'This is all so silly!' Bill Maher calls Joe Biden and GOP's battle over border crisis a 'bunch of acting'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Real Time' host Bill Maher didn't hold back in his criticism of both President Biden and Republican lawmakers as they engage in their ongoing battle over the border crisis.
According to Fox News, during a panel discussion, the topic of immigration as a significant election issue was brought up by Republican New Hampshire Gov Chris Sununu. Sununu emphasized Biden's vulnerability on the matter among voters, stating that it's "very real."
Bill Maher says 'immigration is real but the reaction to it is not real'
Responding to this, Maher expressed his skepticism, asserting that while immigration is a genuine concern, the reactions and posturing from both sides are nothing more than a performance.
Maher went on to suggest that the level of "acting" displayed by both parties is so commendable that they should receive an award this awards season.
"Immigration is real but the reaction to it is not real," Maher responded. "It's all a bunch of acting. They should be getting an award this awards season," he added.
"The Republicans act like they want to solve this, but the Democrats called their bluff," Maher remarked during the discussion. He pointed out the existence of a current bill that even some conservative senators, including Mitch McConnell, deem as a reasonable solution.
Chris Sununu says everyone on Capitol Hill should be fired
However, Maher argued that the Republicans are hesitant to embrace it because they don't want the immigration issue to be resolved. According to Maher, they need it as a recurring problem to leverage for speeches and political posturing.
Sununu, conceding to Maher's perspective, took a drastic stance, calling for the firing of all lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Despite this, he acknowledged Biden's significant influence in shaping policies and addressing the immigration issue.
Maher concurred, emphasizing that part of the political "acting" involves Biden claiming he needs a new law from Congress to address the border crisis when existing laws could be utilized.
"I mean, there is a bill right now that a lot of them, Mitch McConnell and some pretty conservative senators saying this is as good a deal as you're gonna get. They don't want it because they don't want this issue to be solved because they need it as an issue so you can make speeches like the one you just made about ‘working class’ and blah, blah, blah." Sununu conceded Maher's argument, calling for all the lawmakers on Capitol Hill to be fired, "every one of them."
"But make no mistake about it, Joe Biden has a lot of power to change a lot of policy and affect the immigration issue," Sununu added.
"That's true," Maher agreed. "I was gonna say part two of the acting is Joe Biden saying ‘You know what? If you just give me a new law.’ A new law?! The president can fix this and he already has an existing law. This is all so silly! ‘I need a piece of paper from Congress to deal with the border.’ No you already have that."
Jessica Tarlov warns against overestimating Joe Biden's power
A dissenting voice came from Fox News' Jessica Tarlov, who pushed back against the notion that Biden holds as much power as Republicans suggest.
She cautioned Republicans against exclusively focusing on immigration in the upcoming 2024 elections, reminding them that the "caravan" strategy had failed in previous years. Tarlov urged the need for diversification in campaign topics, emphasizing that solely relying on immigration might not be a winning strategy for the Republicans.
"'Caravans' failed in 2018, failed in 2020, failed in 2022, it's a losing cause for Republicans to run exclusively on that. You need to diversify," Tarlov told Sununu.
