According to The Dispatch’s Sarah Isgur, it is not so much that Republicans won on Tuesday as much as it is that Democrats lost as a result of liberal culture warring and economic incompetence. HBO Real Time host Bill Maher might have been willing to concede the first point, but not the second as he addressed inflation by asking, “Can we shut up about bacon?”

Isgur theorized, “Donald Trump increased his vote with everyone, which means it wasn't his campaign strategy. I think it was the American people just -- they voted for Joe Biden because they were promised normalcy and competency and they didn't get either, and the most effective ad that Donald Trump ran was the they-them ad, you know, ‘he's for you, she's for they/them.’"

 

 

She continued, explaining that “Democrats thought that was an ad about, you know, transphobia. They missed the point entirely. It was an ad about language. That these people are more obsessed with whether you have a signature block in your email with your pronouns in it than they are about getting the economy back on track and so that was just roundly rejected.”

Maher tried to defend Biden and Kamala Harris, “Well, honestly, they did get the economy back on track. Let's not—”

In politics, perception is reality, as Isgur shot back, “People don't feel that way.”

Maher tried to position himself as the independent truthteller: “It's bullshit that he wanted Liz Cheney shot in the face and it's bullshit they didn't get the economy—let's call bullshit wherever it is, shall we? The economy—what is an indictment, what I think is in a tremendous indictment of Kamala Harris is that she couldn't win an election with the stock market at record highs and unemployment at record lows. When you give me that hand, you should be able to win an election.”

Isgur again tried to explain why that was, “She couldn't win the election because Joe Biden refused to actually be a bridge to another generation that he promised to be and I know that you're looking at inflation numbers and saying the rate of inflation has gone down, bacon is still twice as much as it was. Inflation happened, and it's not going away.”

An exasperated Maher asked, “Oh, can we shut up about bacon?”

Alluding back to Maher’s opening monologue, Isgur chuckled, “You talked about bacon first.”

Isgur is right. Sure, the inflation rate has fallen, but most voters still see the high prices and see the controlling the inflation rate as Harris trying to take credit for putting out the fire that Biden set in the first place.

Ironically, in that monologue, Maher appeared to get it, “Women [voters] are a little stronger than you think. Women were like whatever, ‘I don't have to fuck him, I just want bacon.’”

Here is a transcript for the November 8 show:

HBO Real Time with Bill Maher

11/8/2024

10:23 PM ET

SARAH ISGUR: Donald Trump increased his vote with everyone, which means it wasn't his campaign strategy. I think it was the American people just -- they voted for Joe Biden because they were promised normalcy and competency and they didn't get either, and the most effective ad that Donald Trump ran was the they-them ad, you know, "he's for you, she's for they/them."

Democrats thought that was an ad about, you know, transphobia. They missed the point entirely. It was an ad about language. That these people are more obsessed with whether you have a signature block in your email with your pronouns in it than they are about to get in the economy back on track and so that was just roundly rejected.

BILL MAHER: Well, honestly, they did get the economy back on track. Let's not—

ISGUR: People don't feel that way.

MAHER: It's bullshit that he wanted Liz Cheney shot in the face and it's bullshit they didn't get the economy — let's call bullshit wherever it is, shall we? The economy -- what is an indictment, what I think is in a tremendous indictment of Kamala Harris is that she couldn't win an election with the stock market at record highs and unemployment at record lows. When you give me that hand, you should be able to win an election.

ISGUR: She couldn't win the election because Joe Biden refused to actually be a bridge to another generation that he promised to be and I know that you're looking at inflation numbers and saying the rate of inflation has gone down, bacon is still twice as much as it was. Inflation happened, and it's not going away.

MAHER: Oh, can we shut up about bacon?

ISGUR: You talked about bacon first.