Dinesh D’souza gets a small dose of truth courtesy of Bill Maher from Real Time, and like most wingnut grifters he doesn’t handle the truth well at all. Mediate has the video, here’s a recap:
Video Link— Maher went so far as to attack the patriotism of the Republican party for not wanting to fix the economy because it would allow Obama to secure reelection. D’Souza charged that Democrats acted similarly under George W. Bush, and the only reason they supported the war in Iraq was because of a post-9/11 “patriotic surge.”
The conversation then turned to D’Souza’s documentary, 2016: Obama’s America, in which he claims that Obama is influenced by his father’s anti-colonialist views. When D’Souza tried to defend his allegations, Maher asked him “how far up [his] ass” he had to go to think up that claim. And as for the contemporary applications of Obama holding anti-colonialist views, D’Souza argued that it is part of an anti-capitalist ideology Obama holds that views America as a “rogue nation.”
Whenever I see this guy, I’m struck by what a shameless, nimble liar he is. D’souza isn’t just your average conservative loudmouth liar, he’s adept at adjusting his lies on the fly in front of a live audience, convincingly if you don’t know any better, in the tradition of a full-blown professional con man. He typically opens with a whopper maybe one notch too big and sees how it’s being received, if no one can prove then and there it’s bullshit, he proceeds with it as a foundation to strike out for new ways to please his teaparty fanbase with ever more aggresive lies. But when called by someone who does happen to have the fact at their fingertips, he quickly pivots to a smaller lie often on tangentially related issues to the opening whopper and proceed down that track for as long as he can get away with talking over the other panelists.
One of the weirdest issues D’souza pushes is the “Obama is an anti-coloniliast” bullshit. It’s all fantasy for starters, but what’s strange to me is … wasn’t America founded on the idea of anti-colonialism?
For that reason and others I think I have to consider D’souza a s a contender for the August Pastor Rick Warren “Sacker” Award , and with the RNC last week, this is a crowded month.
timgueguen says
Same old story. Every revolution is illegitimate except the one you like, which is the American Revolution if you’re a US fanboy.
raven says
What is wrong with being anti-colonialist?
1. D’Souza is a native of Mumbai, India. India tossed the British out after WW II and Gandhi and Nehru are national heroes.
2. The Americans had a war with the British long ago which we won. This lead directly to the creation of the USA. We celebrate it as a national holiday, the Fourth of July.
Jordan Genso says
raven wrote:
I really wished that Bill Maher had asked him that question. Instead, Maher asked him why colonialism is relevant to today, which is a fine question, but basically concedes D’souza’s points that: A) anti-colonialism is bad, and B) President Obama is anti-colonial.
That’s why it would’ve been better had Maher actually pressed him to explain why anti-colonialism is worse than pro-colonialism.
Akira MacKenzie says
What is wrong with being anti-colonialist?
Because Dinesh’s ancestors converted to Christianity, and were able to to get special treatment from their white masters. When colonial rule of India ended, all that privilege went away. Now the D’Souza’s are family of Christianized Brahman surrounded and outnumbered by the Hindu and Muslim “heathens” they helped repress.
Exit stage West.
TxSkeptic says
What’s wrong with being anti-colonialist?
Maher didn’t have to ask, D’Souza told us anyway, it’s because anti-colonialism = anti-capitalism. Colonies are just the little playthings of the rich and powerful companies to oppress & exploit for financial gain. What’s wrong with that?
Maher was wrong on one thing, he asked why colonialism is relevant today, as if there are not colonies anymore. While I don’t think there are any called colonies anymore, there are plenty of ‘territories’ that continue to serve the same role.
Anyway, D’Souza is such a tool.