"Real Time" host Bill Maher made the case Friday night that the "one good thing" to come from the coronavirus outbreak is that it had sidelined Joe Biden from the campaign trail.
"No, seriously," Maher said during the show's panel segment, "because first of all, a campaign is a marathon, you know that. I don't think he was up for a marathon. I think he would have been worn down already in the campaign by this time if he had to be out there everyday.
"Plus, let's be honest," Maher added. "He's a bit of a gaffe machine. He'd be saying all sorts of different things."
Both critics and Democratic allies have made reference to Biden being "stuck in his basement" in recent months amid the pandemic, popping up for the occasional public appearance. But during the panel discussion, Maher insisted it was for the best.
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Maher then argued that what people want is "not Donald Trump" and that Biden is "that guy."
"It's the idea of Joe Biden that we like. Maybe not the guy himself so much," Maher chuckled.
"It's the idea of Joe Biden that we like. Maybe not the guy himself so much."
Democratic strategist James Carville pushed back, defending Biden and his campaign's performance amid the 2020 race.
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"First of all, I think that the Biden campaign has actually been pretty smart so far," Carville said. "I think his performance in the debates, particularly in the debate before South Carolina, was quite strong. I think his appearances and so forth, albeit limited, have been really good. By the way, he's been running on the most progressive platform in the history of the Democratic Party, alright? It's not like he's not for a lot of things that progressives can't be excited about."