So if you didn’t see last night’s Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO, you missed a doozy of a slapdown. Joining Bill on his panel last night were Democratic strategist/pundit/former Clintonite Paul Begala, BBC Correspondent Katty Kay, and LA Times Columnist Joel Stein. Bill then brings out his very special guest, Meghan McCain, daughter of John McCain, who admits to being very nervous. Ok, so far so good.
Now, if you’ve been following anything at all lately, Meghan Mc Cain is one of the many Repubicans trying to become the Next Big Thing as the party is lacking a message and real leadership right now. She recently had a story in The Daily Beast about why David Letterman had a sexist double standard, and when asked about it by Maher (who corrected her on the fact that it was clearly about Bristol, who is an active media particpant, and not 14 year old Willlow), she said that Republicans were the butt of comedians’ jokes way more than Democrats were, and part of her proof was Bristol Palin’s story is “over” so the only reason Letterman made fun was to pick on Republicans .
Which, thankfully enough, the panel immediately and vehemently disagreed with. Maher pointed out that comedians are still making hay out of the Clinton/Lewinsky affair a good 10 years after the fact. McCain continued to dig herself deeper, replying to Begala’s remark that Reagan blamed everythign on Carter with “Well I wasn’t even born then” and giving a look that said “I’m just a cute young blonde, aren’t I funny?”. So Begala moves in for the kill: “Well I wasn’t born during the French Revolution but I know about that!”.
As the conversation continues, the camera pans over to McCain from time to time, who looks close to tears. She then, rather stupidly, engages Katty Kay in the conversation about Laura Ling and Euna Lee, possibly thinking that maybe as fellow blonde Kay will extend professional courtesy. She loses there as well.
Maher started to do his condescending faux-comforting thing with her, because she was so clearly overmatched, and the discussion part of the show mercifully ended.
You know, earlier in the discussion McCain had said that many Republicans had asked her not to come on the show, and having seen her inarticulate and graceless performance, they were right. I know she wants to represent a different voice of the Republican party, one that is less judgmental, less religious and more inclusive, and I think those are all good things, but she needs to work on her vocabulary and her nerves if she hopes to succeed.
Here’s a clip from the show:Begala PWNed Meghan McCain
