Part Of The Problem - "The Coalition is Officially Dead" (March 19, 2026)
Episode Overview
In this episode, Dave Smith and co-host Rob dissect the massive political and cultural fallout from the recent resignation of Joe Kent, Director of Counterterrorism, over U.S. involvement in the Middle East war, particularly in relation to Israel and Iran. The main theme centers on the collapse of the Trump-led populist political coalition, driven by the administration's foreign policy decisions and the exposure of political, media, and institutional hypocrisy around the latest war. The hosts deliver a passionate, sharply critical libertarian review of U.S. foreign policy, the Israel lobby’s influence, Trump’s betrayal of his base, and the political/media establishment’s complicity.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Personal Updates & Grim National Mood
- Dave opens with personal anecdotes about returning from Disney with his family, juxtaposing normal family life with grave national news and a sense that "this is just like such a dark time for our country" [01:16].
- Sets the grim background for why the following political developments feel particularly significant.
2. Joe Kent’s Resignation: “A Goddamn Big Deal”
- Who: Joe Kent, Director of Counterterrorism (not Counterintelligence, as Dave briefly misspeaks)
- Why: Resigned over the U.S. entering the war with Iran, citing there was "no imminent threat" and specifically called out "Israel and the Israel lobby pulling us into a war" [03:55–05:55].
- Significance: "I've really never seen anything like this... It's not just that he said that, but it's also that he said that this war is like Israel and the Israel lobby pulling us into a war. This is a goddamn big deal for the Director of Counterterrorism." – Dave [05:55]
3. Tulsi Gabbard’s Role & Congressional Testimonies
- Criticism of Tulsi: Dave is sharply critical of Tulsi Gabbard, now Director of National Intelligence, for her evasive testimony before Congress regarding the basis for war.
- Key Moment: Congressional questioning where Tulsi avoids confirming any imminent Iranian nuclear threat, instead saying, "The only person who can determine what is and is not an imminent threat is the President." [42:23]
- Host response: "This is more comical than anything out of the George W. Bush administration... It's exactly your job [to assess threats]." – Dave [42:51]
- Context: Tulsi had long warned about the risk of war with Iran, positioning herself as anti-war, but now refutes her past stances in testimony, leading Dave to call her “the Colin Powell of this administration” [10:35, 42:51].
4. The Administration’s Duplicity & Collapse of Populist Coalition
- Trump’s Actions:
- Dismissed intelligence warnings, instead “going with his gut” and “what donors and other country leaders want” [45:45].
- Blamed Kent as “always weak on security” after his whistleblowing [48:20].
- Prioritizes Israel’s interests over American voters (and over his own stated platform).
- Impact: Smith repeatedly insists Trump “murdered his coalition”: “You pick a side so strong like that and say the ones attacking them are wrong. And like, first of all, the ones attacking him are all really playing defense… You blow up your coalition.” [57:28]
- Media’s Role: Both the legacy and online media, including even “the never Trumpers” and figures like Mark Levin, have exposed themselves by gleefully supporting war and smearing dissenters.
5. Media Acquiescence & Manipulation
- CNN’s “100% Approval” Poll:
- Hosts lampoon CNN's stat claiming “100% of MAGA” support Trump post-war, showing how media redefines "the base" to fit their narrative (now defined as only those who still support Trump, regardless of prior positions).
- Rob satirizes: "You can conduct this poll by calling people and go, ‘Hey, I saw you were a Donald Trump voter. Do you support this war?’ And they say, 'No.' And then you go, ‘Well, you’re not MAGA.’” [68:40]
- Both hosts argue the only true constant in media is the push for more war, even when it means supporting their former political enemy.
6. Critique of Conservative Media Figures
- Dave and Rob call out right-wing media personalities for “goalpost moving” and sacrificing integrity to sell the war, e.g. Ben Shapiro, Mark Levin, Steven Crowder, Will Chamberlain: “You were just saying this the other day. You were just saying that this isn't what was going to happen.” [52:15, 57:06]
- Dave mocks Trump’s open embrace of Levin, while spurning former allies like Tucker Carlson, Thomas Massie, Candace Owens, and the “surging” populist right [57:28].
7. Nature of Political Coalitions & Breaking Point
- Smith emphasizes that for many on the right, being lied into another Middle East war was always a true “deal breaker”:
- “There's just too many of us, we're not going to go for this. Doesn’t matter however you dress it up.” [75:39]
- “If it's gonna be this, I don't want a coalition with you against anything… And, OK, I might be 0% of MAGA Republicans, but I don't give a f***.” [77:45]
- Trump’s coalition is gone; the base is “destroyed,” and no establishment Republican (e.g., Marco Rubio) could repair it.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Joe Kent’s resignation:
“This is a goddamn big deal for the Director of Counterterrorism…It’s a big deal to have that guy resign anyway, in verbatim that this is a war on behalf of Israel.” – Dave [05:55, 14:16] -
On Tulsi Gabbard:
“She is the Colin Powell of this administration.” – Dave [10:35]
“What a fucking evil person Tulsi Gabbard turned out to be. She’s lying us into war… If there was an imminent threat, then the answer to that question is yes. She can't say that because she knows it's not true.” [42:51–44:15] -
On Trump blowing up his base:
“An absolute given is that Donald Trump has murdered his coalition. Murdered. It's just absolutely ruined. And anybody telling you anything else is just out of their mind.” – Dave [29:23] -
On media’s poll gymnastics:
“Did you first think to yourself, when have you look at what they're doing? When have you ever seen anyone measure polls by what MAGA Republicans think? What the fuck does that even mean?” – Dave [67:14–68:40] -
On coalition-breaking wars:
“If it’s gonna be this, I don’t want a coalition with you against anything… You’re every bit as bad as the thing we were coalitioning against.” – Dave [79:39]
Important Segment Timestamps
- Joe Kent’s Resignation and Explanation
[03:55–08:33, 14:16] - Debate Over Tulsi Gabbard’s Congressional Testimony
[17:11–24:15, 40:03–44:15] - Trump’s Responsibility and Response
[48:47–52:02, 57:28–65:14] - CNN’s 100% MAGA Poll Segment
[65:27–71:05] - Reflections on Coalition Breaking and Conservative Media
[72:23–82:54]
Episode Tone & Style
- Unfiltered, passionate, and darkly humorous.
- Dave is unflinching in his criticism, especially targeting hypocrisy, war propaganda, and betrayal of populist/anti-war principles.
- Rob provides frequent comic relief and sharp satirical asides, but both maintain a sense of urgency and seriousness given the subject matter.
- Direct language and rhetorical flourishes abound (“murdered his coalition,” “lying us into a war,” “this is North Korea shit,” etc.), staying true to their populist libertarian roots.
Conclusion
This episode serves as a hard-hitting libertarian post-mortem on the death of the Trumpian anti-establishment coalition, exposing the war establishment’s bipartisan stranglehold and the media’s unwavering support for war—regardless of who the president is. Dave and Rob articulate the reasons for the coalition's collapse, highlight the hypocrisy of political and media actors, and make it clear that for a huge swath of former Trump supporters and anti-war conservatives, a regime change war for Israel is a principled red line that destroys any possibility of political unity.
For listeners (or readers) seeking a compact but comprehensive understanding of how the war, political betrayals, and media spin have converged to shatter the last decade’s populist movement, this episode encapsulates the outrage and recalibration occurring on the anti-war right in 2026.