Podcast Summary: Part Of The Problem – "The Dems Are Still A Hot Mess"

Host: Dave Smith
Co-host: Robbie “the Fire” Bernstein
Release Date: February 18, 2026

Overview

In this episode, Dave Smith and Robbie Bernstein dive into the chaotic state of the Democratic Party as America’s political landscape continues to shift. With Trump’s approval ratings tanking but the Democrats still lacking coherent leadership, the hosts examine key Democratic personalities, party strategy failures, and entertaining viral moments — especially highlighting AOC’s gaffes and the unlikely presidential buzz around sports commentator Stephen A. Smith. The show maintains a skeptical, comedic Libertarian tone throughout, challenging both parties’ competence and honesty.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Record-Low Approval & the State of Presidential Polls

• [03:11] Dave and Robbie play a CNN segment showing Trump’s approval at new lows (19-26 points underwater, worse than Biden’s first term).
  • Dave: “Presidents are just disliked now... It’s almost always a minority of the country who supports the current president.”
  • The duo mocks mainstream polling and points out how these trends mostly reflect deep public dissatisfaction, not a clear alternative rising.
• Robbie: “The reporting is, you know, fake news. And so there’s really no reason to see what CNN has to say about poll numbers, it’s not a bad breakdown, but, my God, did that guy annoy me?” [05:16]

2. Democrat Disarray: No Clear Leader, No Clear Message

• [08:35] Dave remarks on the Democrats’ inability to rally around a leader, running through the flaws in their top options: Gavin Newsom (slick but tied to failing CA policies) and AOC (charismatic, but lightweight).
  • Dave: “It kind of can’t be overstated...they really just do not have their s*** together.”
• Robbie: “I’ve said numerous times she’s too stupid to run…later in the episode we’re gonna have clips that showcase that.” [10:36]

3. AOC’s Viral Gaffes and Virtue-Signaling

First Clip: AOC accidentally says Venezuela is “below the equator” and uses a performative accent mid-answer.

• Dave [12:51]: “There’s this weird progressive virtue signaling...when they say a word that’s Spanish they have to break into this thick accent…we’ve all just rejected that because it’s so awful and stupid and selfish and immature.”
• The hosts argue this kind of behavior is a dead end for national politics; voters are tired of inauthentic pandering. Second Clip: AOC struggles to explain “rules based order” and “hypocrisy.” [24:42]
• Robbie: “Maybe she’s too smart for me because I’m not sure. I literally don’t know what she said.”
• Dave: “She went full Cami Harris on that one. Just putting words together that sound nice…”

4. The Progressive Phoniness Problem

• Both hosts highlight a recurring Democratic flaw: changing accents or personas for different audiences — Hillary, Kamala, Obama, and especially AOC.
• Dave: “Donald Trump is himself…if Donald Trump goes and speaks to a room, doesn’t matter who’s in that audience…The progressive Democrats…they will just become a different person.” [18:16]

5. Recycled Flawed Democratic Messaging

• Robbie: “Every time you get a little glimpse of a reminder of why we hated the Democrats so much, and they have no bench whatsoever.” [20:11]
• Newsom is noted as the likely standard-bearer, but seen as deeply unconvincing beyond TV performance.

6. Stephen A. Smith: The Unlikely Democratic "Sleeper"

• Dave builds a tongue-in-cheek but serious case for Stephen A. Smith as a Democratic dark horse in 2028.
  • Smith has “no policy views” but is a master of TV debate and inauthentic populism, unattached to Democratic baggage.
  • Dave: “He is positioned and skilled to maybe be able to pull this job off…He is really good at debating whatever the issue is.”
• Viral Clip [34:40]: Smith shrugs off concerns he’d face racism as a Black candidate, delivering a moderate, anti-woke, unity narrative.
  • Smith (quote): “I do believe a vast majority of Americans judge you on the content of your character rather than the color of your skin... it’s not about race…they got their own problems.” [34:43]
• Dave: “That is a really powerful political lane to run in…that’s where the energy is for the Democrats, if they were smart.” [36:15]
• Both note that, regardless of substance, TV-personality, fame, and authenticity now matter more in presidential politics than qualifications or deep beliefs.

7. AOC’s Economic Illiteracy

• [47:27] Hosts play an old AOC interview about inflation, where she blames “corporate greed” and “price gouging” for inflation, not government spending or stimulus.
  • Dave: “It’s like they have no idea that there’s this fundamental balance in the economy…None of us are greedy, it’s always the other guy.”
• Robbie: “The stupidity of if we gave people too much free money and that drove up prices, the idea that we then shouldn’t give people free money because it doesn’t actually work…” [55:05]
• The segment is used to showcase what the hosts see as a fatal philosophical flaw in modern progressivism: stubbornly ignoring basic economics to justify more state intervention.

8. Democratic Leadership’s Paralysis – Hakeem Jeffries Grilled

• [61:21] Dave introduces a viral interview with Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries, grilled by left activists about abolishing ICE.
• Jeffries evades the question and offers platitudes about “making life more affordable,” refusing to take a firm stance or debate honestly.
• Dave: “It’s a very specific question here…Are you for abolishing this organization or not? And he can’t just muster up the backbone...”
• The segment is used to drive home the point that Democratic leaders have no answers for their party’s warring wings — and seem unwilling or unable to pick an ideological lane.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Dave Smith [05:40]: “He’s really got just the type of awful gay energy that you don’t want at a party with you.”
• Dave Smith [12:51]: “That whole thing has been so soundly rejected by supermajorities of the American people, like wokeism and all of that.”
• Robbie the Fire [21:12]: “Every time you still flirt with these ideas that were widely rejected in the last election, you do kind of scratch your head and go, how are you guys not getting this?”
• AOC [24:18]: “I think what we identify is that in a rules based order, hypocrisy is vulnerability. And so I think what we are seeking is a return to a rules based order...”
• Stephen A. Smith [34:43]: “I do believe a vast majority of Americans judge you on the content of your character rather than the color of your skin.”
• Dave [54:16], on AOC’s defense of stimulus checks: “That is some high level question begging right there... just pure circular logic.”
• Robbie [57:00]: “It might be nicer if farts smelled like cookies, but they don’t.”
• Dave [64:10]: “Here’s the thing about taxes — they by definition make life less affordable because we all have to pay them!”

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:06–02:54: Banter & intro, referencing Trump’s approval ratings in new polls
• 03:11–05:49: CNN polling analysis, discussion on polling reliability
• 08:25–12:20: Dems’ leadership mess, AOC’s vulnerabilities
• 12:20–17:35: AOC’s Venezuela gaffe, performative accents, virtue signaling
• 20:11–23:33: Dems’ stubborn embrace of failed strategies, Newsom as frontrunner
• 24:42–25:11: AOC’s “rules-based order” clip, word salad criticism
• 34:40–36:15: Stephen A. Smith’s potential candidacy and his viral anti-victimhood remarks
• 47:27–57:00: AOC on inflation, mishandling basic economics, inflation blame game
• 61:21–67:00: Viral grilling of Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic leadership’s inability to answer activists
• 67:56–end: Closing thoughts — both parties are floundering, Democrats particularly so

Tone

The entire episode is punchy, irreverent, and unsparing — both hosts wield a combination of libertarian policy knowledge and stand-up comic timing to skewer Democrats’ internal dysfunction and the performative, pandering style of their most visible figures. The tone is dismissive of political tribalism and cynical about current leadership on both sides, with an undercurrent of exasperation at how shallow TV/popular culture has come to dominate national politics.

Takeaway

The main message: The Democratic Party remains a “hot mess,” incapable of capitalizing on Trump’s failures due to feckless leadership, outdated woke signaling, and a bench of candidates who are either deeply flawed (Newsom, AOC) or unserious (Stephen A. Smith). The episode argues for authenticity, substance, and a break from divisive, empty virtue-signaling, warning that otherwise voters will keep rejecting them. And, as always, plenty of laughs at the absurdity of it all.