When a mainstream daytime show tried to lecture the country about politics, Stephen A. Smith didn’t back down — he tore into The View with the kind of blunt talk regular Americans understand. Smith challenged their sanctimonious spin on Democratic talking points and forced their hosts to defend positions that sound hollow to working families.
The spark was a video featuring Democratic lawmakers telling service members to refuse “illegal” orders, and Smith rightly called out the dangerous optics of a veteran like Sen. Mark Kelly delivering that message. Sunny Hostin sneered and labeled him “loud and wrong,” but Smith doubled down, pointing out the real-world consequences for troops who are given political advice instead of legal clarity.
This wasn’t just theater — Smith used the moment to explain why Democrats have failed to connect with voters, arguing their obsession with culture-war signaling cost them the trust of the people who put food on the table. He told The View the party needs to stop grandstanding and instead focus on affordability and safety if it ever wants to be competitive again, a message millions of Americans would cheer.
Conservatives should applaud any public figure who defends the chain of command and the rule of law while also calling out feckless partisan messaging. Democrats and their media allies treated military service as a prop in a stunt, and Smith exposed how reckless that is — you don’t play politics with soldiers’ careers or courts-martial. The American people expect leaders to protect the troops, not use them as political cudgels.
The View’s hosts looked more like campaign operatives than journalists, repeating the same reflexive defenses of bad Democratic strategy while refusing to reckon with why so many voters have turned away. Smith’s straight-shooting forced them to confront a reality their producers rarely allow on set: policies that ignore affordability and security are losing policies. That kind of accountability is exactly what conservative audiences want to see more of on mainstream TV.
If the left wants to win again, it should stop weaponizing institutions and start solving problems people actually notice at the grocery store and the gas pump. Smith offered a simple prescription — prioritize affordability, safety, and common-sense governance — and conservatives should keep holding elites to that standard until they do.
At the end of the day, Stephen A. Smith spoke for millions of Americans who are tired of elites lecturing from their studios while the country gets worse. The View’s reflexive defenses only exposed how out of touch the mainstream media has become, and patriots should take heart when someone guts the echo chamber and tells the truth plainly.
