On his Club Random podcast, HBO host Bill Maher said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez could be a strong presidential contender if she underwent some "deprogramming" to broaden her appeal beyond the far left, sparking a sharp back-and-forth with comedian Patton Oswalt over the Democratic Party’s direction.
Bill Maher argued that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has major political talent but would need “some deprogramming” to win nationally, during a conversation with comedian Patton Oswalt on a recent episode of Maher’s Club Random podcast.
Oswalt brought up the viral clip of Ocasio-Cortez dancing on a college rooftop, saying she looked “happy and beautiful and cool.” Maher replied, “Yeah, and if she had some deprogramming, she could be such a fantastic candidate.” When Oswalt asked what he meant, Maher said, “She’s never going to resonate with people outside of the bubble that she lives in and the very far left.”
Maher added that Democrats need to move to the middle to win, citing what he described as a recent “huge” New York Times editorial making a similar case. Outlets that covered the exchange noted he did not specify which editorial he meant. According to Mediaite and the Daily Caller, Maher framed the takeaway this way: “The only way the Democrats will ever win again … is to be more moderate.”
Oswalt pushed back. “If people think she’s too far left, then that shows another way this country is broken right now,” he said, arguing that the left has largely followed science on hot-button issues. Maher disagreed, saying the country isn’t “broken” so much as not aligned with AOC’s politics, and contended that “the left freaked out about a lot of bullsh*t,” listing gender, race, parenthood, schools, homelessness, crime, the border and education. When Oswalt said “the left certainly stayed scientific,” Maher responded, “No, they didn’t! … they think gender bull***t that they went way too far with. That’s not scientific.”
The exchange, reported by the Daily Wire and by other outlets including Mediaite and the Daily Caller, underscored an ongoing debate among liberals over ideology and electability — and whether moderation remains the Democrats’ most viable path in national races.
