BILL MAHER: I find that it's not the state you're in it's whether you're from a city or in the rural part of America. I've been to two cities in Alabama this year. I've been to Birmingham and Mobile. They look like everywhere else. They have a Pottery Barn and Thai food. And we're talking about the polarization in Washington. I wonder, people always talk about Washington, the politicians can't get along, I think maybe it's that the people are polarized and the politicians just reflect that and I feel like the reason the people are polarized is Fox News. I think of all the things that changed in America, Fox News changed the most. It used to be the John Birch Society came to your door once a year. Now they're in your TV in your living room everyday and we don't even know how to talk to each other. It's like we have a language barrier. because what they're hearing on Fox News -- it's the same people. It's like what? Saul Alinsky? We don't know who that is.



...



FMR. GOV. HALEY BARBOUR: In fairness, Fox News doesn't have a monopoly on television taking sides.



JERRY SEINFELD: Yeah, that's true.



BARBOUR: Take tonight, for instance. Bill Maher is a big personality in American politics.



MAHER: Well, thank you.



BARBOUR: We have those two moderates on the TV show -- Michael Moore and Keith Olbermann. Let's see, you have these four Republican congressmen you're trying to decide which one to assassinate.



[AUDIENCE LAUGHTER]



SEINFELD: I think that you'd have a better argument that each side just talks to its side, listens to its side.



MAHER: Right.



SEINFELD: That's polarizing. To blame it all on Fox News doesn't seem completely fair.



ANDREA MITCHELL: Couldn't you argue there are people out there who are fed up with everything that happens in this city and aren't voting, aren't involved. That’s the silent majority of middle, moderate, thoughtful people, who just want thoughtful people --



BILL MAHER: With all due respect, the opposite of fox news is not really me. It's MSNBC, which doesn't get near the ratings of Fox News because I think there is something in the conservative brain that wants to be hearing the same thing over and over and doing the same thing -- thing over and over. Liberals like different. Always a new restaurant. Conservatives are like no, I go to the diner and I get the number five every day.



HALEY BARBOUR: Those of us, including y'all who grew up in the time where we had three networks and two big newspapers and they all had the same message, same way. Fox News was the first thing to come along that gave a conservative point of view and as you say, there are big networks that are very, very left and I think there's a huge market in the middle of the United States. I think people want a common sense, straight talk problem solving. They want to get things done. Your point is the media has become as polarized is --



JERRY SEINFELD: That's not as entertaining as hysteria.



(HBO's Real Time, September 12, 2014)