The recent clash between Douglas Murray and Dave Smith on Joe Rogan’s podcast exposed deep cracks in the conservative movement. Murray, a fierce defender of Western values, pushed back hard against the rising tide of anti-Israel rhetoric and conspiracy theories flooding popular media. Smith, a libertarian comic, blasted Murray as an out-of-touch elitist who wants to silence ordinary Americans from questioning the establishment.
Murray didn’t hold back. He called out Rogan for giving a megaphone to unqualified “armchair experts” pushing dangerous lies about history and global conflicts. “You’re not just asking questions—you’re telling people what to think,” Murray fired at Smith, slamming the comedian’s anti-Zionist takes on Gaza. For patriots tired of seeing Israel demonized, Murray’s defense of the Jewish state hit like a breath of fresh air.
Smith shot back, arguing free speech means every American—not just Ivy League eggheads—gets to weigh in on politics. “Since when do we need permission slips from Oxford to have opinions?” he sneered. His populist rant resonated with listeners fed up with coastal elites dictating what’s “acceptable” to discuss. But critics warned this “anything goes” approach lets conspiracy peddlers like Holocaust revisionists go unchecked.
Rogan mostly played referee but seemed to side with Smith’s anti-expertise angle. “People are sick of being lied to by so-called professionals,” the host shrugged, ignoring Murray’s point that real-world experience in war zones beats comedy-club hot takes. Rogan’s refusal to rein in misinformation left many conservatives shaking their heads—since when does the Right embrace “do your own research” laziness?
The Gaza debate ripped open the movement’s divides. Murray champions strong alliances with Israel as a bulwark against radical Islam. Smith dismisses Zionism as “tribalism,” echoing leftist talking points that downplay Hamas terrorism. For voters who see Israel as America’s last sane ally, Smith’s stance feels dangerously naïve—a slippery slope to the anti-West agendas dominating universities.
Murray later clarified: “Experts failed us on COVID and Ukraine, but that doesn’t mean we let comedians rewrite history.” His message to Glenn Beck’s audience was clear—discard failed elites, but don’t swap them for unserious clowns. Experience still matters, whether battling terrorists abroad or woke mobs at home.
Conservatives are split. Some cheer Smith for torching credential-obsessed gatekeepers. Others warn that mocking expertise while embracing TikTok historians will collapse the Right into another QAnon laughingstock. “Freedom requires responsibility,” Murray argued. “You can’t fight Marxist professors by platforming guys who think Churchill started WWII.”
As the 2024 election heats up, this feud forces conservatives to choose: populist rage against the machine, or Murray’s call for wisdom earned through boots-on-the-ground truth-seeking. One path risks surrendering to chaos. The other demands adult leadership in an age of childish conspiracy theories.
