Ep. 2077 - Mamdani "Remembers" October 7th With Anti-Israel Tweet

October 8, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The Classical Conservative Case Against Liberalism

Marco Rubio delivered a speech at the Acropolis on October 7th that was not merely about defending Western civilization from external threats, but about reorienting American conservatism toward the pursuit of excellence and virtue rather than the "low but solid ground" of classical liberalism. The Secretary of State's address, combined with speeches at the National Conservatism Conference in Jerusalem, reveals a growing intellectual movement on the right that rejects both the neoconservative establishment and the libertarian framework in favor of a politics ordered toward objective moral goods.

Virtue Over Values

Rubio's speech at the Acropolis was strategically placed—October 7th marks not only the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel but also the 1571 Battle of Lepanto, when Ottoman forces were turned back from Europe. But rather than taking a purely defensive posture, Rubio argued that Western civilization's founding principle was the pursuit of excellence, what the Greeks called arete. Knowles draws a sharp distinction between "values" and "virtue": values are modern, relative, and subjective, while virtue is classical, objective, and eternal. "Virtue is just excellence," Knowles says. Rubio's speech explicitly rejected the liberal framework that seeks a "low but solid ground" of mere economic prosperity and private intere

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What you'll learn

1 (01:14) **Show Open & Personal News** - Knowles announces the birth of his fourth child, a daughter, and shares a cigar celebration.
2 (05:20) **Marco Rubio's Speech at the Acropolis** - Knowles analyzes Rubio's October 7th speech, framing it as a defense of Western excellence, not just a defensive posture.
3 (14:34) **Thumos and the Spirit of Civilization** - Knowles explains Rubio's invocation of the Greek concept of *thumos* (spiritedness) as essential for a thriving nation.
4 (18:51) **Mayor Mamdani's Anti-Israel Tweet** - Knowles critiques New York City Mayor Eric Adams's (Mamdani's) October 7th statement, which condemned Israel's "genocide" in Gaza.
5 (22:43) **Satanic Invocation in Ottumwa, Iowa** - Knowles reports on a city council meeting that began with a prayer to Satan, analyzing it as the logical conclusion of liberalism.
6 (28:48) **NatCon Jerusalem: Matt Peterson's Speech** - Knowles discusses a speech from the National Conservatism Conference in Jerusalem, which addressed the collapsing US-Israel alliance.
7 (36:47) **Peterson on Young White Men & Tribalism** - Knowles continues analyzing Peterson's speech, focusing on the grievances of young white men in America.

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Guests on this episode

Marco Rubio

Show Notes

Marco Rubio gives a speech for the ages at the Acropolis, Zohran Mamdani marks October 7th by talking about how much he hates Israel, and an Iowa city council meeting opens with an invocation to Satan.

Ep. 2077

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