Bill Maher on Jay Leno, ObamaCare, and Republicans engaging in partisan politics

As part of a program that touches upon politics and pot, Obamacare and guns, on Friday evening Piers Morgan invites comedian and political commentator Bill Maher to join him for an engaging and entertaining face to face interview.

During their primetime conversation, Maher admits to being an unabashed Jay Leno fan, noting that the comedian must be doing something right, as “you know, he's only held down that job for 20 years."

The host of HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" suggests that “everyone could do a lot better in their personal life by saying 'what would Jay do,' and they could do a lot better in their professional life.”

As for lessons learned from Leno's television challenges, Maher offers one piece of advice for those pursuing a career in show business:

“I understand why networks need to get rid of people, but this is twice their firing him for their crime of being number one," he begins. "And, you know, for any of you young people out there are looking to get at show business here is a great tip. You need an agent. This is the great lesson of the Jay Leno fiasco.”

• Maher on Republicans lack of patriotism

As part of a conversation that covers the entire hour, tonight Maher criticizes the GOP for their continued attempts to fight ObamaCare:

“It's been three years. It's not a bill. It's a law. I know that Tea people think they know the Constitution, I don't think they've even read it," exclaims the 57-year-old political commentator. "A bill becomes a law, once it does, you don't argue about it.”

In the eyes of the guest, the Republicans often put partisan politics ahead of the country's future:

“That's not how they've played it. They have [said] 'we'll filibuster. We will shutdown the government. We will go to the mat in every possible way. We revoke to repeal it 41 times,'" he notes. "Really? That's the patriotic thing to do about a program that is trying to bring health care to people in this country who don't have it?”

• Bill Maher “I don't think Obama should've lied to people!”

This evening Maher also offers his view on the issue of ObamaCare itself:

“First of all, insurance companies are always dropping people from their plans. This went on before Obamacare went on, after Obamacare we're losing a lot of perspective here. But yeah, he probably should have not been so blatant about saying, "Ironclad guarantee."

Maher empathizes with the fact that Obama has had no help from across the aisle, despite the fact that in many ways the issue should have been put to bed in 2010:

“Since three years after it's a law, there's still fighting it. Can you imagine what it would be like if he said, 'yeah, some people you're rates are going to go up,'" he wonders. "The thing passed by this much. If they had said that, they might have lost the whole thing. And politicians are always making compromises like that. For crying out loud, they made a compromise on slavery!”

Watch the clip as Maher goes on to summarize the Republican's health care alternative, suggesting that it's "basically the status quo. If you're poor, go to the emergency room, walk it off,” then tune in at 9 for Piers Morgan's full interview with Bill Maher.
-
» Follow "Piers Morgan Live" on Twitter
» Follow "Piers Morgan Live" on Instagram