Bill Maher warns Democrats not to ‘go back to bad ideas’ after sweeping midterm victories

Bill Maher urged Democrats not to treat their sweeping midterm wins as permission to revive policies he says could alienate voters and help Republicans regain support. He criticised positions such as defunding the police and not enforcing shoplifting laws, while arguing that voters had also rejected what he characterised as Republican cruelty.

Maher said political shifts are reactions to the previous administration and criticised both progressive virtue signalling and conservative “vice signalling”. He pointed to Democratic gains in Texas, including wins by James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa, and cited immigration enforcement shootings and cuts to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases as factors in the shift. The article says Democratic victories in several states gave the party majorities in both houses of Congress, as Republicans consider their strategy ahead of 2028.