has observed, you can live in a bubble regardless of your party. But the bigger point is that laughing at fools is more an act of masturbation than it is an act of politics. In going after truly dire officeholders—whatever their party—we can all remember just how unfunny corruption and incompetence can be.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member