President Obama-Maher Interview: 2016 Election, Democracy, Socialism, ‘People Are Basically Good’

U.S. President Barack Obama appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher last night in an interview previously taped at the White House, where the president and the host discussed a number of topics ranging from Obama’s smoking habit to the quality of journalism in the United States.

The Obama-Maher interview began with the Real Time host making a comparison between the end of the president’s term and retiring Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz.

Maher suggested that President Obama would be moving on to “great things in the next chapter” of his life.

“And I’m still hitting,” the president smiled, keeping the David Ortiz comparison going.

“And you’re still hitting,” Maher seemed more reserved than usual as he repeated President Obama’s words.

“But my feet hurt,” Obama joked.

The president said that “it’s time.” He described his two terms in the White House as a “singular privilege” and a “great run.”

Obama stated that, at this point in his career, he is able to “see the wisdom of the founders.”

“At a certain point, you have to let go for the democracy to work,” the president said. “That there has to be fresh legs.”

Bill Maher asked President Obama about socialism being perceived as a “dirty word” and stated that Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders had made it less so.

President Obama held up “advanced democracies,” such as Canada and Europe, where free markets exist in tandem with socialized aspects of society. The president stated that every economy has “some socialist elements.” He was adamant that health care should be socialized and cited a preference for a “one-payer system.”

The two agreed that free markets and capitalism are necessary to drive growth, productivity, and innovation, but that certain domains, including health care, prisons, the military, and elections, should be free of “profit motive.”

Maher added “news gathering” to this list, which Obama was reluctant to accept.

“That’s a tougher call,” President Obama said with regard to media.

The president started to address “state run” media when Bill Maher stopped him.

“Not state-run,” Maher clarified. “Just like it used to be, when it was a loss-leader.”

Obama explained that previously, media companies held monopolies that allowed them to keep loss-leading divisions. He expressed doubt that such a model would be sustainable in the current economic climate.

“How do we created a space,” Obama carefully considered his words, “where truth gets eyeballs? And it’s entertaining?”

The president replied that he had concerns with the “Balkanization of the media;” that with the internet and proliferation of news sources, knowing what the truth is can be challenging.

“People have difficulty figuring out what’s true and what’s not,” the president stated, to agreement from Bill Maher.

Obama used climate change as an example, where, if two or more groups are not working from a “common baseline of facts” it becomes difficult to have a productive conversation. He admitted that it is a problem for which a solution appears elusive, even to him. The president stated that it is a subject he intends to devote “more thought” to in the future.

Later in the interview, President Obama described the same issues with the media affecting students attempting to learn the truth while studying. He stated that giving students the tools to differentiate the “contestable” from the “incontestable” as being necessary to their development.

Other topics discussed in the Bill Maher-Obama interview included marijuana reform and the war on drugs; an admission that the president has quit smoking, but still chews nicotine gum; atheism and religion; science and religion; food purity and genetically modified organisms; obesity; policy implementation; the perception of the public by politicians and celebrities; information overload with U.S. citizens and their ability to make informed political decisions; his current approval levels; the working class; unions; the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau; “identity politics;” imperialism; defense spending; foreign policy; terrorism; the United States’ role as the “indispensable nation” when dealing with natural disasters, “rogue” nations, and human rights abuses; and the “tendency” of progressives to forget what a “great nation” the United States is.

“The most important office in a democracy is the office of citizen,” President Obama quoted Justice Louis Brandeis. “It’s not president, it’s not senator, it’s not mayor.”

“People are basically good.”

“The stakes are high,” President Obama said with regard to the 2016 election.

The president stated that a “protest vote” is a vote for Republican nominee Donald J. Trump.

Bill Maher thanked the president for the interview and his service to the country.

“You did a hell of a job in this office,” Maher said to President Obama.

“I appreciate it,” Obama replied.

[Featured Image by Ty Wright/Getty Images]