Sep 9, 2026 · 1h 4m
Dave Smith challenges the return of woke politics
Are The Wokes Coming Back?
The discussion tests whether Democrats have learned from backlash while arguing that left- and right-wing authoritarianism can reinforce each other.
- 1Dave Smith and Robbie Bernstein argue that political tribalism lets commentators evade accountability for failed predictions and policies.
- 2The hosts frame “woke 2.0” as a possible return of progressive politics built around equality, identity, and institutional power.
- 3Their closing warning is that opposing authoritarian movements may strengthen each other rather than resolve the underlying conflict.
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The closing exchange argues that authoritarian impulses on the left and right can reinforce one another instead of canceling each other out.
The brief
Dave Smith and Robbie Bernstein begin with a broader complaint: political teams protect their own, even when war predictions, policies, or economic claims fail.
Their discussion of Will Chamberlain’s response turns into an argument against partisan loyalty, moving goalposts, and excusing poor performance because the other side seems worse.
The hosts then examine Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s “woke 1.0” framing, asking whether a newer progressive politics could return without confronting the backlash against it.
Fitness, obesity, GLP-1 drugs, and equality become tests of a deeper dispute over self-improvement, biological differences, personal liberty, and whether unequal outcomes are inherently oppressive.
The episode closes with its most consequential warning: left- and right-wing authoritarian impulses may keep feeding each other, creating fresh incentives for political shaming.