HBO Real Time with Bill Maher - Transcript

HBO Real Time with Bill Maher - Transcript
May 6, 2005

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MAHER: ... Let's go to Bernie Sanders. He is the longest-serving Independent in the history of the United States House of Representatives. He is now a candidate for U.S. Senate from Vermont , Bernie Sanders. Bernie! [applause]

BERNIE SANDERS [via satellite]: Hey, Bill, how are you?

MAHER: How are you, sir?

SANDERS: I'm good.

MAHER: I want you to weigh in on this idea of the Christian right feeling so emboldened these days that they can do anything. Do you notice this? Do you notice a change in the House of Representatives in the last few years?

SANDERS: Oh, absolutely. What we're seeing is a growth of intolerance. We're seeing an abuse of power. And one of the issues that really concerns me is that we're seeing more and more censorship in America on the media, and a real curtailing of freedom of debate. We see that on the floor of the House. You're seeing that in the media. And what concerns me very much, Bill, is, in the House, a couple of months ago, an indecency - so-called "indecency" bill was passed, which will fine broadcasters - radio, TV people, you! - if you're indecent, up to the tune-

MAHER: Hey!

SANDERS: --and I know that wouldn't be you!

MAHER: No, no. I'm okay. Those cocksuckers on "Deadwood" are in trouble. [laughter]

SANDERS: Those are the guys.

MAHER: But not me. [applause]

SANDERS: And the fear is - the fear is that there are some in the Congress now who want to take this business into cable TV-

MAHER: Pay cable, right? Even pay cable?

SANDERS: Pardon me?

MAHER: Even pay cable?

SANDERS: Pay cable. Of course, pay cable. Absolutely. Into the Internet. Into satellite. Which means that you're going to have a couple of commissars in Washington glued to your particular program, among others.

MAHER: Well, I - that's not a bad thing, yeah.

McKEAN: You welcome that. The more viewers the better, right?

MAHER: And you're - and you're doing something to fight this. And I have to say-

SANDERS: Yeah, we - yeah, we've introduced legislation which basically says that it is unconstitutional, among other things, and that the FCC should not get involved in cable, in the Internet and on satellite. [applause] And the reason for that-

MAHER: Do you think this might be where they're overreaching one step too far? Where it gets people going? Because people don't care about the environment, the war on terror, the economy. But when you mess with their entertainment…[laughter]

SANDERS: That's right. You tell people - that's exactly correct - you tell people they can't watch "The Sopranos," they can't watch "Queer as Folk," "South Park," all of those programs, people are going to say, "Hey, wait a minute, this president is talking about freedom and freedom, and we can't watch what we want on cable TV after paying a hundred bucks a month to do it? Give me a break." [laughter] [applause]

MAHER: Well, is that what it costs? A hundred bucks a month?

McKEAN: Yeah.

MAHER: Boy, we'd better be good.

McKEAN: You're getting really ripped off there, by the way. [laughter] Hundred bucks a month?

MAHER: Yeah.

SANDERS: Well, depending on where you live. What's already going on-

McKEAN: [overlapping] God, I'll come to your house and have sex with you for a hundred bucks. [laughter] You know, at least once a month.

SULLIVAN: Well, in Vermont , they have a 50% tax on-

MAHER: Wait, wait, let this man speak while he's here. All right, go ahead, Bernie.

SANDERS: Let me give you an example of this thing. Last November, on Veterans Day, ABC played "Saving Private Ryan," which I thought was a pretty good movie.

MAHER: Great movie.

SANDERS: And it was in honor of - it was in honor of the sacrifice that the great generation made on D-Day in World War II. Sixty ABC affiliates-

MAHER: Right.

SANDERS: --refused to show that film because they were afraid they were going to be fined for indecency because in the film, of course, soldiers were using some-

MAHER: It was like old home week to me, Bernie.

SANDERS: There you go. And that's before they raised the fine. So I think we've got a problem there.

MAHER: Okay. I noticed the other day when President Bush was having his press conference, that he hurried off so that Paris Hilton's show would not start late. You know, whenever they say the public owns the airwaves, is any of that still true? Does any of that mean anything anymore, that the public owns-

SANDERS: No.

MAHER: No.

SANDERS: Not really. What you're seeing, and what everybody should be concerned about, is through all of these mergers, you're seeing fewer and fewer large media conglomerates owning and controlling not only on television, not only on radio, but in book publishing, every aspect of the media, fewer and fewer big companies are controlling what we see, hear and read. And that is an enormously dangerous trend that the American people had better stand up to. [applause] [cheers]

MAHER: Okay, final question. We were talking earlier about how the right wing gets away with saying things the left wing never could. Dick Cheney, the Vice President, famously said to your fellow Vermonter on the floor of the Senate - excuse my French, but I'm quoting the Vice President, he told him to go fuck himself.

SANDERS: Right.

MAHER: What would happen if that had been Al Gore or some Democratic Vice President? Don't you think there would have been a tremendous outcry?

SANDERS: Oh, absolutely. The right wing hatchet machine would have gone to work. Would have been on "The Drudge Report," the Rush Limbaugh show, Fox Television. Absolutely. Appeals for his resignation, and so forth and so on. Yes.

MAHER: Okay, Bernie Sanders. Good luck there with that Senate run in Vermont . [applause] [cheers]

SANDERS: Thank you.

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