Dave Rubin / The Rubin Report / @RubinReport - Boomer conservatism's doormat, claims to support "free speech and big ideas" but refuses to interview anyone but basic bitch conservatives, wrote a shit book full of errors

[TheImportantFart]

And Rubin in late 2015 was markedly different from who he is now. Back then, he was a breath of fresh air for someone who was questioning lefty ideology but not about to jump on board with the 'christ fixes all your problems' people. He was grabbing people from center-left and center-right, as well as a few oddballs, and he was mostly just letting them talk. He'd basically ask fairly open-ended questions, ask for some clarifications, and was a softball-lobbing interviewer. I remember distinctly an interview he did with Maajid Nawaz (who has also quite seriously declined since then) which was really brilliant - offering up a perspective that was anathema to the two dominant discourses on Islam altogether. So it was that Rubin was doing a good enough job, I think, despite not really being a political or analytical heavyweight back when he was on ORA and just starting out.

Once he got started on his own, though, something sure as shit changed. Maybe it was the financial dependence on his audience, maybe it was his ego, maybe it was mean things people were saying about him (he is notoriously thin-skinned) - probably a blend of it all. He started asking these ridiculous leading questions, trying to nitpick lefty points in ridiculous ways, and sycophantically agreeing with whatever hogwash was served to him so long as it was from a "conservative concerned with the state of discourse." He started repeating a handful of phrases like they were mantras, some kind of protective shield to defend him from trying to wade in and offer an opinion on shit he didn't at all understand. He started trying to leverage his audience and his guests as a reason for him to weigh in -- and then as a defense when he got called out.

Obviously, he started selecting only guests that (he believed) wouldn't make him look like an idiot, wouldn't question his weird tirades, wouldn't interrupt his dipshit monologues. More and more over time, it looked like his original persona - a nice guy who was quickly overwhelmed and who wanted to question things - was just a shtick he was using to get cash and attention. It became really clear that neither his intellect nor his interviewing "skills" were really suited to what he was trying to do, and it increasingly became impossible to come up with any reason why anyone would give this guy the time of day.

In a way, Dave represents the natural course of lazy and weak centrism - stagnation which becomes a steady slide to an uninspired and shallow version of whichever side the drift leads to. What's he done to get informed on any topic but let other people explain to him what his stance should be? If you don't fucking learn anything, you can't ask good questions or serve as a useful debater or moderator. Whenever a political subject pops up, it's so laughably easy to predict what Dave will chime in about it -- but you can make a betting game of how long it'll take him to wax poetic about his dumb hot take. He's very, very like Tim Pool in that way: shallow as fuck knowledge base, 30 minutes to explain a concept that someone well-versed in politics or rhetoric would take maybe 30 seconds to lay out. It was sad in a way to watch Dave's slide away into trying to be a pundit, and yet it was wholly predictable. In a world of grifters, you can't get away with just letting opinionated people talk - you've gotta pander.

This was more or less my exact trajectory with watching Rubin. His early interviews with Michael Steele, Sam Harris and even Milo were great, but as time wore on he realised that acting as a cheerleader for the right and doing conservative confirmation bias was more profitable than conducting neutral, incisive interviews with interesting guests, which is the whole reason I started watching him.

His show's so boring now. It's just a circlejerk with him, Shapiro, Candace Owens, Charlie Kirk, Donald Trump Jr. and the occasional no-name think thank employee. He never has anyone on who can offer a perspective outside of boomer conservatism and seeing someone treat Candace Owens like a serious intellectual is just embarrassing.

It also looks like recently he's moving in the direction of doing more punditry which he's absolutely awful at, and to make matters worse, his tanking viewcount's jumped up on these videos (although it's still not what it used to be), so he'll probably keep doing them.

 

[MrJokerRager]

I think I first started veering off of the "every progressive who loudly shouts racism is bad is morally and intellectually superior regardless of their personal behavior" train somewhere around 2015, and got knocked off the rails slightly by Bill Maher. A few weeks watching him, it became clear that he was very pick-and-choose with what he chose to rail against and fairly inconsistent in his takes -- and the idea of having 'panels' was a really stupid way to see people debate. I started looking into Gamergate, I remember, a year after the shitstorm had happened just to get a grip on whatever the hell it was - and through finding Pakman, I found Rubin. (Obviously, I moved on from listening to any and all of these folk once it became more and more clear that they're uninsightful hacks singing the same tune on repeat.)

Spoiler: my very cool blog

And Rubin in late 2015 was markedly different from who he is now. Back then, he was a breath of fresh air for someone who was questioning lefty ideology but not about to jump on board with the 'christ fixes all your problems' people. He was grabbing people from center-left and center-right, as well as a few oddballs, and he was mostly just letting them talk. He'd basically ask fairly open-ended questions, ask for some clarifications, and was a softball-lobbing interviewer. I remember distinctly an interview he did with Maajid Nawaz (who has also quite seriously declined since then) which was really brilliant - offering up a perspective that was anathema to the two dominant discourses on Islam altogether. So it was that Rubin was doing a good enough job, I think, despite not really being a political or analytical heavyweight back when he was on ORA and just starting out.

Once he got started on his own, though, something sure as shit changed. Maybe it was the financial dependence on his audience, maybe it was his ego, maybe it was mean things people were saying about him (he is notoriously thin-skinned) - probably a blend of it all. He started asking these ridiculous leading questions, trying to nitpick lefty points in ridiculous ways, and sycophantically agreeing with whatever hogwash was served to him so long as it was from a "conservative concerned with the state of discourse." He started repeating a handful of phrases like they were mantras, some kind of protective shield to defend him from trying to wade in and offer an opinion on shit he didn't at all understand. He started trying to leverage his audience and his guests as a reason for him to weigh in -- and then as a defense when he got called out.

Obviously, he started selecting only guests that (he believed) wouldn't make him look like an idiot, wouldn't question his weird tirades, wouldn't interrupt his dipshit monologues. More and more over time, it looked like his original persona - a nice guy who was quickly overwhelmed and who wanted to question things - was just a shtick he was using to get cash and attention. It became really clear that neither his intellect nor his interviewing "skills" were really suited to what he was trying to do, and it increasingly became impossible to come up with any reason why anyone would give this guy the time of day.

In a way, Dave represents the natural course of lazy and weak centrism - stagnation which becomes a steady slide to an uninspired and shallow version of whichever side the drift leads to. What's he done to get informed on any topic but let other people explain to him what his stance should be? If you don't fucking learn anything, you can't ask good questions or serve as a useful debater or moderator. Whenever a political subject pops up, it's so laughably easy to predict what Dave will chime in about it -- but you can make a betting game of how long it'll take him to wax poetic about his dumb hot take. He's very, very like Tim Pool in that way: shallow as fuck knowledge base, 30 minutes to explain a concept that someone well-versed in politics or rhetoric would take maybe 30 seconds to lay out. It was sad in a way to watch Dave's slide away into trying to be a pundit, and yet it was wholly predictable. In a world of grifters, you can't get away with just letting opinionated people talk - you've gotta pander.

Also, goddamn yeah, that cancelcon shit is... sophomoric is too kind to it.

People want solutions to their problems and looks like the progressive Bernie bro train and pre Trump GOP thug life own da libs trains are going to shit.

For example shitting on critical race theory is easy for many pundits but how do you stop its spread and counter it. All it took was one Tucker segment to make Trump ban it from the federal government. It's a start in the right direction. On the flip side, progressives want to defend CRT or ignore talking about it even though it cost Bernie the white working and middle class vote. And didn't give Bernie the black vote. Because neoliberals to their credit give some shit to that group.

 

[TheImportantFart]

Pot, meet kettle:



Also, Dave did an interview with Bob Saget:

If you don't want to sit through all two hours, some kind soul clipped the greatest hits. Essentially, Dave made some bumbling arguments in defence of Trump, only for Bob Saget to shoot down every point he made. It's excruciating to watch. Dave also said he could never be friends with someone who's "rabidly anti-gay marriage", but then defends his friendship with Ben Shapiro and said he'd get pally with Mike Pence.

When you get owned by the Dad from Full House, it's time to retire from the internet. Then again, I said that when he got destroyed by Joe Rogan and Marianne Williamson too, and it still hasn't happened.

 

[albert the programmer]

Pot, meet kettle:

View attachment 1616454

Also, Dave did an interview with Bob Saget:

If you don't want to sit through all two hours, some kind soul clipped the greatest hits. Essentially, Dave made some bumbling arguments in defence of Trump, only for Bob Saget to shoot down every point he made. It's excruciating to watch. Dave also said he could never be friends with someone who's "rabidly anti-gay marriage", but then defends his friendship with Ben Shapiro and said he'd get pally with Mike Pence.

When you get owned by the Dad from Full House, it's time to retire from the internet. Then again, I said that when he got destroyed by Joe Rogan and Marianne Williamson too, and it still hasn't happened.

I’m more surprised that Bob Saget still looks the same after all these years.

 

[MrJokerRager]

Pot, meet kettle:

View attachment 1616454

Also, Dave did an interview with Bob Saget:

If you don't want to sit through all two hours, some kind soul clipped the greatest hits. Essentially, Dave made some bumbling arguments in defence of Trump, only for Bob Saget to shoot down every point he made. It's excruciating to watch. Dave also said he could never be friends with someone who's "rabidly anti-gay marriage", but then defends his friendship with Ben Shapiro and said he'd get pally with Mike Pence.

When you get owned by the Dad from Full House, it's time to retire from the internet. Then again, I said that when he got destroyed by Joe Rogan and Marianne Williamson too, and it still hasn't happened.

Dave Rubin looks tired. He should go on a break like Crowder did one time and now looks refreshing compared to before. I haven't seen his interviews since 2016 though.

I’m more surprised that Bob Saget still looks the same after all these years.

Probably has good genes I guess. Same with his costar Rob Lowe as well.

 

[Rich Evans Apologist]

Dave Rubin looks tired. He should go on a break like Crowder did one time and now looks refreshing compared to before. I haven't seen his interviews since 2016 though.

Dave does several of them a year, which I know about only because he makes every effort to promote his "return from hiatus" videos to an annoying degree.

He's way too thin-skinned for what he does. When he first started out, he was so milquetoast that he didn't really come under serious fire; but once he got cocky, he also started flexing how little he can take criticism. Guy gets wound up zero to a hundred flat and takes quite a lot personally for absolutely no reason, so it isn't surprising that his frequent attempts to get some perspective and relax collapse in on themselves the moment he steps back in.

I frankly have no idea how he got his startup in standup, unless there was a brief period of very very nice and welcoming open mics and audiences that he stumbled into.

 

[KillThemCrackasBabies]

Dave is a queer.

 

[TheImportantFart]

Oh hot diggity dog, dis gon b gud:



This won't be as viscerally hilarious as Sargon's disastrous UKIP run, and he's obviously not going to bring whatever party he runs for (probably the Republicans) down with him when he inevitably fails, but if he actually goes through with this, it will be something to see. Only question is whether he's able to get more votes than Laura Loomer or Brianna Wu.

 

[Shield Breaker]

Oh hot diggity dog, dis gon b gud:

View attachment 1734785

This won't be as viscerally hilarious as Sargon's disastrous UKIP run, and he's obviously not going to bring whatever party he runs for (probably the Republicans) down with him when he inevitably fails, but if he actually goes through with this, it will be something to see. Only question is whether he's able to get more votes than Laura Loomer or Brianna Wu.

What state does he live in? A quick search didn't give me an answer.

 

[TheImportantFart]

What state does he live in? A quick search didn't give me an answer.

California. He bitches about it all the time, but unlike Shapiro he hasn't had the balls to move and just bought a mansion worth several million. He may be a useless grifter, but he's been rewarded handsomely for it.

 

[Rich Evans Apologist]

I didn't quite realize that by this point scores of people have turned on the guy. It's at least mildly cathartic, if a bit late in coming.

I don't necessarily think that Shapiro ever will, though. Shapiro is an oddball - when it comes to actual political/legal analysis, he's sharp and shrewd and is a genuinely good headwind to watch for both conservative party moves and for plausible political plays. The people he surrounds himself with, though, are some of the most shallow and least-insightful creatures that I have ever seen walk this earth. Rubin's pants-on-head takes don't really stand out from the rest of Shapiro's professional coterie, so at least he's got one steady guest (who tends to comment in the exact same manner on the exact same host of socio-political topics).

 

[TheImportantFart]

Couldn't even get the fucking year right.

 

[Arm Pit Cream]

It appears like Dave is in DFE mode and attempting to nuke all places online making fun of him.
Dave got the Twitter account Dave Rubin clips taken down, likely because he's tired of being mocked on so many progressive shows (Sam Seder, Humanist Report) and Twitter recently.


Not only that, but just a few hours later Dave Rubin clips YouTube channel was hit with a copyright notice from youtube by a group called "AuxiliaryMode".

Dave Rubin clips' youtube channel:

https://youtube.com/channel/UCZ6KcfOW2rtUOpHInbakA-w

I knew his commitment to freedom of speech and "the market place of ideas" was already paper thin, but what a snowflake

 

[Troonos]

It appears like Dave is in DFE mode and attempting to nuke all places online making fun of him.
Dave got the Twitter account Dave Rubin clips taken down, likely because he's tired of being mocked on so many progressive shows (Sam Seder, Humanist Report) and Twitter recently.
View attachment 1796910

Not only that, but just a few hours later Dave Rubin clips YouTube channel was hit with a copyright notice from youtube by a group called "AuxiliaryMode".
View attachment 1796914
Dave Rubin clips' youtube channel:

https://youtube.com/channel/UCZ6KcfOW2rtUOpHInbakA-w

I knew his commitment to freedom of speech and "the market place of ideas" was already paper thin, but what a snowflake

Have you considered that he's acting in defense of his private property rights and that you're just assuming the worst because you dislike him?

 

[Arm Pit Cream]

Have you considered that he's acting in defense of his private property rights and that you're just assuming the worst because you dislike him?

Removing clips channels/twitters that make 1-3 minute clips of your content is an absolutely scum move.
The fact he's only doing it now when he's receiving significant pushback is cowardly.

 

[TheImportantFart]

The second part of Timbah on Toast's documentary on Dave also got a strike the same day the Dave Rubin clips account went down. It's back up now, but the timing sure gets the noggin joggin:



Wonder how long it'll be before Dave starts saying on Twitter he was picking up boulders at the time so it couldn't possibly have been him.

 

[heyitsmike]

I didn't quite realize that by this point scores of people have turned on the guy. It's at least mildly cathartic, if a bit late in coming.

I don't necessarily think that Shapiro ever will, though. Shapiro is an oddball - when it comes to actual political/legal analysis, he's sharp and shrewd and is a genuinely good headwind to watch for both conservative party moves and for plausible political plays. The people he surrounds himself with, though, are some of the most shallow and least-insightful creatures that I have ever seen walk this earth. Rubin's pants-on-head takes don't really stand out from the rest of Shapiro's professional coterie, so at least he's got one steady guest (who tends to comment in the exact same manner on the exact same host of socio-political topics).

I take no position on Dave Rubin, but just going by the title of the video, I'm kinda underwhelmed by the argument they're trying to make. The video is titled Dave Rubin has lost his Allies | Feat. Sam Harris, Joe Rogan, Bret Weinstein.

But who gives a fuck what those people think? If anything, those people not liking him raises my view of him. No one gives a fuck about Sam Harris. I've heard that Joe Rogan thinks Dave Rubin is a moron, which is super ironic coming from the moron Joe Rogan, Mr. I Don't Understand How This Works In Government, when every other guest he's had on for years is politcal. The man can't be arsed to actually inform himself so he can make an informed opinion, and wants to look down on anyone? And Bret Weinstein? The same guy who had a conniption fit when somebody called him a bedbug? That guy?

This is some seriously weak sauce man.

 

[Rich Evans Apologist]

I take no position on Dave Rubin, but just going by the title of the video, I'm kinda underwhelmed by the argument they're trying to make. The video is titled Dave Rubin has lost his Allies | Feat. Sam Harris, Joe Rogan, Bret Weinstein.

But who gives a fuck what those people think? If anything, those people not liking him raises my view of him. No one gives a fuck about Sam Harris. I've heard that Joe Rogan thinks Dave Rubin is a moron, which is super ironic coming from the moron Joe Rogan, Mr. I Don't Understand How This Works In Government, when every other guest he's had on for years is politcal. The man can't be arsed to actually inform himself so he can make an informed opinion, and wants to look down on anyone? And Bret Weinstein? The same guy who had a conniption fit when somebody called him a bedbug? That guy?

This is some seriously weak sauce man.

hey mike,

dave climbed up the coattails of those folks so that he could suckle from the teats of prager u and the daily wire. i don't really think that speaks particularly well to him, either. Moreso it's that all of these people, broadly, are getting around and getting interesting guests, whereas dave has burned so many bridges and said so much dumb shit that "the left are the real racists"-tier guests are what he's got left in his toybox

sorry about rich evans,
rich evans apologist

 

[heyitsmike]

Again, I take no position on Dave Rubin personally, only that the argument raised is weak as fuck.

No one gives a shit about those people or their guests, except for maybe Rogan's guests. And the fact that he has better guests has more to do with his reputation as the most popular podcaster. If Rogan gets better guests than literally everyone else in the world including Rubin, then that doesn't really say much about Rubin specifically, does it?

"the left are the real racists"

 

[Rich Evans Apologist]

Again, I take no position on Dave Rubin personally, only that the argument raised is weak as fuck.

No one gives a shit about those people or their guests, except for maybe Rogan's guests. And the fact that he has better guests has more to do with his reputation as the most popular podcaster. If Rogan gets better guests than literally everyone else in the world including Rubin, then that doesn't really say much about Rubin specifically, does it?


View attachment 1802574

Rogan, Harris, and the Weinsteins all get better guests than Rubin (in fairness, so do Peterson and Shapiro, even if Peterson's dumb ass is getting carted around by the "just eat meat lol" offspring).

Your argument raised is that you don't like any of those guys personally. I don't mark any of them titans of DEEP INTELLECT, but they're certainly sharper and more insightful than Dave and entertain a wider ideological slew of guests than does Dave. I will also wager that every single one of those people has a larger following than you, so saying "no one gives a shit" seems a little disingenuous.

"The left are the real racists" goes hand in hand with such statements as "amendments aren't necessarily constitutional" in the lexicon of political boomerology, so I think I'll gladly exclude such a master of the language my podcast playlist.