Podcast Summary: Part Of The Problem — Communism is Garbage (October 28, 2025)

Host: Dave Smith
Co-Host: Robbie the Fire Bernstein

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dave Smith and Robbie Bernstein turn their libertarian ire toward the persistent allure of socialism and communism, especially among young Americans and in the political rise of progressive candidates. Using New York politics, opinion polls, and policy pitches as catalysts, they discuss the intellectual and practical failures of communist and socialist thinking. The hosts also dissect how government intervention breeds further intervention, laying out their argument against expanding social programs and pointing toward historical “experiments” in communism as dire warnings. The tone is humorous, caustic, and unapologetically confrontational.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. AOC’s Political Trajectory & The State of Left Politics

• Dave’s Prediction: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is poised to become the Democratic nominee in 2028, outperforming establishment picks like Gavin Newsom because she has both establishment ties and grassroots appeal.
  • “She is actually the one who is, like, has a little bit of street cred with the progressives and the socialists, but also is kind of an establishment Democrat at heart. And that's just the right balance...” (05:02)
• Robbie’s Critique: AOC may win the nomination but doubts she’ll handle debates well or win broader appeal, citing the public’s wariness of “another stupid person” in politics and making personal, comedic jabs.
• Both agree mainstream Democratic options are weak or unlikable, with Dave framing AOC as “the most likely outcome” through process of elimination. (09:00)

2. Republican & Libertarian “Failure” on Defending Capitalism

• Young People Turning to Socialism: Both hosts express concern that youth are embracing socialism, even communism, out of disgust with “crony capitalism” and endless government bailouts for the rich.
  • “If people still are asking for [communism], then yeah, we've all failed. But obviously, Rob, to your point, no one owns that failure more than the freaking Republican party...” (16:40)
• Cites polls and Gen Z “MAGA” supporters echoing socialist sentiments.
• The hosts admit libertarians, the Cato/Mises Institutes, major right-leaning orgs—everyone—has failed to persuade the public or offer meaningful alternatives as the “devastating legacy” of communism lingers.

3. Core Critique of Socialist/Communist Arguments & Policies

• Free Stuff Fallacy: Dave and Rob scrutinize progressive platforms offering “free buses,” “rent freezes,” and “universal childcare,” epitomized by Zoran Mamdani’s NYC mayoral campaign promises.
  • [23:35] On Mamdani’s speech: “It's like, why shouldn't we just make everything free then? And also, what the hell do you even think it means to make things free? ... It's like you're promising alchemy.” (27:33)
• No Limiting Principle: They argue socialists never offer a boundary for government largesse.
  • “If this model works, if saying, if we can say the buses are free… why stop there?...why not pay people every time they get on the bus?” (25:14)
• Reductio ad Absurdum: Dave satirically proposes a mayoral platform where “everything is free” to illustrate the logical endpoint of socialist reasoning.

4. Government Intervention: The Real Source of Misery?

• Dave asserts that government programs designed to “help” (welfare, food stamps, rent controls) cause the very problems they're meant to solve—family breakdown, dependence, price inflation.
  • “You have these interventionist policies that undermine the, the, a healthy society, cause all of these problems... then you go, the only answer here is a socialist government program.” (36:02)
• Points out that before modern welfare states, mutual aid, family, and churches provided the safety net.
• Robbie: “It's the devil's trick of free government money is that it just increases the price on you and now you're more indebted or more reliant...” (38:28)

5. Desert Island Analogy & Basic Economic Principles

• Dave employs a recurring analogy:
  • If marooned on an island, decreeing “fish are free” doesn't produce more fish; only work, productivity, and voluntary cooperation create resources.
  • “All they can do is take…from the deep end and put it into the shallow end. You're not creating more water in the pool.” (24:47)
• He stresses that government doesn't “produce” — it reallocates, taxes, and regulates, often distorting or worsening outcomes.

6. Historical Failures of Communism and the Burden of Proof

• Dave draws on empirical cases:
  • “Literally…the north and South Koreans are the same people…but North Koreans are like, 3 inches shorter on average. We've run the experiment...East Germany and West Germany—same everything. The commies put up the wall because people were flooding out.” (67:36)
• He argues socialists today should be forced to explain their limiting principles, having seen such empirical disaster.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dave Smith, on free-market vindication:

  • “In both cases, we were totally vindicated…totally proven right. It was actually the best argument for being a libertarian.” (10:57)

• Robbie Bernstein, on “free” bus rides:

  • “It's shocking to me how bad things have got in New York City that people are excited over a free bus ride. No one even likes the buses. People want the subways fixed.” (28:41)

• Dave Smith on government promises:

  • “It's like, why shouldn't we just make everything free then?...What the hell do you even think it means to make things free? …It's like you're promising alchemy.” (27:33)

• Dave, on women in the workforce and taxes:

  • “[The government’s] taxing the Man’s labor, the woman’s labor, and a third party’s labor who's watching the kids…But then you're going to tell me about how the capitalists are exploiting me? What, that doesn't count as exploitation?” (55:39)

Segment Timestamps of Interest

• Predictions on 2028 Democratic Nominee (AOC): 03:30 – 09:45
• Republican & Libertarian Failure to Sell Free Markets: 15:45 – 18:00
• Critique of NYC Socialist Campaign Promises (Mamdani speech): 22:16 – 27:33
• Reductio ad Absurdum / “Everything Free” Argument: 24:47 – 28:41
• Dependency, Broken Families, and the Welfare State: 30:20 – 36:02
• Desert Island Analogy to Government Power: 39:43 – 45:59
• No Limiting Principle in Socialist Rhetoric: 46:43 – 54:45
• Historical Experiments in Communism: 67:23 – 69:41

Tone and Delivery

The episode keeps Dave and Rob’s usual libertarian, irreverent, and conversational style, mixing jokes and personal asides with fairly technical economic critique. They present their ideas with a lot of frustration (“the commies are pissing me off...”) but also self-deprecating humor about the futility of libertarian advocacy.

Final Thoughts

Dave and Robbie clearly see the return of socialist and even communist rhetoric in American politics as both intellectually bankrupt and profoundly dangerous, dismissing its economic theory as “garbage,” and emphasizing history’s damning verdict every time it’s been tried. They challenge listeners to demand limits and logic from anyone pitching free, government-provided everything—while making the case that only free people and markets can create prosperity or dignity.