The Smolletification of Politics: AI Phone Calls, Epstein Shirts, and a Drunk County Candidate

Dan Griffin and Corey Walsh argue that politics and media now work backward from conclusions, using a false rumor that Texas Senate candidate James Talarico had checked out of an Ohio mental health facility—based on an unverified (and allegedly AI) phone call—as their main example, noting how influencers and even Ken Paxton’s camp amplified it without retracting. They react to a video of a woman in a “Release the Epstein files” shirt getting swarmed at a Trump rally, calling it cultish and tied to outsourcing opinions to online accounts. The episode also covers Paxton promoting the Right Insight app to track whether contacts have voted, a viral clip of Indiana county-council candidate Jamie West appearing drunk while saying she’d “fire all Republicans,” claims of DOJ weaponization around Ilhan Omar, criticism of Trump’s new press secretary’s halting briefing style, and Steven Crowder threatening a lawsuit over a “Change My Mind” segment title.

00:00 Welcome to Libservative

01:12 Smolletification Theme

02:17 Talarico Disappearance Rumor

03:54 AI Phone Call Fallout

06:26 Why People Believe Lies

08:38 Epstein Files Rally Attack

12:35 Cult Politics and 1984

15:59 Both Sides Misinformation

18:59 Burden of Proof Flip

38:22 Goalposts and October Surprise

42:05 Paxton Voter Tracking App

45:30 Next Candidate Tease

45:52 Unpopular Decision Question

48:04 Drunk Candidate Goes Viral

51:18 Ilhan Omar Raid Talk

57:00 Dirty Politics Smear Games

01:00:53 Press Secretary Roast

01:04:07 Kayleigh Briefing Clip

01:08:06 Trump Picks Hotter Staff

01:12:59 Ukraine Oil Chessboard

01:16:19 Crowder Lawsuit Rant

01:21:41 Punch In The Face Theory

01:24:07 Wrap Up And Plugs

El-Sayed vs. Rogers: Empty Suit, Muslim Brotherhood, and the Great Debate Beatdown

Dan, Corey, and Bell host a reaction show to the Michigan Senate debate between Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and former Congressman/former FBI agent Mike Rogers, calling it extremely lopsided and citing a WOOD TV poll showing viewers heavily favored El-Sayed. They argue Rogers looked physically unprepared, relied on “Muslim Brotherhood” attacks, and struggled defending his record, while El-Sayed effectively focused on affordability and foreign policy, though they criticize his pro-government solutions and Medicare for All. They discuss polling averages showing El-Sayed leading, fact-check claims about Rogers’ votes, surveillance/privacy comments attributed to Rogers, and allegations of oil and gas money backing him. They review controversy around El-Sayed’s mother’s work for a charity later sanctioned for alleged terror financing, concluding she was not charged. The episode veers into broader culture-war topics, including Zohran Mamdani attacks, Laura Loomer’s credit-card-reader tweet, Zach Bryan’s “Free Palestine” shirt crowd record, a DOJ antisemitism tour promo, Trump comments about Iran, and a viral clip of Vivek Ramaswamy nearly dropping a child.

00:00 Welcome and Setup

01:20 Debate Blowout Reactions

04:10 Polling and Odds Check

06:44 Rogers Record Under Fire

10:06 Surveillance and Privacy Quote

11:34 Domestic Policy Clash

15:18 Foreign Policy Dominance

18:48 October 7 Claims Fallout

23:21 Muslim Brotherhood Smear Fact Check

26:46 Wrap Up and Donor Money

34:48 Public Execution Tangent

41:30 Laura Loomer DMV Flag Panic

45:21 Mamdani Damned Either Way

47:30 Vivek Kid Drop Clip

48:08 Vivek Pickup Fiasco

49:09 NPC Crowd Roast

50:39 Michigan Debate Breakdown

52:41 Five Thousand Dollar Inflation

55:56 Insider Trading Bill Games

59:03 Independent Politics Therapy

01:01:08 Zach Bryan Palestine Shirt

01:09:13 Trump Iran Quote Context

01:13:06 Road Trip Small Town Reality

01:17:29 DOJ Antisemitism Tour

01:22:43 Heaven Coma Testimony

01:27:58 Wrap Up And Plugs

No Fatties, No Trannies, Justice Warriors: Right‑Wing Grievance Culture and the Iran Freakout

Dan and Corey open the Libservative show by venting about political burnout and arguing that right‑wing grievance culture is as pervasive and destructive as left‑wing “woke” culture. They dissect coordinated posts from Zionist MAGA influencers claiming the IRGC endorsed Democrats, then summarize a 25‑page IRGC letter arguing “Death to America” targets U.S. elites, not citizens, urging Americans to vote out leaders and distance policy from Israel—something they say is being dishonestly spun into partisan propaganda. They mock Pete Hegseth’s “State of the Forces” rhetoric, including Project Meridian led by Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey, and Newt Gingrich and his “no fatties, no trannies” line, calling him unserious and the Iran war unpopular and unwinnable. They also discuss Trump’s UN threats toward Iran, ICC attacks, Mark Levin/Ben Shapiro war talk, the overblown backlash to an A24 Chris Hansen movie, and U.S. political hypocrisy on war, the economy, and messaging.

00:00 Welcome to Libservative

01:44 Politics Burnout Check

03:41 Grievance Culture Theme

04:48 IRGC Letter Talking Points

08:19 What the Letter Says

15:53 Death to America Explained

20:46 Truth as Propaganda

21:46 Hegseth State of Forces

24:34 Project Meridian Panel

30:44 No Woke Military Rant

33:30 Primetime Movie Backlash

39:40 Chris Hansen Interview Clip

42:49 Why Predator TV Works

45:25 Movie Habits and Grievance Hype

46:35 Trump Props and Iran Threats

50:30 UN Walkouts and ICC Drama

55:25 War Criminal Optics Debate

57:49 Ben Shapiro Iran Bomb Talk

59:34 Inflation Myths and Bubble Pop

01:02:54 Trump Inc and Insider Trading

01:08:02 Prison Reform Smears in Ads

01:12:48 Communism Islam Panic Logic

01:18:36 Fetterman Vote and Trump Payout

01:22:48 Baby Oil Bit and Sign Off