Liberal comedian Pete Dominick, a CNN contributor, listed the
"differences" he saw between Rush Limbaugh's crack at Sandra Fluke and
Bill Maher ripping Sarah Palin in vile fashion, on CNN Wednesday.
"[T]here still is a difference in terms of what comedians say," he said
of Maher versus "arguably" the "most influential commentator in all of
politics" Rush Limbaugh.
Perhaps his most ridiculous point was that Limbaugh was "quite literal"
calling Fluke a "slut," whereas Maher just made "gender-based insults"
calling Sarah Palin obscenities that were just as vile. [Warning: this article contains obscenities that are uncensored to accurately portray what Bill Maher has said about women.]
Dominick may not remember this particular instance, but Maher clearly showed his hatred for Palin last July when he called [1]
her "a bully who sells patriotism like a pimp, and the leader of a
strange family of inbred weirdos straight out of 'The Hills Have Eyes',"
before adding that "I'm saying it because it's true."
And Maher never said "I'm only kidding" after smearing Palin as a "twat [2]," a "cunt [3]," or a "MILF [4]." Even the far-left Daily Kos didn't make [5]
such a distinction, noting that although Palin and Fluke were different
targets the crime was the same for both Limbaugh and Maher.
[Video below.]
CNN host Kyra Phillips challenged Dominick's points. "These are really
harsh words, and Bill Maher stepped away from the comedic role when he
donated $1 million to the super PAC," she said referring to President
Obama's super PAC. "[Y]ou can imagine there are people stepping forward,
including Sarah Palin, saying you tell the Obama super PAC to give this
guy his million dollars back and stick it."
But Dominick was not done differentiating the crimes of Maher and
Limbaugh, insisting "there still is a difference in terms of what
comedians say" and downplaying Maher's $1 million contribution to
Obama's super PAC. He asked "the more important point is, how
influential is Bill Maher's money on politics?"
And he thought Maher's 2001 remarks – which led to the canceling of his
ABC show Politically Incorrect – were "fairly accurate." Maher had
quipped that the 9/11 terrorists were not cowards, but rather that "we
have been the cowards lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away."
A transcript of the segment, which aired on March 7 on Newsroom at 11:16 a.m. EST, is as follows:
KYRA PHILLIPS: Look, Rush Limbaugh, right? Influential in the
Republican Party. He calls a woman a slut, then yesterday President
Obama invokes his daughters, saying that this is offensive discourse. He
reached out to Fluke to support her for standing up and testifying
about the issue. He wouldn't want his girls exposed to this language, he
says. Now the President, whose super PAC got a million bucks from
comedian Bill Maher, who said this in the past.
(...)
PHILLIPS: Pete, I'll get right to it. What's the difference?
PETE DOMINICK, Sirius/XM political talk show host: There are a number
of differences, and I wouldn't apologize for any man making those kinds
of comments about women, as the father of two daughters, and the husband
of an amazing woman. But there are differences. A, Bill Maher is a
comedian. You heard all of that laughter. That was in the monologue
before his show Real Time. And Rush Limbaugh is not, Rush Limbaugh is
perhaps arguably the most influential commentator in all of politics,
certainly on the Republican side.
There are differences in the targets, with women running for president
and a woman, mostly private, testifying one time. And there are
differences in terms of the descriptions used, the describers, the words
that they use. Rush Limbaugh was quite literal when he described this
woman being a slut, and Bill Maher was making gender-based insults,
which I frankly am offended by at this point.
PHILLIPS: Gender-based insults have such a greater impact. I mean,
let's just for a moment step aside from, okay, the comedian and the
powerful voice within the Republican Party. These are really harsh
words, and Bill Maher stepped away from the comedic role when he donated
$1 million to the super PAC. He went into that political world, so you
can imagine there are people stepping forward, including Sarah Palin,
saying you tell the Obama super PAC to give this guy his million dollars
back and stick it.
DOMINICK: Yeah, Bill Maher stepped away from the political role when he
comments on politics. He has a whole entire television show which is
great, I love to be on. As do I, as a comedian and a political
commentator on Sirius/XM. But there still is a difference in terms of
what comedians say – and I am a freedom of speech absolutist, and I
defend Rush's freedom to speak. And by the way, Bill Maher has come out
in defense of Rush Limbaugh on this, being the host of Politically
Incorrect, once getting, well he got fired from Politically Incorrect
for his comments which weren't that – which were fairly accurate, in my
opinion, and not – but provocative for the time.
But there is a difference, and you're right, we can argue about how
much influence his $1 million donation to President Obama's super PAC
can be. Technically, President Obama can't tell the super PAC what to do
with the money. He can't communicate with them. He could publicly say I
think they should give it back, but Kyra, the more important point is
how influential iis Bill Maher's money on politics? We should be talking
here and everywhere else about how influential big money of big
industry – oil, pharmaceutical, the insurance – that money which comes
to all the candidates, Democrats and Republicans. It's much more
influential than a comedian-slash-political commentator.
PHILLIPS: Understand, but that money becomes a symbol, right? And women
are seeing okay, Bill Maher saying these gender-based insults. Okay, he
donated a million dollars to Obama's super PAC. Wait a minute, Obama
came out and said hey Sandra Fluke, way to go standing up and testifying
and don't let these horrible words coming out of Rush Limbaugh's mouth
impact you. I wouldn't want my daughters to be impacted in a negative
way by that. There's an image there. It's out there.
DONINICK: It's a fair – it's a fair criticism, and we can talk about
it. But I think we would also have to talk about anything that any
person who has donated much more than Bill Maher has said publicly. But
let me just make sure I'm being clear on this. The problem that we have
here is Rush Limbaugh, Bill Maher, or anybody else no matter where
they're saying it or how they're saying it, making gender-based or
race-based or sexual orientation-based insults that would in any way
ever discourage any young woman in this case from speaking publicly. My
daughters – I would be very honored if my daughters were ever as
courageous as this young woman, and come out and speak whatever they
believe. And I hope that any young woman or person viewing is not
discouraged by the bullying of any of these people saying these things
about them.
That's really where the damage gets done, that someone would be shut
up, would be afraid to speak because they would be dragged through the
mud in this horrific way that has happened to this young woman. And, so,
that's really the most important point about this entire conversation
that we never discourage women, in this case, from speaking out what
they believe.
PHILLIPS: You know, you're a dad. You've got daughters. Rush Limbaugh
and Bill Maher don't have daughters. I wonder if they would take –
DOMINICK: It makes a big difference.
PHILLIPS: – use their words differently.
DOMINICK: I was not in this way an advocate for women – I'll be
completely honest – before I had daughters. Men who have daughters
change the way they view about how women should be treated at work, how
women should be paid, in so many other ways. I have completely changed
as a man and you're right. Bill Maher and Rush Limbaugh have benefitted
tremendously from birth control.
PHILLIPS: (Laughter) Pete Dominick, thank you. That caught me
off-guard. What a perfect way to button it up. Thank you so much, Pete.