Tucker & Dave vs Evil: The Baby Boomers Diabolical Plot to Destroy Society

Tucker Carlson did a 2-hour 21-minute interview with Libertarian Dave Smith. He posted it on May 16, 2024.¹ By May 25, the video had 1,132,743 views. The comments on the interview ranged from favorable to adulatory. While I agreed with a few of the viewpoints, I questioned more than those where I found agreement. The good news is I do think Carlson and Smith found their niche in the grievance industry.

Carlson and Smith, who refers to himself as a comedian and “Ron Paul Libertarian,²” covered a wide range of subjects. The tropics ranged from what it means to be a Libertarian in a fractured party, wars since WWI to present conflicts, Covid, Republicans, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Baby Boomers, and other areas where expertise is scarce, and opinions abound. We’ll focus on the opinions on the Baby Boomer generation. Carlson and Smith finally attacked a problem that has a limited lifespan; or does it?

Let’s lay the groundwork by first addressing why a “Ron Paul Libertarian” would not want to talk about Federal Reserve policy during our current extreme inflationary period? The Federal Reserve’s primary responsibility is to abate inflation. Ron Paul often reminded the Federal Reserve chairman of that responsibility.

A Ron Paul Libertarian?

Much of Ron Paul’s appeal came from grilling Fed Chairmen on Federal Reserve policy. He was known for his relentless common-sense logic and his insight on the subject. During the entire 2 hours and 21 minutes of the Carlson/Smith interview, the only mention of the Federal Reserve was a 24 second social commentary.³

Smith: We were just talking about Don Hughes calling out Chris Matthews back in the day. They’re having cocktail parties with the FED chairman. Wait, you’re a Libertarian, you shouldn’t be doing that.
Carlson: They’re actually doing that?
Smith: Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, actually doing that, and I think a lot of that’s the same problem with the kind of conservatism ink or whatever. They’ve been, they’ve been corrupted, and power is seductive and I’m sure you know that from like being in DC for so many years.

That was it on the Federal Reserve. Name dropping, a DC social anecdote, and a “conservatism” snub. Smith spent more time blaming the Baby Boomer generation for inflated housing prices than questioning Federal Reserve policy. That’s a Ron Paul Libertarian?

Tucker & Dave vs Evil

Smith claimed current overvalued housing prices are a result of Baby Boomers enriching themselves at the expense of younger generations. Carlson agreed. Carlson then nailed the root cause of evil which affects the hard-edged, confused, tough, angry, college aged kid (Even if you’re a 19-year-old Columbia kid).⁴

Smith: For, you know what I mean, for that same humble house that my, my grandfather had and, and the Baby Boomers all got rich by the value of their house just going up, and never, and it seems like not a one of them ever went hey but aren’t we kind of like pulling up the ladder on the helicopter here, like if my house is like skyrocketing in value that’s nice for me I got a HELOC, and I got like some money coming in now that I can invest in the market that’s going up and make this income coming in. But what about the Next Generation. How are they ever going to buy a house?
Carlson: They don’t care.
Smith: Like no one seemed to care about they don’t care and. . .
Carlson: I, I, I’m trying not to interrupt your wonderful description with amens, uh, and [inaudible], but I just I, I so strongly agree with what you’re saying, and I have a bunch of kids they’re all actually thriving, I would say inside. They’re all good people, clear thinking, they love each other, most important, um, but I’m around a lot of college age kids, like a lot, like way more than most people in my age. I’m 54, and I don’t think they’re soft at all. I’m not talking my kids, I mean their friends, or you know, I’m around it a lot they’re hard edged actually, right, they know how, I mean they’re, they may be wrong, they may be confused, but they’re, they’re actually pretty tough in a way, and they’re pretty angry, and they sort of get what’s going on, and I have deep sympathy for them, deep, deep. They’ve been completely screwed over by the people in, they don’t have any power. Even if you’re a 19-year-old Columbia kid, like I may not agree with your slogan of down with white people, whatever. I well, of course, I hate that. I am a white person. But I do sort of like think whose fault is that? It’s the people who run everything, it’s your, your stupid Boomer parents. . .

I didn’t mean to make Carlson’s quote so long. He kept talking, and I kept laughing. I’m still trying to figure out which powerful people are “screwing over” the “college age kids.” Many university administrators and professors, corporate executives, politicians, and others in positions of authority are Carlson’s and Smith’s ages.

As of 2024, the youngest Baby Boomer is 60 years old, and the oldest is 78. As of 2023, the average age of the members of the House of Representatives was 57.9 years old. In the Senate, the average age was 64.⁵ Mark Zuckerberg is 40. Sam Bankman-Fried is 32. So, no, it isn’t “your stupid boomer parents” who “run everything.”

Keep Your Deep, Deep, Deep Sympathy

As for the powerful controlling the lives of “college age kids,” the military draft coerced many young boomers into war. The military draft ended on Jan. 27, 1973, in large part due to the boomers’ antiwar protest.⁶ Being forced to fight in a war where there was a high probability of being killed or loosing a limb is the lack of power Carlson, Smith, and today’s college age kids never had to face.

If I were one of those “college age kids,” that Carlson is “around a lot,” I would consider the whole spiel condescending and tell him to keep his deep, deep, deep sympathy. It’s Carlson’s and Smith’s generations who are producing the current hard-edged, confused, tough, angry, college age kids, who may be wrong, and disdain white people, but deserve Carlson’s deep, deep, deep sympathy. He even admitted it wasn’t boomers’ kids when he said, “I’m not talking my kids, I mean their friends.” And it’s obvious Carlson is a “white person,” so that part was gratuitous.

The Boomers Diabolical Plan

As for housing prices: Those crafty, diabolical, economy-wrecking Baby Boomers. They were so sly no one noticed they set housing prices such that they forced virtuous, noble younger generations to get into bidding wars with each other, raising the price of the housing another five to ten percent. Boomers probably wouldn’t even accept a Bitcoin offer. It’s that bad. Evil takes many forms, and it’s now pushing walkers around Walmart trying to figure out how to stretch a thin social security check.

If I would have known it was that easy to get people to agree with me, I wouldn’t have taken more than a week to research and write the post on the Federal Reserve’s easy money policy creating the current unaffordable housing valuations.⁷ I also spent time reading opinions from logical Fed Reserve Presidents like Esther George who forecast inflation in the 2012, 2013 period.⁸ I even listened to Ron Paul warning of an inflationary crisis. I could have gone with the old “the Baby Boomers ate my money” rationale, gained a platform, and charged for a subscription to access my wisdom.

The Baby Boomers Created Hell on Earth

Smith and Carlson had a good laugh while blaming “the Baby Boomers for almost all of our problems.” They covered boomer selfishness, Covid, and Medicare. Here’s the exchange:⁹

Smith: I blame the Baby Boomers for almost all of our problems.
Carlson: I do too.
Smith: And I don’t, I’m, I don’t obviously, when you speak, in, about a group that big I’m painting with a broad brush. There are exceptions to this rule, and I, you know I love my mother very much, and she’s a good person, um, but as a generation they just ruined everything, and they’re totally selfish,
Carlson: Yes
Smith: Completely. Jeff [inaudible], who, I love this guy is so brilliant, um, but he, uh, he said, he gave a speech about it, and he was going through the things of like all of the slogans of the Baby Boomers, and how self-serving they all were. Like it was like don’t trust anyone over 30 until they got into their 30s you know, and then it was like, and like you watch it all the way through, uh, like Covid. It’s like we got to do everything we can to protect like the younger generation. . .
Carlson: Those people are the most important. (Laughing)
Smith: Yes, from don’t trust anyone over 30 to being like screw your childhood. I don’t want to get this. Keep your hands off my Medicare.

Okay, you blame most boomers “for almost all of our problems,” and “as a generation they just ruined everything, and they’re totally selfish.” This sounds like two adolescents trying to blame-shift their way out of eating a handful of peyote while attempting astral projection in the Grand Canyon. Let’s act like they were serious when they blurted out that segment and look at a couple of points.

Screw Your Childhood

That’s logical. They “blame the Baby Boomers for almost all of our problems” and “as a generation they just ruined everything, and they’re totally selfish.” Now that we’ve established those indisputable baseline facts as our premises, let’s embellish. Throw Covid into the mix, somehow associate it with Medicare, and this means the boomers made a leap from “don’t trust anyone over 30” to “Screw your childhood. I don’t want to get this. Keep your hands off my Medicare.”

Somehow, I’m still not grasping the logic. Say it so even boomers can grasp it. “Boomers bad, me good, Covid I don’t know. Screw your childhood even though you’re in your 40s and 50s. We are gifting you Medicare, thank me.” See how simple it is? Speak slowly and carry a small mind.

Covid

I’m not going to rehash the Covid fiasco, but let’s attempt honesty. First, it wasn’t only boomers who looked like droves of masked-up banditos roaming through Costco and Walmart. I’m amazed when I see young people still wearing facial garments while driving alone with the A/C blowing back their full head of hair. Second, the baby boomers at best had grandkids at the time of Covid. It was people Smith’s and Carlson’s ages who were obsessed with protecting the younger generation from Covid. Third, Covid was primarily killing off people in the boomer generation. Excellent plan Smith. Let’s get rid of the old people’s medical insurance and maybe they’ll die faster. What’s not to like, like?

Don’t Trust Anyone Over 60; The New “Don’t Trust Anyone over 30”

“Don’t trust anyone over 30 until they got into their 30s.” The logic here is when boomers got into their 30s, they proved their hypocrisy. Yes, when boomers turned 30, they were exactly like the previous generation at the age of 30. Smith, when you turned 30, didn’t you have the same value system as the previous generation when they were 30? I’m glad to find out we can now categorize generational values by age. It’s too difficult trying to figure out how each generation’s value system changes when they reach a certain age. Sounds like one of those crazy sociological behavioral study things.

It appears Smith doesn’t trust anyone over 60. Right on, you’ve captured the moment. All boomers are well past 60 and “as a generation they just ruined everything, and they’re totally selfish.” Good call.

Let’s also set the record straight. In the late ’60s and early ’70s, there were a lot of people over 30 cavorting in the same groups with people under 30. No one was checking IDs to run an age purity test. The few people who might have used that inane tidbit would have been highly suspect, but would have provided a good laugh as they wandered off.

Keep Your Hands Off my Medicare

With enormous amounts of money going to welfare, Medicaid, student loan bailouts, and financial support for illegal immigrants, we now know the problem is Medicare. The boomers again prove their selfish tendencies by wanting something they paid for during their entire working lives.

Also, Medicare recipients pay increasing social security deductions every month for Medicare. In 2024 that social security deduction is $174.70 for the Medicare Part B monthly premium alone.¹⁰ Should they choose additional Medicare coverage or a Medicare Advantage plan, they’ll pay more for that. Shouldn’t we just continue to charge boomers for Medicare and take the benefits away? Their self-serving lifestyle must stop now. Denying their healthcare would be good start, and it can lead to a fast permanent solution.

The Grievance Industrial Complex

Are Carlson and Smith implying all generations following the boomers are generous, selfless, humble parents whose impeccable child-rearing practices have created a better world? Baby Boomers were three generations ago, and you’re still blaming them for “for almost all of our problems?”

Sounds like Smith and Carlson have created a new grievance sector of the Disgruntled Society Industrial Complex. Now they can capitalize on it. Boomers are a dying breed. Perhaps some people have figured out that their future monthly recurring revenue depends on sucking up to the youth of the nation. I think it’s time for some apologies to AOC and Greta Thunberg.

War Time

During the interview, Smith and Carlson were vociferous opponents to wars. From WWI to current conflicts, they opined objections in various forms. The missing element in their discussion was the Baby Boomers’ opposition to the Vietnam war, or their participation in it.

During the mid to late 1960s and early ‘70s the antiwar movement was massive. The government launched a concerted effort to berate, assault, and humiliate the youth of the nation who opposed the Vietnam war. A few lost their lives as they faced off with National Guard troops on university campuses.¹¹ When the National Guard killed four students and wounded many others during an antiwar protest at Kent State University in 1970, Tucker Carlson was one year old; Dave Smith was born 13 years later.

Many young people fled the country to avoid taking part in what they deemed a needless conflict that only benefited the powerful and killed tens of thousands. Others of the same generation joined the conflict to defend the United States of America. A couple of statistics:¹²

• 58,148 were killed in Vietnam, 75,000 severely disabled, 23,214 were 100% disabled, 5,283 lost limbs and 1,081 sustained multiple amputations.
• Of those killed, 61% were younger than 21 years old.
• 11,465 of those killed were younger than 20 years old.
• Of those killed, 17,539 were married.
• The average age of the men killed: 23.1 years.
• As of April 14, 2017, there are 1,611 Americans still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War across Vietnam (1,258), Laos(297), Cambodia(49), and China(7).

That was the Baby Boomer generation.

Omission of Fact is not Courage

Reminiscing on that era is sickening but necessary when confronted with blatant omission of fact. Smith and Carlson are the stars in their courageous antiwar narrative, but when the boomer generation protested war, it isn’t worthy of mention.

Carlson shared a story of confronting a General in Iraq during dinner at a club in the Green Zone. The story of a female soldier dying at her husband’s side after having her legs blown off infuriated Carlson as he lectured the General on the immorality of women in war.¹³ I would have been more impressed if the General was spraying him with tear gas, beating him with a baton, and pointing a gun at him while Carlson confronted him, but they reserved that treatment for the selfish Baby Boomers protesting the Vietnam conflict.¹⁴

The Big Reveal

Carlson got around to getting to the crux of the interview. He asked Smith, “so if I handed you a billion dollars unearned do you think it would improve your life, or no, I think it, it would probably destroy my life.¹⁵” Smith’s answer included the standard disclaimer regarding a hypothetical situation about someone giving them an enormous amount of money—I didn’t earn it so, no, it wouldn’t make me a better person.

Before the disclaimer he did expound on a few ways he would handle his hypothetical wealth. He mentioned “initially, okay, I could buy a bunch of cool stuff,¹⁶” then he went on about what he would do for his wife and his kids since they are his “responsibility.” Afterwards he got into handing money to his brother who’s getting out of grad school and to his sister.¹⁷ He then states since he didn’t earn it or create something for it, he doesn’t think others would respect him for sharing the money with them.

There is nothing wrong with wanting a nice house or making your wife’s and kid’s lives better. I agree that no one should expect respect just because someone gave them a billion dollars. I’ll add to that. I have even less respect for people who become multimillionaires by bilking or unfairly demeaning others.

What Did We Learn?

The question sounds more like what behavioral scientists ask on a questionnaire when studying value systems. What’s the first thing that comes to your mind in this hypothetical scenario? The answers to the question reveal a person’s value system and priorities. Smith did not say, I’d donate some of it to organizations that help homeless kids, animal shelters, veterans who have fallen on tough times, programs that help people coming out of prisons to become functioning members of society, the elderly who can’t afford today’s unsustainable inflation—and the list is endless.

When Carlson had his cable news program, he promoted donating to worthy causes. As a multimillionaire with a substantial income, I believe he personally still supports many of those organizations. Maybe Smith does too. The thing is, what are the first things that come to your mind when you become this hypothetical billionaire? Smith’s answers sounded, well, selfish. Since he’s not a Baby Boomer, I guess he can’t be selfish, just righteous.

Socioeconomic Privilege is not Instinct

I commended Carlson’s journalism in a past post regarding the Putin interview.¹⁸ I take what he says at face value. I never heard of Dave Smith before seeing this interview. The interview was opinion laced with questionable information. Smith and Carlson have a right to their opinions as does everyone else, regardless of socioeconomic status or access to a public platform.

At the beginning of the program, Carlson told Smith, “You’re literally a Libertarian and but for some reason we have the same instincts on almost everything.¹⁹” At the end, Carlson reiterated, “you’re one of the rare people I just share [inaudible] all the same instincts.²⁰” I’ll take that at face value. Confusing instinct with socioeconomic privilege is easy when that privilege insulates a person from life experiences where instinct is a primary survival mechanism.

Single Parent Households

Carlson and Smith also found commonality growing up in “single parent households.” Carlson thought it was admirable that Smith could be a product of a single parent household, yet find the formula to form a good family later in life.

Carlson mentioned he was also the product of single parent household.²¹ It was at this point Smith started blaming Baby Boomers for ruining everything. Carlson talked about a parent going to “find yourself in France.”²² Perhaps this may have been a reference to his own childhood experience regarding his mother.²³ It almost sounded as if they were playing the “single parent household” victim card.

If growing up in a single parent household was their rationale for slamming an entire generation, it was unwarranted. That’s a personal problem between you and your parent or parents. Work it out with them. Do not assume all people of your parent’s generation are like that, therefore you have to berate them as a homogeneous group.

Conclusion

When I worked as a casework counselor, I saw many single parent households. The young people growing up in those households weren’t close to the socioeconomic bracket Carlson’s and perhaps Smith’s families enjoyed when they were children. You want tough, hard-edged, angry kids? A few had already done prison time while college kids were making self-serving demands. Please, a tough, hard-edged 19-year-old Columbia University student?

The difference between the individuals I worked with and that Columbia University student, is you could earn their respect, and they knew they had to earn your respect. That was a part of their survival instincts, and I shared those instincts with them. I hope they all lived well past the age of 30, and I still think about them decades later.

My suggestion to Carlson and Smith is the same suggestion I have for myself and everyone else. Do not stereotype, categorize, misrepresent, insult, or be judgemental of an entire group of people based on immutable characteristics. Carlson said he doesn’t like to hear “down with white people” because he’s white. Does he think a generation likes being told they’re stupid and selfish, and should be blamed for almost all society’s problems? Step outside of your box and judge yourself. Maybe it will be good for your God-given soul.

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1. Tucker Carlson. “Dave Smith: Russia, Israel, Trump & the Swamp, Obama, and the Media Attacks on Joe Rogan.” Carlson-YouTube video, 2:21:44, May 16, 2024, Opinion video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2QS8bUNzHk ↩︎
2. Carlson, “Dave Smith,” 17:56. ↩︎
3. Carlson, “Dave Smith,” 0:1:19 to 0:1:43. ↩︎
4. Carlson, “Dave Smith,” 2:02:17 to 2:04:06. ↩︎
5. Statista, “Mean Age of Members of Congress in the United States from 2009 to 2023,” Statista Research Department, November 3, 2023, accessed May 30, 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1357207/congress-members-average-age-us/. ↩︎
6. Andrew Glass, “U.S. military draft ends, Jan. 27, 1973,” Politico, January 27, 2012, Accessed May 30, 2024, https://www.politico.com/story/2012/01/us-military-draft-ends-jan-27-1973-072085. ↩︎
7. Ronald K, “Interest Rates: The Good, The Bad, and The Reality,” Lasting Logic (blog), January 9, 2024, https://lastinglogic.com/interest-rates-the-good-the-bad-and-the-reality/ . ↩︎
8. Ronald K, “A Federal Reserve Bank President Worth Remembering,” Lasting Logic (blog), January 9, 2024, https://lastinglogic.com/federal-reserve-bank-president/. ↩︎
9. Carlson, “Dave Smith,” 1:55:37 to 1:56:29. ↩︎
10. U.S. Social Security Administration, “Monthly Medicare Premiums for 2024,” Social Security Administration, accessed May 29, 2024, https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/medicare/medicare-premiums.html#anchor5. ↩︎
11. History.com Editors, “Kent State Shooting,” HISTORY, A&E Television Networks, last modified April 25, 2024, accessed May 29, 2024, https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/kent-state-shooting. ↩︎
12. US Wings, “Vietnam War Facts, Stats and Myths,” accessed May 29, 2024, https://www.uswings.com/about-us-wings/vietnam-war-facts/. ↩︎
13. Carlson, “Dave Smith,” 1:05:31. ↩︎
14. History.com Editors, “Vietnam War Protests,” HISTORY, A&E Television Networks, last modified May 6, 2024, accessed May 29, 2024, https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-protests. ↩︎
15. Carlson, “Dave Smith,” 2:19:40. ↩︎
16. Carlson, “Dave Smith,” 2:19:55. ↩︎
17. Carlson, “Dave Smith,” 2:20:09. ↩︎
18. Ronald K, “Jon Stewart invents Tucker Carlson narrative, insults Polish people, and links urinal-caked subways to freedom in 15-minute marathon,” Lasting Logic (blog), April 10, 2024, https://lastinglogic.com/jon-stewarts-15-minute-marathon/. ↩︎
19. Carlson, “Dave Smith,” 0:0:13 ↩︎
20. Carlson, “Dave Smith,” 2:20:58 ↩︎
21. Carlson, “Dave Smith,” 1:53:51 ↩︎
22. Carlson, “Dave Smith,” 1:57:58 ↩︎
23. Duignan, B.. “Tucker Carlson.” Encyclopedia Britannica, May 29, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tucker-Carlson. ↩︎