Bill Maher Warns Democrats: “Your Base Hates America"

Bill Maher didn’t hold back in a blistering critique of what he sees as the growing disconnect between the Democratic Party and young Americans - especially those who seem to take pride in hating the country they live in.

Maher welcomed to his show 'Real Time', David Hogg, recently elected as the youngest-ever vice chair of the DNC. While many conservatives wouldn’t typically see eye-to-eye with Hogg, the conversation took a surprising turn. Hogg argued that Democrats are losing voters not because of policy, but because they’ve forgotten how to be the party of fun.

Hogg suggested that Democrats have become moralizing, self-serious scolds, while Republicans are now perceived as the more laid-back party. “Guys would rather vote for someone they disagree with than someone who judges them,” he said. “You shouldn't have to walk on eggshells just to exist inside a political movement.”

That theme of overcorrection and self-righteousness carried into Maher’s monologue, where he didn’t mince words. Citing a poll showing that fewer than 25 percent of Democrats under 30 say they’re proud to be American, Maher snapped: “You’re embarrassed to be American? Guess what - the feeling’s mutual. You have no perspective.”

He pointed to recent protests where American flags were trampled or replaced with Palestinian flags. “At a rally last month, the American flag was literally thrown on the ground while people cheered the Palestinian one,” he said. “And no one on stage said a word. No adult stepped in to remind them what this [the American flag] represents.”

Maher’s warning was blunt: the loudest energy in the Democratic Party is coming from a segment of young voters who openly sympathize with violent extremists. “That’s not ideal,” he quipped dryly, before hammering home his larger point.

“All the things you enjoy—your iPhone, your delivery apps, your freedom to trash this country online—that’s all made in America. Try doing that in Gaza. You wouldn’t last a week in ‘Intifadaville.’”

Disagreeing with America is one thing. Hating it while reaping its benefits is another. And Democrats, Maher argued, are running out of time to draw the line.