Bill Maher warns Democratic Party being ‘colonized’ by socialists, says his vote is ‘in play’
by The Washington Times AI News Desk · The Washington TimesBill Maher used Friday’s episode of HBO’s “Real Time” to renew his warning that the Democratic Socialists of America are gaining ground inside the Democratic Party, telling his audience he would consider voting for former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin over a DSA-aligned Democrat.
“Yes, my vote is in play,” Mr. Maher said. “I’m not voting for anyone who thinks the wrong side won the Cold War.”
Turning the left’s own rhetoric back on it, Mr. Maher argued the party itself is now the one being overtaken.
“You know what’s being colonized now?” Mr. Maher asked. “The Democratic Party.”
He pointed to Reps. Tom Suozzi, New York Democrat, and Adam Gray, California Democrat, who last month circulated a pledge urging fellow Democrats to affirm support for capitalism, law enforcement and “classic American principles.” Mr. Maher said only eight of the House’s 212 Democrats signed on.
Even so, Mr. Maher cautioned that the DSA wing does not yet represent the party’s mainstream, while warning the divide remains unresolved. He cited a string of Democratic candidates and newly nominated or elected figures who, he said, reject basic institutions of government.
“People are actually getting elected now who literally don’t think we should have police or prisons or borders,” he said.
The comments build on remarks Mr. Maher made three weeks earlier, on the June 26 episode of “Real Time,” when he first told Vice President J.D. Vance that “my vote is in play” over the party’s leftward drift. He repeated and expanded on that position in his subsequent interview with ABC News’ Jonathan Karl, citing the DSA platform directly to argue the movement amounts to communism under a different name.
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Former Florida state attorney Dave Aronberg told Fox News the DSA’s rise could undercut Democrats’ polling advantage heading into November, warning that letting the DSA “drive the bus” risks the party’s chances outside heavily Democratic areas.
Mr. Maher closed the show by saying he’d back Ms. Palin over any DSA-aligned Democrat in his own party, using crude language to underscore his frustration with the party’s direction.
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