Rated: TV-MA for Adult Content (AC) and Adult Language (AL)
Tonight's episode is Live from L.A.
Special guest Terry McAuliffe joined Bill via satellite to talk about the Democratic Party, when Bill dove right in. With a poll showing that 70% of Americans believe Saddam Hussein had something to do with the 9/11 attack, he wanted to know what's wrong with the Democrats and why aren't they getting the message out that it is now fairly clear that he did not have anything to do with 9/11. Bill then wanted to know what would happen to current Democratic front-runner and Iraq war opponent Howard Dean if Hussein, Bin Laden or weapons of mass destruction were found. Bill also wanted to know if, all things being equal, Kerry deserved the Party's nod because of his military service. Finally, he asked McAuliffe if Dean's low appeal to minority voters would present a problem for the Party if he were nominated.
Bill then introduced his roundtable guests, Betsy Hart, Paul Krugman, and Jesse Ventura. Bill started things off by noting the passing of the second anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and the changed mood from the previous anniversary. He then asked Krugman what he thought of the Bush Presidency given his critique of the decision to attack Iraq and the subsequent impact on the economy. There then followed a free wheeling discussion on the subject by the roundtable. The discussion then moved to the question of if the attacks have made the public passive and accepting of what our government tells us. The conversation then shifted to the Governor of Alabama's failed attempt to sell a tax increase to the state's voters as being the Christian thing to do. Krugman then argued with Ventura about Ventura's call for reliance on a sales tax mechanism, and how it is highly regressive and unfair to the poor. The two of them then argued about farm subsidies, where Krugman futilely pointed out the government sets a floor on crop prices, not a ceiling as argued by Ventura.
Bill then introduced his special guest musician Liz Phair to talk about Internet enabling music piracy. After talking with Phair, Bill spoke about his dismay that Tommy Chong was sentenced to nine months in prison for a venture he ran that sold bongs over the Internet. Bill then gave this week's New Rules.

Episode Viewers and Ratings

Season 1 Episode 18 of Real Time with Bill Maher resulted in a 0.00 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

Real Time with Bill Maher Season 1 Episodes...

• s01e01 - Premier Episode
• s01e02 - February 28, 2003
• s01e03 - March 7, 2003
• s01e04 - March 14, 2003
• s01e05 - March 21, 2003
• s01e06 - March 28, 2003
• s01e07 - April 4, 2003
• s01e08 - April 11, 2003
• s01e09 - April 18, 2003
• s01e10 - April 25, 2003
• s01e11 - July 25, 2003
• s01e12 - August 1, 2003
• s01e13 - August 8, 2003
• s01e14 - August 15, 2003
• s01e15 - August 22, 2003
• s01e16 - August 29, 2003
• s01e17 - September 5, 2003
• s01e18 - September 12, 2003
• s01e19 - September 19, 2003
• s01e20 - September 26, 2003

Real Time with Bill Maher Show Summary

Real Time with Bill Maher is a talk show that airs every friday night on HBO, hosted by comedian and political satirist Bill Maher. Much like Politically Incorrect on ABC, Real Time features a panel of guests that discuss current events in politics and the media. It is an hour-long program that is filmed in front of a studio audience in Fairfax, Los Angeles.