Every now and then, Bill Maher shocks his fellow liberals with some common sense. Friday night was one of those days as the HBO host closed Real Time with a commentary lecturing them to not equate the violent thugs who stormed the Capitol with 74 million Americans who may have voted for Donald Trump because of policy. He also eviscerated left-wing California as a red tape-filled bureaucratic mess.  Maher, who has been very tough on Islamic extremism, got this zing in at the left: “As bad as last week was... let's not confuse 5,000 people with 74 million. Yes, even supporting the insurrection in spirit is, well, deplorable,  but there's a difference between holding illiberal beliefs and acting violently on them — at least that's what they always told me about Islamic terrorism.”    He also threw some cold water on liberal dreams of a permanent Democratic majority. [Language warning.]  There's been so much liberal happy talk the last week, jerking each other off about how, “Oh, this is the end of the Republicans now.” Yeah just like Watergate was the end of the Republicans, and Bush after Katrina was, and now it's Trump. Please, does anyone think that no matter who's running in 2024 on election day it won't be extremely close? I'll bet anyone out there a quadrillion-zillion dollars it will be.  But he wasn’t done offering a reality check for fellow liberals. Regarding the death of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt, Maher pointed out what state the deceased woman lived in:         ‘     Maybe since all politics is local, all she [Ashli Babbitt] knew was that she lives in a state that seems to care more about her toxic whiteness than her toxic brokenness, and that the state that's run entirely by Democrats? Yeah, they didn't stop anyone from charging her 169 percent interest  on a loan either. It shouldn't be that surprising that America is full of fed up, unhappy people who just want to break shit.  ... California, yeah, that’s a swamp too. We can't put up a housing unit for the homeless for less than 500K or build a rail line connecting the state for less than two hundred million dollars a mile. Even though in France, with all their socialism, they did it for more like 15 million. California is a blue state that is completely held together by red tape it's no wonder people are leaving in droves. Even though he’s a partisan liberal, Bill Maher has occasional moments of clarity that many others in the liberal media do not. Perhaps they should listen a little closer to the liberal comic.  (Former NBC and CBS journalist Katie Couric also appeared on Friday’s show to compare Mitt Romney to Nelson Mandela. Maher shot back: “"I think he suffered less, but yes.”) A partial transcript is below. Click “expand” to read more.   Real Time 1/15/2021 10:49 PM ET  BILL MAHER: And finally new rule, as bad as last week was —  worst school trip ever —  let's not confuse 5,000 people with 74 million. Yes, even supporting the insurrection in spirit is, well, deplorable,  but there's a difference between holding illiberal beliefs and acting violently on them - at least that's what they always told me about Islamic terrorism.  I keep wrestling on this show with the hard question of how do Americans —  all of us —  learn to share a country with assholes you can't stand. I've preached, and still do, that you can hate Trump, but not all the people who like him. And as counterintuitive as it may seem, you can like something run by assholes without being one yourself. Just ask Chick-fil-A. There's been so much liberal happy talk the last week, jerking each other off about how, “Oh, this is the end of the Republicans now.” Yeah just like Watergate was the end of the Republicans, and Bush after Katrina was, and now it's Trump. Please, does anyone think that no matter who's running in 2024 on election day it won't be extremely close? I'll bet anyone out there a quadrillion-zillion dollars it will be. Because 74 million Trump voters are not self-deporting, and neither are we. ... MAHER: So should Ashli Babbitt have applied better logic in seeing that her real problem in life wasn't pedophile Democrats or Antifa, and that people like Elizabeth Warren were actually the ones who at least were trying to do something about predatory lending and economic exploitation? Yes, but not everyone can watch MSNBC all day. She had other priorities like fighting overseas. And maybe since all politics is local, all she knew was that she lives in a state that seems to care more about her toxic whiteness than her toxic brokenness, and that the state that's run entirely by Democrats? Yeah, they didn't stop anyone from charging her 169% interest  on a loan either. It shouldn't be that surprising that America is full of fed up, unhappy people who just want to break shit. Trump sure didn't drain any swamps, but when it comes to graft and corruption and everybody wetting his beak, California, yeah, that’s a swamp too. We can't put up a housing unit for the homeless for less than 500K or build a rail line connecting the state for less than two hundred million dollars a mile. Even though in France, with all their socialism, they did it for more like 15 million. California is a blue state that is completely held together by red tape it's no wonder people are leaving in droves.