Comic and pundit Invoice Maher joined NY Instances “The Morning” publication author Dave Leonhardt and Duke Professor Nancy MacLean in bashing Republicans for being “obsessed on pedophilia.”

On Friday night time’s edition of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, the host asked his panel about the confluence of threads involving pedophilia that Republicans had been pulling on of late: newly-validated Supreme Courtroom Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s sentencing file, the “grooming” accusations they’ve begun lobbing at opponents like Disney, and the Qanon umbrella:

MR. MAHER: All proper, so I want to pick up on one thing I was once talking about within the monologue, maybe this isn’t the most important issue in The united states, I don’t comprehend. However I will’t take my eyes off it like a automotive accident. It’s this. It looks like in an awfully short time, the Republicans have develop into obsessed on pedophilia. And I take into account that when pedophilia was once like the worst thing you should ever name any individual, a pedophile. And now it’s like casually thrown up, out through senators. What came about to my excellent pal from across the aisle? You know, I mean that now it’s my pedophile? This is coming from Qanon, right? I mean, I’m best a couple of years ago, we had been making fun of lovely. I’m like, it was this kind of fringe factor. I pretended I was once Q… I mean, I in reality am. Does this mean it’s mainstream republicanism now?

MS. MACLEAN: Completely. I imply, I feel what we’ve viewed is the Republican Party go off the rails to the MAGA faction they usually’re making the Make The usa Nice Once more faction, which is now dominating the birthday party ranks, but in addition the birthday party’s elected officials. And you recognize, you see this additionally, I feel it’s crucial to indicate that is coming from very good people, some of them, in place of business. Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, between them, they’ve degrees from four of probably the most elite universities in The united states. Princeton, Yale, Stanford. And what’s the other one? Harvard. And yet they are engaging in this absurdity. Why? As a result of they’re enjoying to this Qanon base for voters. But additionally and I feel this is an important. They keep in mind that their birthday celebration has no widespread policy positions. So that they, you realize, Democrats are for lowering prescription drug costs. Thank you. Democrats are for decreasing the crazy cost of pharmaceuticals are for dwelling wages. They’re for action on the local weather. All these things which can be exceptionally fashionable. So perversely, I think that this focus on pedophiles is a technique of recognizing that they’ve left the normal constitutional and coverage universe to play to those voters because they have got nothing else to provide them except concern.

MR. MAHER: Smartly, yeah…

MR. LEONHARDT: I mean, you have been simply form of apologizing for bringing it up, proper, saying it can’t be an important thing, but I actually suppose it’s in point of fact essential because it’s this signal of how radicalized the Republican Party has change into, and how disconnected from reality it’s develop into in some large methods. I imply, when I hear a political argument, whether or not it’s from the right or the left. I at all times look for what’s the grain of fact here? What’s the section? That’s proper? And like on the pedophilia argument, the answer is nothing, right? I imply, these are just lies, about Ketanji Brown Jackson

Watch above by means of HBO.

The post WATCH: Bill Maher and NY Instances’ Dave Leonhardt Beat Up on Republicans for Being ‘Obsessed With Pedophilia’ first appeared on Mediaite.