Dave Smith
Libertarian, and for the nation
Anti-war, anti-state, pro-borders.
Rooted National LibertarianOne of 729 ideologies · enter the National Libertarian hall →- Role
- Comedian & commentator
- Era
- b. 1983
- Region
- United States
- Social band
- Rooted
- Placement
- +52 · −74 · −28
§ Where Dave Smith stands
3 axesSmith favours free markets and a sharply reduced federal government, with no central bank managing money. He follows the Austrian school popularised by Ron Paul, whose 2008 campaign converted him, blaming Federal Reserve policy for booms, busts and bailouts, and he has attacked the emergency bailouts and spending of the 2008 and 2020 crises.
Non-intervention is the core of his politics. Smith argues that American wars, from Iraq to the proxy conflict in Ukraine, together with the surveillance state and emergency powers, are the greatest engines of government growth, a case he pressed against Douglas Murray on The Joe Rogan Experience in 2025. He wants the federal state and its security apparatus cut back drastically.
Smith leans traditional through alliance and temperament rather than doctrine. The Mises Caucus he championed, which won control of the Libertarian Party in 2022, rejected what it called woke politics and courted culturally conservative voters, and Smith has been sceptical of open-borders libertarianism and sharply critical of COVID-era lockdowns and mandates. He still opposes the state legislating morality.
How close are you to Dave Smith?
Three statements, one per axis. Answer them and we’ll drop you on the compass next to them.
§ The story
LivingDave Smith (b. 1983) is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster and libertarian commentator from New York. A comic on the New York club circuit, he co-hosts the comedy podcast Legion of Skanks and since the mid-2010s has hosted Part of the Problem, a political show built around libertarian and anti-war arguments. He credits Ron Paul's 2008 presidential campaign with converting him to libertarianism, and he became one of the best-known faces of the movement's younger, populist wing.
Smith's significance is as a shaper of opinion rather than an officeholder. He was a prominent supporter of the Mises Caucus, which took control of the Libertarian Party in 2022 and steered it toward anti-war populism and away from progressive causes. He is known for debates on American foreign policy, including a widely watched 2025 exchange with Douglas Murray on The Joe Rogan Experience over Israel, Ukraine and expertise. Critics accuse him and the Mises Caucus of moving the party rightward; supporters credit them with reviving its radicalism.
Notable for
- 01'Part of the Problem' podcast
- 02Non-interventionist libertarianism
- 03Libertarian Party voice
Key works & moments
- 2008Ron Paul's anti-war presidential campaign converts him to libertarianism.
- 2010sBecomes a co-host of the comedy podcast Legion of Skanks.
- Mid-2010sLaunches Part of the Problem, a libertarian podcast on politics and foreign policy.
- 2022The Mises Caucus he champions takes control of the Libertarian Party at its Reno convention.
- 2025Debates Douglas Murray on The Joe Rogan Experience over Israel, Ukraine and expertise.
§ Minds closest to Dave Smith
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§ Also in the National Libertarian hall
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§ Common questions
4 answersWhat is Dave Smith's political ideology?
Dave Smith is a libertarian of the anti-war, populist wing associated with Ron Paul and the Mises Caucus: on the 99ideologies three-axis compass, a Rooted National Libertarian. Economically he sits clearly right of centre (+52), wanting free markets, sound money and a far smaller federal government. On governance he is strongly libertarian (−74), opposing foreign wars and the security state, and socially he leans traditional (−28), allied with cultural conservatives against progressive politics while opposing state-enforced morality.
Is Dave Smith left-wing or right-wing?
He is generally placed on the libertarian right, but his foreign policy draws admirers on the anti-war left. Smith's free-market economics, hostility to progressive identity politics and opposition to COVID-era mandates align him with the populist right. Yet his sharp criticism of American military interventions, aid to Ukraine and Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza puts him at odds with much of the Republican establishment. He describes himself as a libertarian rather than a conservative.
What is the Mises Caucus?
The Mises Caucus is a faction within the US Libertarian Party, founded in 2017 and named after the Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises. Inspired by Ron Paul and Murray Rothbard, it emphasises anti-war non-intervention, opposition to the Federal Reserve and hostility to progressive identity politics. At the party's 2022 convention in Reno it won control of the national committee and rewrote parts of the platform. Dave Smith was among its most prominent public supporters; critics say it pushed the party toward the populist right.
Which minds are closest to Dave Smith?
On the 99ideologies three-axis compass, the minds closest to Dave Smith are The Sovereign Nation of Free Men (archetype) (98% alike), Justin Amash (97% alike) and Javier Milei (95% alike). The furthest is Pol Pot (1% alike).