Part of the Problem – “Responding to Netanyahu”

Host: Dave Smith (with Robbie the Fire Bernstein)
Episode Date: August 28, 2025
Main Topic: Dave Smith and Robbie Bernstein respond in real time to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent appearance on Patrick Bet-David’s podcast, exploring Israel’s current PR offensive, the framing of Iran and Middle East conflicts, and broader themes in US and Israeli foreign policy.

Episode Overview

Dave Smith and Robbie Bernstein offer a libertarian analysis of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Western media and podcast blitz, focusing especially on Netanyahu’s comments about Iran’s history, Middle East war narratives, and the ongoing propaganda battle over Israel's actions and policies. The hosts dissect the way powerful political figures like Netanyahu construct narratives and attempt to shape public perception via new media platforms.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Netanyahu’s Podcast Offensive and Its Implications

• Netanyahu turning to podcasts: Dave and Robbie note the remarkable shift in media strategy, as Netanyahu and other world leaders recognize podcasts (not mainstream corporate media) as critical battlegrounds for public opinion.
  • Dave Smith [03:12]:
    “It’s so fascinating that Benjamin Netanyahu...knows that the way to try to fight this is to roll up his sleeves and get on podcasts...this is now where the narrative is being constructed."
• Softball vs. tough questions: Podcasts like Patrick Bet-David’s “offer much tougher questions” than traditional media, underscoring a changing information landscape.
  • Dave Smith [04:50]:
    “Benjamin Netanyahu is the guy who can go on any corporate media show...but he knows he’s got to go into the podcast space. That, to me, is just fascinating.”

2. On Platforming Controversial Leaders

• Dave pushes back against criticisms of “platforming” Netanyahu, arguing for more open, challenging conversations.
  • Dave Smith [10:56]:
    “Platforming is a bullshit leftist word...Like, it’s just too ridiculous. The guy is, let’s just say in terms of power dynamics, he’s doing quite well...We’d rather hear more than less.”

3. Patrick Bet-David and Netanyahu’s Iran Narrative

• Patrick Bet-David’s framing: Pat posits that Iran, pre-1979, was peaceful, with fewer wars/deaths, implying that the post-revolution Islamic regime unleashed chaos through the Middle East.
  • Patrick Bet-David [11:12]:
    “From 79 till today...low end, 600,000 people died in Iran, 2 million people in the Middle East...you have Houthis, you have all these other things they control.”
• Dave’s pushback: Points out the inaccuracies in this narrative, noting numerous Middle East conflicts before 1979, including those involving Israel, and the West’s own interventionist role.
  • Dave Smith [12:07]:
    “What are—is the implication here that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict didn’t really exist until the Iranian revolution?...it doesn’t seem to be borne out empirically by...the history of war and peace in the region.”

4. Netanyahu’s Response: Iran as the Perpetual Villain

• Netanyahu’s thesis: Attributes Iran’s economic struggles and regional instability to the “Islamist revolution,” claims Iran’s leaders “arm Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis,” and frames Iranian aggression as the root of all regional conflict.
  • Benjamin Netanyahu [18:52]:
    “Our goal that’s in their constitution, is to export the Islamic revolution worldwide. And that’s what they proceeded to do...they took all that money to arm Hezbollah, arm Hamas, arm the Houthis, and pervade terror around the globe.”
• GDP comparison and hypocrisy: Netanyahu contrasts Iran’s stagnant GDP with Israel’s growth, ignoring sanctions and massive Western support, and omitting the CIA-backed coup that installed the Shah.
  • Dave Smith [20:18]:
    “...to just sit there and say ‘well look, our GDP went up and theirs didn’t’...might that have something to do with the fact that...the most powerful government...has fully supported and funded Israel...and has done nothing but sanction and box out Iran?”

5. Podcasting Water Diplomacy and Mad Max Analogies

• Netanyahu brags about a video to Iranians promising Israeli water technology if they overthrow their leaders, claiming massive Iranian viewership.
  • Benjamin Netanyahu [26:57]:
    “I said, you know, we helped Iran, and we’re ready to help Iran with its water problems. And when you free yourselves of this tyranny, we’ll do it again."
• Robbie: Compares this to a Mad Max villain—offering basic resources in exchange for regime change.
  • Robbie Bernstein [27:48]:
    “He said, if you guys overthrow your leader, I’ll give you water. Tell me that’s not out of Mad Max...overthrow your leader, you’ll be safe with me, and I will give you the much needed resources...”

6. Inflating the Iranian Threat: Missiles to Florida

• Netanyahu alleges that Iran is developing ICBMs that could soon strike the US, despite no evidence Iran possesses nuclear weapons or such missile capabilities.
  • Benjamin Netanyahu [34:51]:
    “...they can reach Florida. Fort Lauderdale, New York, Washington, Boston, and after that, any other city in the United States. And they intend to put nuclear warheads on these ballistic missiles.”
• Dave calls out the classic hysteria and shifting justifications for war.
  • Dave Smith [36:46]:
    “...this is actually really fascinating...he is such a liar. Like, it is unbelievable...what they want to do is then put the nuclear weapons on them. Total fantasy, total war propaganda.”

7. Shifting Justifications and Memory-Holing History

• Hostages as a motif: Netanyahu and Pat conflate the Iranian Revolution and the US Embassy hostage crisis, portraying Iran as inherently anti-West.
  • Patrick Bet-David [40:54]:
    “Well, they took over, and then they took the American Embassy and held 50 hostages.”
• Dave details how this is misleading: the hostage crisis happened months after the revolution, triggered by specific American signals about the Shah. He also highlights Israel's cooperation with Iran (e.g., Iran-Contra) even after the revolution.
  • Dave Smith [41:00]:
    “...it was almost a full year until that happened, that it was not the first thing they did...that’s just not right...the embassy that they took was the embassy that they...launched the coup in 53 from.”

8. Narrative Sleight of Hand & War Salesmanship

• Robbie points out Netanyahu’s rhetorical strategies—floating big claims, then immediately pivoting to a new story, avoiding tough follow-ups.
  • Robbie Bernstein [48:48]:
    “It’s such a slick trick to just float that out there of ‘we’re fighting it over here, so you don’t have to fight it over there’ and then just divert the conversation…so that doesn’t have to be defended or addressed.”
• Dave exposes the constant refrain: Israel frames its wars as “fighting for the West,” when in reality the US would not need to fight these regional wars at all without its deep involvement.
  • Dave Smith [50:56]:
    “The idea that Israel will fight them so we don’t have to. No, we just don’t have to.”

9. Why Does the US Share Israel's Enemies?

• Dave asks why the US should automatically have the same enemies as Israel and emphasizes that interventionism creates more problems than it solves.
  • Dave Smith [54:40]:
    “The talking point is that we have all the same enemies as Israel...why is that?...maybe the whole beef is that we are involved in this fight to begin with. That seems much more likely.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Israel as a proxy for the West:

  • Dave Smith [36:46]:
    “...nothing I have more contempt for. It’s...worse than just war propaganda...somehow you find something worse...lying to get another country to come in and fight the war that you want to fight.”

• On race and nationalism:

  • Robbie Bernstein [24:56]:
    “It is kind of a racist perspective to go that the Persians are particularly wonderful people. Similar to the Jewish people. So what people do you think are worse strands of human beings?”

• On why “platforming” can be valuable:

  • Dave Smith [10:56]:
    “Stop complaining about people platforming him. Let him get up there. This was worth platforming him over. Because what’s the real admission here, Rob?”

• On foreign policy doublespeak:

  • Dave Smith [61:31]:
    “The idea that that has been the motivator of US or Israeli foreign policy is, is laughable to anyone who knows, like, the first thing about the last 25 years of US and Israeli foreign policy...”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Netanyahu’s embrace of podcasting – [03:12]
• On “platforming” and open dialogue – [10:56]
• Pat Bet-David’s Iran historical framing – [11:12]
• Dave’s pushback on war narrative – [12:07]
• Netanyahu’s economic & terror claims – [18:52]
• Water-for-regime-change, podcast view count – [26:57]
• Robbie’s Mad Max analogy – [27:48]
• Netanyahu inflating Iranian missile threat – [34:51]
• Dave: “pure fantasy, pure war propaganda” – [36:46]
• Hostage crisis and Iran retrospective – [41:00]
• Robbie on rhetorical tricks and pivoting – [48:48]
• Dave: Why do we share Israel’s enemies? – [54:40]
• Summation of foreign policy lessons – [61:31]

Tone and Delivery

• Wry, skeptical, and deeply informed. Dave and Robbie blend serious historical analysis and policy critique with their signature sarcasm and comedic riffing. They’re openly contemptuous of manipulative war propaganda yet encourage their audience to seek truth through tough questions, open dialog, and independent media consumption.

Conclusion

Dave and Robbie use Netanyahu’s high-profile podcast appearance as a springboard to dissect old and new narratives about Iran, Israel, and American involvement in the Middle East. From skewering misleading histories and fear-mongering war salesmanship to advocating for a less interventionist foreign policy, the episode stands as both real-time media criticism and a lesson in evaluating state propaganda—underscoring the importance of independent voices in turbulent times.