Ya..you guys fight the bloody fight for public option when all the other progressive countries in the world already have...oh God...socialist healthcare. How about if you tell your fellow countrymen that they are about 50 years behind the rest of the really cool countries in the world that have...oh, God...socialist healthcare!!

If you're going to brag about being the best country in the world, ya better step up to the plate! (No offence intended!)

I believe public option will lead to single payer.

Bill ranted on and on tonight about what Obama hasn't done in his WHOLE FUCKING FOUR MONTHS in office plus bashed him for being on TV all the time. WTF...he's the president...last time I checked, presidents are on TV a lot! He made it sound as if he does nothing but TV instead of his job as president.

Bill's show has sucked this season and he rarely has his facts straight. Tonight was the last straw.

His show is now on my "Do Not Watch" list.

Dr. President, I think that's the intent and probably the main reason the GOP and some Dems are resisting the public option.

Also, I love Bill Maher but sometimes I have to wonder where he gets his news from or how old it is. He is sometimes very wrong about the things he says on the show about Obama's policies. But don't call him on it because he will accuse you of Obama worship.

I recall one show where at the end he said half his audience saw Obama as a God because they didn't laugh at his Obama jokes nor did they agree (clap) with his assumption that Obama is not Change We Can Believe In. I was really offended by that and if I was in the audience I would have yelled "The joke wasn't funny!!"

I still love him though.

Shaddomagg - Only conservatives go around claiming to be the best country in the world. You're on the wrong kind of blog for that.

It probably would have been a waste of time to pursue single-payer because there would be Republican resistance AND conservative Democrat resistance, which would lead to watered down reform. I think it would be a good show of leadership to get the public option, considering the fact that he barely has support for that.

A note to Maher: I don't look at Obama or anybody as God (I am agnostic). But I am excited to have a respectable leader in this country for a change considering what we had in the past and you can't fault people for being excited about him. I think that is a good thing considering how most people feel about government and politics in this country. The fact of the matter is, trying to change this country is not going to be easy and I didn't expect it to be just because BO is president. I'm satisfied with the progress we have made in this country so far and I am also patient, yet excited for what's to come.

I think the problem is that Obama (and the Democrats) still have no fucking spine. I for one am tired of it. The Right rammed thing down my throat and up my ass for 8yrs, all while screaming that I was a traitor to my nation, and now that we have a majority and the White House --- we still can't get shit done.

Obama -- a black man -- has the balls to sit back while a segment of our society is discriminated against.

Obama still acts like Republicans are actually going to contribute something of value -- when we know 100% they WILL NOT.

It's great to have a President that is intelligent and so respected. But even though he may not have directly promised so many of the things people seem to want, or hope for, he still is expected to do the right thing.

I stopped watcing maher this season for all the reasons listed above. Poorly prepared, bad arguments, and he feels he has to show he's not an Obama worshipper. For a show that I looked forward to watching every week, it quickly fell off my radar and now I say, "Oh it's Friday night. I missed Real Time. Maybe I'll catch it On Demand... eh." This show took a nosedive big time after Maher's movie tanked.

@emPulse - Obama still acts like Republicans are actually going to contribute something of value -- when we know 100% they WILL NOT.

That's what politicians do. He has to ACT like he cares what they have to say to make it look like they have a say.

Bill Mahar is a cynic. That's what we like about him. He often goes overboard. That's what he does and often we root for him. Sometimes-not so much. But I think he brought up (out) a good point last night-something that has been niggling me and that is Obama's determination to make friends with the Right who, by the way, dont give an inch. He's compromised the issues that he was brought to obsolve (?) and,like Clinton in the 90's ends up going the Conservative route. At least it looks that way. Maybe he's right. I voted for him and trust his vision is better than mine. Still, I do think it is up to the Left to get on him, I mean, get all over him to stay on track. He considers the Right because they whine and are noisy. We have to speak our objections and loudly to keep our president balanced.

Maher's a hypocrite. He blasted Bush for years for governing like a dictator, now he attacks Obama for not governing as a dictator. Plus Maher often decries the instant gratification culture but is critical of Obama for not solving all the country's problems in five months.
Also Maher is trying to have it both ways, his show regularly features conservatives who spew the most extremist, divisive and dishonest rhetoric against President Obama without strong push back from Maher (for example P.J. O'Rourke was on last night and called Obama a communist which Maher treated more as a joke) and then attacks the man after he's just given a platform to his enemies.

Bill Maher's rant was just disgusting. He talked out of his ass, totally insulted a 5 months (less, actually) president who inherits a shit storm of huge proportions and is working on dozens fronts.
I don't think Obama is above criticism and i'd like him to care a little less about what the Republicans think - As they already stubbed him in the back more than once in 5 months - But to tell him to be like Bush and compare him to Lindsay Lohan, man, i felt sick.