He still just doesn’t get that “President of the United States” thingy.
So the President had dinner with Bill Maher, Professional Asshole. 1) So what? and 2) Why in the world would Trump elevate Maher to this level?
See—duh!—a President elevates Maher’s status by deeming him worthy of a meeting, which he is not. This is Cognitive Dissonance Scale 101. Maher is nothing. Every bit of status and credibility he gains makes him more powerful and the public dumber. This weasel has been tacking to the Right lately because he senses his Leftist-young-ignorant-kneejerk-socialist audience is shrinking, and he gets cheap publicity by criticizing Democrats now and then. But he is neither smart enough nor astute enough to be an enlightening pundit. For Trump to treat him otherwise is foolish. It’s irresponsible, and inept leadership.
Oh, I know Trump has done this with other useless public “influencers,” like Kim Kardashian. It diminishes him and the office. Trump doesn’t seem to understand that he’s no longer part of the weird world of dubious celebrities. The President is above all that, far above, unless he cuts himself down to size. He just doesn’t get it. Presumably he never will. Next he’ll be having dinner with Joy Reid…
Ethics Alarms 
He assumes, and is right, that most media will not cover the substantive things he talks about in accurate detail, but will cover these shiny objects extensively. The celeb meetings, the third term nonsense, etc., is all front page stuff to them.
Dumbing down the office to feed salivating minds – yes. Trolling – probably.
I’d say insofar as Maher seems to be one of the very few lefties who’s being at all introspective following the Dems being reduced to setting Guiness records on the floor of the Senate, having dinner with him might be a smart move. It might push Maher (and his viewers) toward a less hostile attitude and away from incessant “Orange Man Bad.” Sure, Maher isn’t Edward R. Murrow, but he functions in the level at which retail politics is conducted these days. And which is more distressing? Dining with Maher or the wealthy, upper class son of a Detroit car dealer who fashions himself as a scruffy redneck? But again, evidently the Kid Rock adjacent vote. Who knew there are that many well to do young people who pretend to be rednecks and dirtballs?
I have to say that Maher – jerk though he is – is one of the few old school liberals who seems to grasp that the Democratic Party is leaving him. He’s just too entrenched to actually be brave enough to leave it.
Does the cognitive dissonance scale remain static among all groups. What I mean is, can someone be low on the scale in one group and high among another? If Maher rates highly on the scale among his audience and Trump is low to the same audience does it bring Trump up of Maher down?
If we assume that the target audience is well educated conservative Trump supporters (or at least those willing to evaluate his policies fairly instead of knee jerk hate and we view the scale from that perspective, I would have to agree that Trump’s involvement with Maher would bring him down.
On the other hand, it seems to me that the same could be said if Obama had dinner with Trump when the scale is viewed from the perspective of Obama’s acolytes.
It just seems to me that bringing someone up or down on the scale is a function of where the two parties are in their relative place on the scale when viewed from diametrically opposed perspectives.
Not a fan of Maher but how do you know this: This weasel has been tacking to the Right lately because he senses his Leftist-young-ignorant-kneejerk-socialist audience is shrinking,
Why else would he be tacking to the Right? It’s is a common phenomenon…when a supposedly partisan wag starts losing public interest or the cultural tides shift, this is a routine formula to get publicity and become relevant for a while. Sometimes the shift is sincere (Al Capp); sometimes it’s suspiously convenient niche-seeking (Dennis Miller); usually its phony. Maher is a phony, so Occam’s Razor tells me that’s what’s going on.
Super interesting take. So Dennis Miller isn’t a genuine conservative? He fooled me. I guess I should have assumed Maher looks at his ratings and likely is involved in his advertiser sales negotiations.
Or he was a conservative following the crowd during his SNL period and realized he had a niche opportunity.
hmmm…
your analysis is fine, so far as it goes. But, it seems superficial.
are sports teams worthy of an invite to the White House? No, but it is marketing, unifying, and good politics.
Nixon and Elvis? Teddy and Booker T. Washington? Kennedy and Marilyn … was that an official visit?
Granted, Maher is no Booker T. Washington; he might not even be a Booker T. He’s not even an Elvis. But, he is a long-time political pundit. Not as witty as Mark Twain, mind you, but Twain is dead.
However, between Maher and Kid Rock, why did you pick Maher?
the Fox News take is that it shows does not hold grudges. He can let bygones be bygones. That may he spin, but has some truth to it. It is a sign of being politically savvy, just as he appointed Little Marco Secretary of State.
it does not seem as simple as you make it seem.
-Jut
I picked Maher because he’s not a Trump friend or supporter. He has earned no such attention or respect. The dinner with Maher is the “news.” It’s not the kind of news Trump needs to make. (See my reply to “Cee”…)
I do not believe that Bill Maher is so low on the cognitive dissonance scale nationwide that it becomes politically unwise for President Trump to invite him to the White House. I would not be surprised if during the next election campaign in 2028 Bill Maher will invite the GOP nominee for an interview, which in my opinion the GOP nominee should accept.
For ethics purposes I would personally be careful with invoking the cognitive dissonance scale as his often entails a certain level of personal biased. I understand that not everybody likes Bill Maher, but I do not think he is so morally and politically beyond the pale that he ought to be shunned. Politically it cannot hurt to have a good relationship with certain media figures, as that can be helpful during elections.
A President should have meetings with peers, colleagues, those upon who he is visiting benefits like honors and condolances, or those who provide something of value or importance to the culture …or him. Maher called several Republican female elected officials “cunts” on HBO. He should be shunned.
Jack I understand your revulsion for the person of Bill Maher. My tolerance for assholes is a bit higher however. Donald Trump, as a good politician, is most likely aware of the lawyers dictum “I don’t care that he is an asshole as long as he is my asshole”. Given the political acrimony in this country, and past unpleasantness between Trump and Maher I am actually glad that Trump has given an olive branch to Maher, and that Maher has accepted it. Politics is a game of addition, not of subtraction; you only grow if you make allies, and stop demonizing your opponents. Maher may not everybody’s taste, he is still an influential media figure, and his importance counts for more than his moral character.
Jack wrote:
So the President had dinner with Bill Maher, Professional Asshole. 1) So what? and 2) Why in the world would Trump elevate Maher to this level?
What in the world is wrong with two assholes meeting besides doubling the present assholery? Because one asshole is President does not make him less of an asshole — some might say he is more asshole than President!
No matter how hard Trump tries, or what he believes, at the end of the day he is an asshole who loves rewarding even the mildest hint of sycophancy. In fact, he has less of an excuse to be an asshole — he is unquestionably more intelligent than Maher.
Birds of a feather, I say. Assholes of the world unite!
Ew!