In an appearance on Tuesday night’s “The Joy Behar Show” Behar asked Maher if killing bin Laden helped his 2012 re-election chances. Maher didn’t concede the election for Obama, but did say he demonstrated efficiency and competency.
Maher said that the GOP wouldn't be able to give Obama his due credit for killing bin Laden, "Well, because they're Republicans."
"This has got to eat at them. If they're the party of fiscal responsibility, and national defense -- and they're not really good at either -- what are they bringing in to the table?"
Maher spoke cautiously regarding Obama's 2012 re-election chances.
“Well, I mean you would think it would be a shoo-in but that’s, of course, what they said about Bush in 1991 when his ratings were sky-high from the Iraq war. So much can happen between now and then, but, you know, if America can’t give credit to our ninja president now, I don’t know when they can. You know, he just is obviously a very competent, multi-tasking ninja.”
In his assessment, Maher believes that Obama’s deeds should make ideology irrelevant.
“He just seems to be... he seems to be able to do things that the other side can’t. And isn’t that what you want in a president? I mean, at the end of the day, the ideology should go out the window. It should be about efficiency and competency. And you know when I hear Donald Trump say he’s the worst president ever. Really? You know, got health care passed, stopped a depression from happening, you know, the economy, the shape it was in compared to where it is now, finally got this bin Laden monkey off our back, I just...it’s just hatred. They’re just haters.”
The host of HBO's 'Real Time' was still skeptical of the American people’s willingness to credit Obama for his accomplishments in the wake of the recent events as well, and reflected upon the 2008 elections.
“Well, let’s remember that he was running against The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. That had a lot to do with it -- and given the situation the country had been left in -- I think any Democrat would have won. Let’s remember, he did not win the white vote. But yes, you know... Look, he’s a master politician. There is no doubt about it. Besides being such an effective leader, he knows how to play the political game. I’m one of the people on the left, Joy, you know this and you are too at times. I see you talk about him all the time. And...you’re pretty hard on him sometimes when you don’t think he’s doing the things that we would like to see the perfect liberal president do.”
Maher said it comes down how Obama plays his cards, and right now the Republican Party hasn’t put up a real political juggernaut to force Obama to expend a lot of his political capital.
“But given the situation he’s in, you know, I think he’s got a calculus in his mind that, you know, I have this much political capital. And when it gets up to here, I spend it. And when it’s down here, I don’t. And I think he knows that. I think he knows exactly how much to spend and when he can do it and, you know, if I was betting my own money I would bet anything on his re- election because honestly at the end of the day...who are the Republicans putting up? Who do they have? They can’t rely on Tim Pawlenty’s raw sex appeal forever.”
That and more in the video follows. :)