Playing footsie with fascism by Sherman Yellen

So Bill Maher spent a day with Trump at the WH and found the President rational and charming. And POTUS was gracious enough to autograph the insults that he had written about Maher. This bro-hood with Trump is, according to Maher, a sign that we should abandon our views of POTUS based on those acts that have destroyed the lives and the livings of so many Americans — and see this love fest as a far greater act of patriotism than the 25 hours of Cory Booker’s testimony of evil.

Maher would from time to time lace the dish of praise with the spice of criticism for the tariff fiasco and other attacks on our civil liberties. But it was a feeble attempt to show the Libs that he was still able to play both sides of the fence. Or better yet, swim about in that warm and comfortable middle.

It is as easy to massage the ego of a tyrant as it is to pet the warm, curly fur of our family labradoodle. What did this meeting that was brought about by the mediator Kid Rock bring to America? Great PR for POTUS, and a removal of Maher’s name from the gotta-get-him list that we hear about from the WH. It was some good PR for POTUS and some self-congratulation from Maher — who clearly views himself as a centrist, a calm voice in all the cacophonous madness.

As the old poem warns us, “The center will not hold.” There are no charming Tyrants — just con men who can beguile a self loving comedian and a deluded crowd. And so Dick and Jane and Little Billy had their visit ro the White House. And came away with souvenir caps, not realising that Maher had turned himself into MAGA merch.

According to his own report (we did not witness the WH love fest), Bill Maher had a giddy good time with DJT. It was a shameful moment and I hope it will not serve as an example for other glory mongers but only reveal their hunger for publicity and praise from all — the need for everyone’s love that an often wise and witty comic can reveal. Maher did not betray himself because it was hard to find the self that could be betrayed. Like it or not, meeting with the powerful is a form of flattery that few show-biz whizzers can resist.

An altogether disgusting show of dazzling white teeth by the politically toothless — or is that ruthless? And, lest we forget, Hitler was deep down a good guy because he loved his dog Blondi.