The debate over Bill Maher and Michael Moore leads to a trip to Hawaii won by … – Deadline

Bill Maher and Michael Moore had an animated exchange on Friday night on HBO Real time with Bill Maher and finally made an expensive bet on the airwaves – the stakes: a trip to Hawaii – on a factual dispute. And, in the end, Maher will pay the bill for Moore's next luau.

The conversation started quite friendly with Maher (known to blame people for his weight) complimenting the Academy Award-winning filmmaker for his "slender" appearance. The first topic discussed was the viability of capitalism versus socialism as the best direction for the Democratic party in the primaries before and after.

"I do not really agree that we should capitalize on capital junk," said Maher in the first game.

"The old capitalism has disappeared and the new capitalism is a cruel and devilish system, Bill," Moore said. "It can not be corrected. It's too late. We went too far. We have practically destroyed the middle class, the one in which you and I grew up. She left. What is socialism? For me, socialism is that everyone has a seat at the table and everyone is entitled to a piece of the cake. We must believe in this if it is a democracy. "

Moore praised Maher for being "ahead of the curve for many years" on issues such as climate change and the legalization of marijuana, but then challenged him by asking "why back down now on socialism ". Maher, citing the Democrats' need to win the White House, said "the country does not exist" in the spirit of socialism. Maher blamed Moore for "collecting a lot of vague things".

Moore acknowledged that the stakes are high: "If the election was held tonight, Trump would win. You must respect the evil genius of this type. But he said the change was in the air. "We live in a liberal country. The majority of Americans agree with us on the minimum wage, mass incarceration, women's rights and choice. They are with us right now. Why not take the moment we are in power and use it in this election? "

The pair turned around the vagaries of generational politics, opinion polls and health care. The content of the exchange, however, has evolved a few degrees from the past, not in the future: Maher said that Barack Obama was elected "centrist" and Moore replied that the two-term president was populist. "No, he did not," said Maher curtly.

Moore recounted the fact that in 2008, when he entered the voting booth, the name on the ballot was Barack Hussian Obama – suggesting that the choice of inclusion of the candidate's middle name was a bold statement of the candidate's populist character.

"It's not a policy," says Maher disdainfully.

It was at this moment that Moore became passionate: "No, but if you play the security, you do not put Fusse Hussein on the ballot! A centrist is not called Hussein!

"It may not have been decided by him," said Maher.

Moore insisted, "Are you kidding? The candidate must sign, whether you are "William Jefferson Clinton" or "Bill Clinton" … yes, he did it because he had courage! "

Maher: "Put your money where you are talking … what do you want to bet, a trip to Hawaii?" Moore was all for. Maher may have had regrets. He finished the segment with remorse: "Will I lose this bet?"

Immediately after the debate, former RNC chairman Michael Steele clarified the matter by saying that the candidates absolutely chose the way their name appears on the ballot. Moore was probably saying Mahalo from here there.