interesting. I've always agreed pretty much with everything Maher says and stands for (we differ a bit on Israel though) and think he's been rather funny and sharp on his tv shows.
If I'm recalling that Mellencamp episode (I'm gonna have to revisit it on youtube), wasn't the crux of the argument that the Red Staters were just "simple" folk, which JM was seeing as an honorable salt-of-the-earth type thing, whereas Maher thought that this ignorance was something that helped to cause GWB to be elected/re-elected, and shouldn't necessarily be celebrated?
ok, maybe I better watch that ep. again.
edit: found that clip.
[youtube]34uVX_NEbRA[/youtube]