The clash between intellectual heavyweight Douglas Murray and anti-establishment comic Dave Smith on Joe Rogan’s podcast has exposed a deep split in conservative circles. Their fiery debate over Israel’s fight against Hamas terrorism revealed two competing visions for the Right – one rooted in facts and moral clarity, the other in distrust of experts and institutions.
Murray stood firm as America’s closest ally battles pure evil, calling out Smith’s dangerous lies about Israel committing “genocide.” The British writer reminded listeners that Hamas butchers burned babies alive and uses civilians as human shields. He warned that dismissing experts while platforms spread terrorist propaganda puts Western civilization at risk.
Smith fired back with angry rants about “Zionist lobbies” controlling America, sounding more like a campus protester than a patriot. His claims that Israel “steals land” and “oppresses Palestinians” parrot terrorist sympathizers, not conservatives. It’s shameful seeing a Jewish voice amplify Hamas talking points while brave IDF soldiers root out Jew-hating killers.
The real fight came over experts. Murray argued that dismissing all authority figures helps our enemies, pointing to COVID lies and Ukraine war misinformation. Smith mocked degrees and credentials, calling experts “gatekeepers.” But when a comic with no military experience lectures a terrorism scholar about Gaza, something’s broken.
Rogan later blasted Murray’s “hypocrisy,” noting even intellectuals make mistakes. The podcaster’s millions of young fans now think expertise equals elitism. This “do your own research” culture creates a vacuum where QAnon conspiracies and anti-vax lies thrive alongside anti-Israel hatred.
This debate shows the Right’s dangerous drift from reality. Patriots can’t defend borders if we reject ALL border experts. We can’t fight cultural Marxism if we dismiss every historian. Tucker Carlson’s Putin fangirling and Kari Lake’s election trutherism follow this same self-destructive path.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. With college campuses burning Israeli flags and Hamas launching rockets from hospitals, weak “conservatives” siding with terrorists over allies deserve contempt. Murray’s courage to stand for truth – while others court clickbait fame – makes him this generation’s Churchill.
Real conservatives don’t abandon facts for fringe theories that help China, Russia, and Iran. We stand with Israel, defeat terrorism, and honor experts who keep America strong. The Dave Smiths of the world can keep groveling for Instagram likes – men of substance have a country to save.
