Podcast Summary: The Rubin Report

Episode: CNN Panel Looks Angry as Republican Points Out How Dems Shutdown Backfired
Host: Dave Rubin
Date: November 11, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Dave Rubin analyzes the recent government shutdown and its aftermath, focusing on how the Democratic approach to the shutdown ultimately backfired. Using CNN panel reactions and a slew of political commentary clips, Rubin breaks down the political maneuvering, in-fighting among Democrats, and what all this means for the future of both parties—especially the Democrats. In his signature irreverent tone, Rubin underscores the dysfunction within Democratic leadership, their internal civil war, missed political opportunities, and shifting perceptions toward Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

Key Discussion Points

1. Veterans Day: Media and Social Reflection

• Rubin opens with a reflection on Veterans Day and laments that social media recognition for such holidays has faded, becoming replaced by endless political bickering.
  • [04:12] “I really did not even realize it was Veterans Day, which is one of the most important holidays that we have ... none of us would be here, we wouldn’t have the freedom to fight about nonsense all day long.”
• Shares a Ronald Reagan quote to honor veterans:
  • [05:01] “Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference in the world. A veteran does not have that problem.”

2. The Government Shutdown: Blame, Backfire, and Political Theater

Shutdown Ends: Who Caved?

• The government shutdown is over after several Senate Democrats crossed the aisle. Rubin rattles off their names and frames this as a political loss for Democrats, who—according to him—got “nothing” for their trouble except a backlash from their base.
  • [07:33] “All they needed was a couple [Democrats] to jump across the aisle ... and now the lunatics, meaning the AOC moron Zamboni branch ... they’re gonna try to take out anyone who decided to open up the government.”

CNN Panel Clip: GOP Pundit Dismantles Dem Narrative

• Scott Jennings (Republican pundit) debates a young Democrat over who is to blame for the shutdown, with Jennings asserting Democrats engineered the impasse for political purposes.
  • Jennings: [09:37] “Part of the reason they shut it down was to get through tonight [Election Night]... this was a political shutdown and now we're through the election.”
  • Rubin: “Jennings predicted it perfectly ... Democrats wanted this to get through Election Day, they caved afterwards.”

Broader Analysis: Did Democrats “Win” Anything?

• The result, says Rubin, is what was always on the table: a “clean CR”—no extractions, no policy wins, just political theater.
  • [14:00] “This was all pointless ... the Democrats who were screaming this is gonna kill people ... all they ended up doing was signing the clean CR ... completely on the Democrats.”

3. Political Infighting and Leadership Turmoil

Pre-Ordained Collapse: John Kennedy’s Prediction

• Senator John Kennedy’s prediction (19 days prior) that Schumer would send a small group of Democrats to reopen the government so he could save face proved accurate.
  • [20:36] Kennedy: “He doesn’t want it to look like a mutiny, because then he looks weaker ... that’s how this thing will get open.”
  • Rubin: “19 days ago John Kennedy got it perfectly right ... Chuck Schumer did exactly what Kennedy laid out.”

Aftermath and Blame

• [22:44] Kennedy (post-shutdown): “Schumer chose to have this shutdown ... he just dug up more snakes than he could kill.”
• Rubin: “Schumer gets nothing out of this. They hate him even more now.”

Schumer and Jeffries: Out of Touch with Their Base

• Clips of Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries showing them failing to rally their party and being outflanked by progressives.
  • Schumer: [32:00] “This fight will and must continue ... the American people know who is inflicting this health care trauma on them—Donald Trump and the Republicans.”
  • Rubin: “In a weird way, I have sympathy with Chuck Schumer ... he needed to do some housekeeping within his own party. He didn’t do it. You let the inmates in, now they’re running the asylum.”

4. Progressive Pressure and the Future of the Democrats

Bernie Sanders and the Coming Purge

• Bernie Sanders wants to primary moderate Democrats and “take on the establishment.”
  • [50:05] “I think we need to take on the Democratic side, establishment all over this country.”
  • Rubin: “Chuck thought he could just feed them a little something ... keep the barbarians at the gate ... now the barbarians are in.”

Gavin Newsom: Next in Line?

• Extended takedown of Gavin Newsom, his ambitions, policy record, and dishonesty about his presidential aspirations.
  • [56:40] Newsom (denying presidential run): “No. God, I know that seems the most miserable job in the world ... No ... No, no, no.”
  • Rubin: “Nothing I dislike more than the politician that sits there and lies to you ... you know damn well he is gonna do it.”
• Skewers Newsom’s take on climate, crime, business flight, and the credit claimed for Elon Musk’s success.
  • [01:03:40] “There’d be no Elon Musk as we know him today, forgive us, had not been ... because of California’s regulatory environment...”

New Progressive Faces: Zorhan Mamdani, Jasmine Crockett, and Radical Staff

• New York and Texas progressives get the spotlight as examples of activists-turned-politicians with little executive experience but plenty of zeal.
  • Rubin: “Has she [Jasmine Crockett] accomplished anything in her life? ... But she’s got a brand and it’s a slick brand.”

5. SNAP, Healthcare Policy, and Political Hypocrisy

• Extended discussion of the food assistance (SNAP) narrative, Democrats’ campaign to frame the GOP as cruel, and the spectacle of liberal pundits like Sunny Hostin and Elizabeth Warren lamenting “starved” Americans during the shutdown—while, Rubin says, doing nothing tangible themselves.
  • [39:24] Rubin: “Progressives don’t actually want to be good. They want to pretend they are good while using your money. That’s how it works.”
  • Sanders and other progressives argue Dem establishment is out of touch and should be replaced.

6. Shifting Perceptions of Trump and the GOP

Notable Interview: Cheryl Hines and Bill Maher on Trump

• Rubin spotlights a conversation from Bill Maher’s podcast with Cheryl Hines (RFK Jr’s wife), where they begrudgingly acknowledge positive qualities in Trump, especially his aversion to war and his personal decency.
  • [01:23:30] Cheryl Hines: “That’s the thing that I find I really like about Trump ... he talks about wars and Ukraine, and he will say they're losing people on both sides.”
  • Bill Maher: “I got a guy who looked at my eye, was listening to what I said, waited until I finished.”
  • Rubin: “Five years ago they would have had Trump Derangement Syndrome ... Now all they see is that actually, maybe, just maybe, Trump isn’t a monster.”

The Republicans as the "Kind Ones"

• Discussion about how old Democrat-aligned public figures are finding Republicans surprisingly welcoming and civil.
  • [01:27:44] Cheryl Hines: “The Republicans have been very kind to me from the beginning ... I can't say that for the Democrats.”
  • Rubin: “Everyone thinks politics is about policy ... but it actually is quite human.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Shutdown:

  • "The irony is, Jake, it really was a shutdown about nothing. I mean, what we're voting on is effectively exactly what we offered them several weeks back." — Senate Majority Leader Mike Johnson to Jake Tapper, [17:35]

• On Dem Infighting:

  • “If Chuck told some of the Democrats to go join the Taliban, they would say, where’s the line, Mr. Leader?” — Sen. John Kennedy, [20:36]

• On Progressive Strategy:

  • “Chuck thought he could just feed them a little something ... keep the barbarians at the gate. But now the barbarians are in.” — Dave Rubin, [50:25]

• On Political Branding:

  • “Why is she [Jasmine Crockett] going to run? Because she’s known and she has a brand ... not for her ideas or accomplishments.” — Dave Rubin, [01:13:37]

• On Shifting Perceptions:

  • “The difference is ... I can't say that for the Democrats. [Republicans] have been very kind ... it’s not the Democrats we grew up with.” — Cheryl Hines, [01:27:44]

• On Humanizing Trump:

  • “What surprised me the most ... I was surprised he really likes to listen to people. He’s very curious.” — Cheryl Hines, [01:24:55]

Notable Timestamps

• [04:12] Veterans Day Reflection
• [07:33] Government Shutdown Recap
• [09:37] CNN Clip: Jennings vs Young Democrat
• [14:00] Rubin Explains the Meaningless Outcome
• [17:35] Mike Johnson on the “Shutdown About Nothing”
• [20:36] Sen. John Kennedy's Accurate Shutdown Prediction
• [22:44] Kennedy on Schumer “digging up more snakes”
• [32:00] Schumer’s Speech: “We must fight...”
• [39:24] Rubin: The Reality of Progressive Policy on SNAP
• [50:05] Bernie Sanders Outlines Progressive Takeover
• [56:40] Gavin Newsom’s Presidential Denials
• [01:03:40] Newsom’s Claim on Musk and California’s Regulatory Environment
• [01:13:37] Branding over Substance: Crockett’s Senate Run
• [01:23:30] Cheryl Hines and Bill Maher Discuss Trump’s Anti-War Stance
• [01:24:55] Cheryl Hines on Trump: “He really likes to listen to people.”
• [01:27:44] Cheryl Hines on Party Civility

Episode Tone & Style

Rubin’s tone is irreverent, sarcastic, and politically combative, with plenty of asides and pop culture references. He frequently mocks media figures (e.g., Abby Phillip, Sunny Hostin), highlights hypocrisy on the left, and openly roots for discord among Democrats.

Conclusion & Takeaways

• The shutdown, ultimately, was a political theater—Democrats hoped to blame Republicans but ended up caving with no tangible victories.
• The Democratic Party is in disarray, with leadership under threat from progressives eager to primary moderates and seize control.
• Rubin highlights an evolving media landscape: high-profile former Democrats increasingly see the GOP and even Trump in a softer light.
• The episode ends with a call for Americans to gravitate toward reason and moderation, warning of the danger posed by radicalism on both sides.

For anyone seeking a rapid yet detailed understanding of the state of US partisan politics post-shutdown, Rubin’s episode delivers a thorough, highly opinionated, and—per his style—unfiltered picture of the present climate and what may be coming next.