Maher: Gen Z Embraced, Dems 'Thinking of Following' Same Policies that Ruined Venezuela

During his closing monologue on Friday’s broadcast of HBO’s “Real Time,” host Bill Maher stated that Gen Z has embraced and “Democrats are thinking of following” socialism that has brought ruin in places like Venezuela and mocked the idea that it will be any different in New York. Maher began by saying, “Democrats must recognize that Zohran Mamdani is the future of the party. Unfortunately, it’s the Republican Party.” He added that Democrats have “a clear choice here, very clear. One wing is saying, don’t ever use the word socialist again. And one is saying, ‘I am a democratic socialist.'” Maher further stated, “Problem is, Gen Z thinks socialism’s wired and capitalism’s tired and billionaires are what’s for dinner. And who can blame them? If you’re 30 and still sharing a bathroom with roommates, capitalism isn’t working for you.” He added that “socialism, to put it simply, just doesn’t work, and has never worked, like Kevin Federline. … We’ve run this experiment many times, and the results are always obvious.” After comparing nighttime pictures from space of “capitalist South Korea” and “socialist North Korea,” Maher continued, “In 1990, Venezuela was wealthier than Poland. But then Poland, finally free of Soviet-style economics, went all in on capitalism. And now their economy is as big as Japan. And people there have high wages, low inflation, cars, vacations, homes. Meanwhile, Venezuela traded capitalism for Hugo Chavez’s socialism for the 21st century, which turned out to be like socialism in the last century or any century, a f*cking mess. … If you think New York can somehow reinvent this wheel, you’re in for a rude a-woke-ening.” Maher further said, “I don’t think people realize we already have a lot of socialism: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment insurance, food stamps, veterans’ benefits, Pell Grants, COVID-era payments, farm subsidies, disability payments, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, corporate bailouts, and the jobs program that is building weapons the Pentagon doesn’t even want. All that is socialism, much of it appropriate to soften the edges of capitalism, but the DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) are radicals about this concept.” After saying that radical economic policies are tied to radical social policies, like the DSA’s view on borders, Maher further mocked the DSA for things like their rules about scents at their convention, before saying, “This is who the Democrats are thinking of following? Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) ain’t perfect, but at least he doesn’t crumple into a heap when confronted with Chanel N°5.” Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett