Comedian and Real Time host Bill Maher said Friday evening that liberals are “wildly” misinformed about the dangers of the novel coronavirus.
As reported by The Washington Examiner, Maher argued that liberals live in their own bubble and think they are much better informed than conservatives.
However, as Maher pointed out, polling data shows that liberals believe COVID-19 is far more dangerous than science suggests.
“Liberals often mock the Republican misinformation bubble. But what about liberals? You know, the high-information, by-the-science people,” Maher asked.
Gallup Poll
Maher pointed to a recent poll from Gallup, which found that a majority of liberals don’t actually know how dangerous COVID-19 is.
“In a recent Gallup survey, Democrats did much worse than Republicans at getting the right answer to the fundamental question: ‘What are the chances that someone who gets COVID will need to be hospitalized?'” Maher explained.
“The answer is between one and 5 percent. … Forty-one percent of Democrats thought it was over 50 percent! Another 28 percent put the chances at 20 percent to 49 percent. So, almost 70 percent of Democrats are wildly off on this key question.”
Media
Maher accused the media of covering the pandemic in an overwhelmingly negative way and suggested that the press is to blame for why so many Americans are misinformed about the novel virus.
“The more they can get you to stay inside and watch their panic p*rn, the higher the ratings,” Maher ripped the press, pointing to a study from Dartmouth College.
The study, as The Washington Examiner noted, showed that media coverage of the pandemic has been more negative in the U.S. than anywhere else.
GOP Governors
Maher also praised Republican governors for reopening their states, suggesting that their actions show lockdowns are unnecessary at this point.
“Texas lifted its COVID restrictions recently, and their infection rate went down in part because people getting outside to let the sun and wind do their thing,” the comedian said, praising Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
Maher then commended Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. He said DeSantis is “a voracious consumer of the scientific literature, and maybe that’s why he protected his most vulnerable population, the elderly, way better than did the governor of New York.”
Maher On COVID-19
Maher has previously discussed the coronavirus pandemic on his show.
In June last year, the comedian suggested that lockdowns and social distancing measures may have fueled the Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality.
Earlier this year, as The Daily Beast reported, Maher speculated that COVID-19 may have originated in a laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
During a conversation with biology professors Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying, Maher claimed that it seems likely COVID-19 escaped from research facilities.
Both Weinstein and Heying appeared to agree with the comedian.
