Watch Matt Welch on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher Tonight at 10 p.m. ET

Discussing Trump, Afghanistan, identity politics and more with Jesse Jackson, Paul Begala, Frank Bruni, and Nayyera Haq

HBO

As mentioned here yesterday, tonight live at 10 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. Pacific, I'll be a panelist on HBO's long-running current-events and comedy program, Real Time with Bill Maher. Joining me at the desk will be Democratic political commentator Paul Begala, former Obama White House foreign policy hand Nayyera Haq, and, beginning at the halfway point, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni, who will likely talk about his recent column, "I'm a White Man. Hear Me Out." Kicking off the show will be an interview with Rev. Jesse Jackson. I'm sure the subject of Donald Trump will come up, and hopefully his disappointing re-surge in Afghanistan.

I was last on the show in May; here's the Overtime segment from that:

Comments

[Citizen X - #6]

I'll be a panelist on HBO's long-running current-events and comedy program

Well, it's a current-events program, anyway.

[Hugh Akston]

Hey be fair. Nobody takes Bill Maher seriously, so that technically makes him a joke.

[BestUsedCarSales]

I can't remember if it was Comedy Bang Bang or Norm MacDonald Live where even they discussed how unfunny he is. Not even in a mean way, just mystified at out unfunny he is.

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

It was probably Norm's show. CBB is very respectful towards Maher.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Doug Stanhope was speaking with someone-- I don't remember who, and or what venue, and they talked about how intelligent Bill Maher was, what a sharp guy he was etc., but pointed out how awful his standup is.

I haven't seen Maher do standup in years, so I don't recall. His show is playing on one of my HBO channels pretty much 24x7, and since november, if I flip past long enough for the Audio to sync, the chances of hearing a Trump joke are 100%.

Which puts me in mind of what Dave Chapelle said about the election of Trump-- that it would actually be bad for comedy. I have to agree.

[Tony]

New Rules is usually pretty funny.

[Elias Fakaname]

It was. Even that is used more and more for shrill digs at Trump.

[Eek Barba Durkle]

Will this be like old episodes where reason contributors were on, and they spoke truth to partisan soundbites and mass media pablum...

or like the last 8 months of reason.com, where y'all just repeated the current partisan soundbites and mass media pablum wholesale?

[Elias Fakaname]

Matt is t aggressive enough to put the resort the panel and Maher in their place. I think Nick is a bit better at that. I remember a few years ago he kept correcting Rachel Maddox's stupid remarks until she finally started shutting up.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZcGSfwpdd8

[Crusty Juggler]

Brother Matt back on the show!

Related: I really enjoyed the recent 5th column even though it was sans Moynihan and two white guys ganged up on the the non-black guy.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Welch will be representing the right, apparently.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

First amendment absolutists usually are.

[Memory Hole]

Private eyes they're watching you they see your every move. .. watching you watching you... have I freaked you out Matt?

[Mot?rSteve]

How much do I get paid for watching Bill Maher?

[Last of the Shitlords]

Don't bother. I just watched it and it appeared Matt is more interested in getting invited to the after party than sticking to any libertarian principles. If I didn't know who he or Reason is, there was little to distinguish him from the two idiot progtards on the panel. Very painful to watch. Maher is completely off his fucking rocker in fantasy land.

[Fuck You - Cut Spending]

Thanks for reminding me why I don't subscribe to HBO.

[Elias Fakaname]

Game of Thromes is good.

[GILMORE?]

New York Times columnist Frank Bruni, who will likely talk about his recent column, "I'm a White Man. Hear Me Out."

It might be worthwhile to remind audiences of his September 2016 editorial, "Crying Wolf" (not to be confused with Scott Alexander's similarly titled, similar-subject essay)... in which suggested that calling people "Hitler" (or 'Nazis') may actually have diminishing returns, and (gasp) might even discredit the people making those sorts of hysterical accusations.

Yet everyone in the prestige-media seems to have doubled-down on the idea that everyone who disagrees with progressive identity-politics hysteria is a "Nazi". wonder if he still thinks his own point is relevant.

[SIV]

Welch walks in the high heels of late1990s Ann Coulter and Kellyanne Fitzpatrick-Conway as the "token Republican" on a Bill Maher show.

[Elias Fakaname]

Matt is too polite and appears too focused on being invited back. He doesn't really take the progs on. Kind of like when Maher invites polite smiley republicans like John Fund.

I would l e to go on Maher. I would smack him around worse than I do with Tony.