Now that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has departed and been replaced with Justice Amy Coney Barrett, some cracks are beginning to show among Ginsburg’s fans. Bringing down the first hammer this week was comedian Bill Maher, who flat out admitted that the justice should have retired during President Barack Obama’s tenure.
During an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on Monday, Maher said that Ginsburg’s death should have come as a shock to no one.
“It’s not like her death was a shock,” he said.
“It was, and yet, it was though,” interjected Kimmel.
“Really? She was 100 and had cancer, like, a million times,” Maher responded. “She was a great justice, but she should have quit.”
For this, Maher denounced the Democrats for having a “loser” plan to keep the Supreme Court out of Republican hands, noting that Barack Obama had hinted she should retire before the 2016 election.
“The Democratic plan for the Supreme Court was Ruth Bader Ginsburg doesn’t die,” Maher said. “And that’s why they’re such a loser party. I vote for them, but they don’t know how to do politics.”
“Obama did have her over to the office, you know, a few, when he was [still president,] to hint” he said.
“Oh, you think that’s why he had her?” Kimmel asked.
“Of course! We know that’s why,” Maher said. “He wasn’t this sociable kind of guy; there was always a purpose to a meeting with him. So it was just like, ‘Hey, boy, that Supreme Court’s an important place, huh? And you’re getting up in age, ya know.’”
“She should have taken the hint,” he added. “I mean, as great as she was [in] many ways, that really put us in a bad place because, as I keep trying to say on my show, power begets power.”
Maher expanded on his “power begets power” comment, lamenting that Democrats will keep losing power so long as the Republicans enjoy this winning streak.
“When you lose power, you keep losing it. It’s like when you’re in an arm-wrestling thing. … That’s where we are now because we lose presidential elections,” he said. “They appoint justices. So now the Supreme Court is 6-to-3, that’s gonna go on for a very long time. If the election winds up in the court, who do you think they’re gonna go with? We saw what happened with Bush v. Gore. That’s what I mean. You lose power, and then you lose it again.”
Lastly, Maher repeated the bizarre claim that Trump will not willingly leave the White House if he loses on election night.
“He doesn’t do losing,” Maher said. “Other than three marriages, three casinos, four magazines, an airline, a football league, a charity … and a university, he’s never lost anything. So, he’s not gonna go gently into the night. That’s what I worry about.”
During Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearings, Maher stated that Democrats should actively criticize Amy Coney Barrett’s faith.
“There’s another strain of uber-conservative Catholics who have an agenda and an enormous and growing influence to achieve it. It’s really about pining for a return to the Middle Ages, when the church was the state,” said Maher.
“These old-school Catholics, they play the long game,” he added. “Amy Coney Barrett has been on their radar since forever because she was raised in an extremist Catholic community. These are the folks who make Jehovah’s Witnesses say ‘Shhh, don’t open the door!’”