When Bernie Sanders speaks, the Republicans hear it a little differently — as demonstrated on Real Time with Bill Maher last night. Sanders sat down with Maher to “un-demonize” the word socialism. Said Maher: “Socialism is the programs they already like. They like Social Security. That’s socialism. They like Medicare. They like the VA. They like the military. It’s already a socialist country. . . . We have to un-demonize that word. . . . They hear ‘socialist,’ they hear ‘herpes,’ Bernie!” Maher also made a public endorsement of the Democratic candidate. “I want to help your campaign. I want to see you get the nomination. I want to see you be president,” Maher said.
In another segment, Maher demonstrates why Sanders makes GOP “heads explode.” Maher screened clips of Sanders speaking about his beliefs and proposed policies, and then screened another version (playfully dubbed by Sanders) that demonstrates what the GOP is probably hearing. “Bernie Sanders has a D-minus voting rating from the NRA,” became “Rifles are for men with small penises. Every single gun in this country should be confiscated and melted down to make Tony Awards.”