Comedian Bill Maher ripped into the “No Spend Day” protest on his HBO show “Real Time with Bill Maher”, calling the economic blackout “stupid,”Fox News reports.
The protest, organized by the People’s Union USA, aimed to demonstrate against the influence of billionaires, corporations, and both major political parties on working Americans by encouraging people to abstain from making any purchases for a full day.
Maher introduced the topic during the “Overtime” segment of his show, expressing disbelief at the concept of foregoing purchases, including fast food and gasoline, for a 24-hour period.
Joining Maher on the panel were former Democratic Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CNN host Fared Zakaria, who both weighed in on the state of the Democratic Party and offered suggestions on how to improve its electoral prospects.
Zakaria pointed out the variety of protest methods, including interpretive dance, and urged Democrats to look to the successes of former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, the only two Democrats since Franklin Delano Roosevelt to serve two terms.
Emanuel echoed Zakaria’s sentiment and criticized the direction the Democratic Party has taken. “What’s really crazy about where the party’s gone, it’s taken in identity politics, that the only way you have moral standing is if you’re somehow been hurt,” he said, adding, “And that is insane.”
The former Chicago Mayor also took aim at the current leadership in Chicago, accusing the government of becoming too “permissive” on crime and prioritizing niche liberal issues like transgender bathroom policies over crucial problems such as declining education standards.
