Ep. 614 - Crying Wolf About Dog Whistles

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode centers on three threads: media bias and racial “dog whistle” accusations against Ron DeSantis, the leftward rise of Andrew Gillum and Cynthia Nixon, and a major critique of Pope Francis amid the McCarrick abuse scandal. Ben Shapiro argues the press overstates racism, understates corruption and socialist radicalism, and applies inconsistent standards to religion, politics, and campus issues.

Main Topics: Media accusation that Ron DeSantis used a racial dog whistle (Priority: 5/5): Shapiro argues the phrase "monkey this up" was a common verb phrase meaning to mess up, not a racist reference, and says media coverage falsely framed DeSantis as racist. Andrew Gillum’s socialist politics and media support (Priority: 5/5): Shapiro portrays Gillum as a Democratic socialist backed by wealthy donors and enabled by media willing to ignore his policy agenda while amplifying the race controversy. Cynthia Nixon vs. Andrew Cuomo debate (Priority: 4/5): Shapiro frames the Cuomo-Nixon debate as a clash between establishment governance and populist left rhetoric, saying Nixon performed strongly because Cuomo looked weak and defensive. Pope Francis, McCarrick, and church credibility (Priority: 4/5): The host criticizes Pope Francis for a tweet about Christians and for his handling of the McCarrick scandal, arguing the Pope’s politics and silence are damaging Catholic credibility. Bruce Ohr, Christopher Steele, and the Trump/Russia probe (Priority: 3/5): Shapiro explains the conservative theory that Bruce Ohr helped funnel Steele dossier information into the FBI, while noting the evidentiary gap between that and proving the entire Mueller probe was illegitimate. Campus sexual misconduct due process and Betsy DeVos (Priority: 3/5): Shapiro supports DeVos’s move to strengthen due-process protections for accused students, rejecting inflated campus assault statistics and criticizing university disciplinary systems. Culture/media commentary: CNN, body positivity, and entertainment (Priority: 2/5): The episode also criticizes CNN for allegedly lying, mocks body-positivity media culture around Tess Holliday, and briefly recommends the TV show The Sinner and the podcast Inside Jaws.

Key Arguments: The DeSantis remark was not racist because "monkey" was used as a verb in a common expression meaning to mess up. The media repeatedly overcalls ordinary political language as racism, which trains audiences to ignore real dog whistles when they appear. Andrew Gillum is presented as a socialist whose policy agenda, including Medicare for All, would be financially unsustainable. Gillum’s rise is tied to wealthy liberal donors such as Tom Steyer and George Soros, not just grassroots enthusiasm. The Cuomo-Nixon debate showed that establishment politicians can be vulnerable when challenged by insurgent left candidates. Pope Francis is damaging Catholic unity by minimizing scandal and sounding more like a political commentator than a spiritual leader. Bruce Ohr’s contacts with Christopher Steele raise concerns, but the transcript distinguishes between misconduct and proving the entire Mueller inquiry was illegitimate. Betsy DeVos’s campus Title IX reforms are defended as restoring due process against overly broad and unjust university procedures. CNN’s self-defense only amplifies Trump’s attacks and reinforces public distrust of the media. Body-positivity messaging is criticized for normalizing unhealthy obesity instead of promoting a realistic middle ground.

Data Points: Lending Club loan amount: Up to $40,000 - Promotional segment describing debt consolidation options Lending Club loan volume: Over $35 billion - Cited as total loans issued by the platform Honey savings claimed: $800 million - Described as total online savings generated for users Honey membership: 10 million members - Used to emphasize the tool’s scale Honey average monthly savings: $28.61 per month - Promotional claim about user savings Campus sexual assault statistic: 1 in 53 women - Shapiro cites Bureau of Justice Department statistics to dispute "1 in 4" claims Andrew Gillum age: 39 - Introduced as a young, left-leaning candidate in Florida Medicare for All cost estimate: $32 trillion minimum - Shapiro describes the projected cost over 10 years New York gubernatorial poll gap: About 30 points behind - Shapiro estimates Cynthia Nixon’s deficit to Andrew Cuomo at the time

Pivotal Quotes: "The last thing we need to do is to monkey this up by trying to embrace a socialist agenda with huge tax increases and bankrupting the state." — Ron DeSantis: The comment that triggered accusations of racism "DeSantis is a Trumpite. He fans racial hatred. He fans fear of immigrants." — Jen Rubin: MSNBC panel criticism of DeSantis "My opponent lives in the world of fiction. I live in the world of fact." — Andrew Cuomo: Cuomo’s debate attack on Cynthia Nixon during the New York governor’s race

Implications: The episode argues that media overreach on race and bias erodes credibility, while left-wing candidates and institutions gain cover by exploiting those narratives. It also warns that weak due process, church scandal, and culture-war excesses will keep fueling polarization and distrust.