Photo credit New York Daily News
Bill Maher used to host a show on The Comedy Channel, later on ABC, called “Politically Incorrect.” As it turns out, it should have been called “Factually Incorrect.”
Tuesday night, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., delivered the Republican response to the president’s State of the Union address.
“The president loves to blame the debt on President Bush,” Rubio said. “But President Obama created more debt in four years than his predecessor did in eight.”
This prompted Maher to post the following tweet:
“Bill Maher @billmaher
Wow, what a shameless liar this Rubio guy is – Obama created more debt than Bush? Well, if you don’t believe in science, why not math too?”
He followed up with essentially the same entry on his Facebook page.
The question, “Did Barack Obama accrue more debt in half the time as George Bush?” was taken up by PolitiFact in August, in response to a claim U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., made in a speech.
PolitifFact is not exactly an organization known to be friendly to conservatives. For example, it refers to an ad made by GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney as “The Lie of the Year,” even though it admits that the ad is “factually correct.” Go figure.
“Ayotte’s got her numbers right,” reported PolitiFact. “According to the treasury department’s count, the debt has grown $5.3 trillion since Obama took office in 2009, compared to $4.9 trillion in Bush’s eight years.”
This isn’t the first time Maher has opened his mouth without engaging his brain.
In October, according to NewsBusters, he told U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., on HBO’s “Real Time,” “We spend I think something like 42 percent of our total budget on defense, right? And I don’t know if that includes Homeland Security.”
Frank, as it turned out, was as ignorant as Maher. He replied, “Well, it doesn’t include Homeland Security. It includes the nukes. They’re in the other budget.”
NewsBusters reported at the time that Maher was only off by 127 percent. The actual percentage is 19.5, not 42.
Maher is best known for making outrageous, often misogynistic statements, which he loosely refers to as humor. Perhaps he should stick to this and leave more weighty matters to the grown-ups. Math is hard.
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“According to the treasury department’s count, the debt has grown $5.3 trillion since Obama took office in 2009, compared to $4.9 trillion in Bush’s eight years.”
Most of Obama deficits (majority starting from fiscal year 2010, given that FY2009 was devised under Bush) are prior Bush commitments, and interest on debt. Obama also put the war finances out in the open (adding more to the official deficit put out by the OMB), whereas Bush had hidden them. If you break down Obama’s actual contribution to the national debt, it is, so far, less than Bush’s contribution (the actual number varies depending on what you include).
Here is a good breakdown from last year:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/adding-to-the-deficit-bush-vs-obama/2012/01/31/gIQAQ0kFgQ_graphic.html
you’re a fucking retard just like maher and obama
Can’t handle the facts, teabagger?
Di you NOT see in this article that the Bush side is past and the Obama side is PROJECTION????????? You can not compare the 2.
“Bush side is past and the Obama side is PROJECTION”
When looking at Obama’s policies that have contributed to the deficit, you also look at the long term deficit savings.
But Obama’s policies as of now have not nearly contributed as much as Bush had. Look at what Obama did that racked up the debt, not what was passed under the Bush term that had an effect in Obama’s term.
So Bush wasted a trillion dollars on a stimulus program that basically rewarded Obama supporters? Really? What about ObamaCare? Is Bush responsible for that? Why don’t we say that Bush is responsable for US getting Osama bin Laudin? Oh, I know how it works. President Obama is all about fairness. Bush get’s all the blame and he get’s all the credit. I should have known.
This idiot has lost his mind and needs to be locked up for his own protection. He has no clue about what’s going on in this country. Sit down and shut up you ignorant slut.
Be kind! I think Maher has developed Alzheimers, or went into a drug induced rant. Let’s face it folks anyone thinking this man is funny or intelligent anymore, has some serious problems themselves.
“We spend I think something like 42 percent of our total budget on defense, right? And I don’t know if that includes Homeland Security.”
First point here is that Maher said “he thinks” not that “he knows”.
Secondly, much of our military spending is off the books, for a variety of reasons. I would not be surprised if it was closer to Maher’s 42% than the on average reported 20%.
Are you REALLY trying to split hairs? He thinks ,not he knows? REALLY! And WHAT military spending is OFF the books? You and Mahr both need to back up your big mouths!
“He thinks ,not he knows? REALLY!”
Yes, really. He wasn’t sure, but it was a guess.
“WHAT military spending is OFF the books?”
Stuff that that relates to national security (black budget expenditures and “non military” costs in other departments which are actually used for the military)
Mahr is the biggest piece of crap HBO trots out! He should be off the air!