Back in the day, Barack Obama and his closest aides were often hailed—by fawning journalists and other Democrats—as the pinnacle of human intellect. They were a bona fide "team of geniuses" brimming with "talents" and "education," meritocracy at its finest. George Stephanopoulos, the former Democratic spokesman turned mainstream news anchor, called it the most impressive combination of "star power and brain power" ever assembled in his lifetime.
Even lesser aides got swept up in the hype. They bagged celebrity girlfriends (and boyfriends), and went on to launch a multimillion-dollar media empire. The Obama bros became the Pod Save America bros.
Alas, a recent incident on this week's podcast suggests that proximity to Obama does not make one a genius. We must consider the possibility that, in the words of Ben "Hamas" Rhodes, the Obama foreign-policy guru, these people "literally know nothing." (He was talking about journalists, but really, what's the difference?)
Here's what happened: the Pod Jons (Favreau and Lovett) couldn't wait to make fun of J.D. Vance for botching the definition of "blood libel" at a conference of Jewish Republicans. What an idiot, they scoffed. How dumb do you have to be to get that wrong? As dumb as the Pod Bros, apparently.
The Jons tried to correct Vance, but quickly discovered they didn't know what blood libel meant either. Favreau had to look it up on the internet (or ask AI) to end the embarrassment for everyone involved.
We're all getting dumber these days, but it's always helpful to be reminded that even the "smart" people aren't that smart—just insufferably smug. Especially the so-called experts.
Hunter Biden, for example, is a moron. But he was right about the Pod Bros. "Four white millionaires that are dining out on their association with Barack Obama from 16 years ago, living in Beverly fucking Hills, telling the rest of the world what black voters in South Carolina really want," the former crackhead said in 2025.
In other words, they are nothing like Obama himself. He's way richer and lives on Martha's Vineyard.
