S15 EP175: Hour 3 - Sarah Sanders' Welfare Ad Sparks the White Right
S15 EP175: Hour 3 - Sarah Sanders' Welfare Ad Sparks the White Right  
Podcast: The Erick Erickson Show
Published On: Wed Sep 30 2026
Description: Erick Erickson takes on the online right's outrage over Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders' welfare to work ad, calling out the grievance politics and white victimhood peddled by click chasing influencers. He then argues Donald Trump's Iran sanctions and economic pressure are slowly collapsing the regime even as gas prices and diesel costs threaten Republicans ahead of the midterms, praises Brian Kemp's gas tax suspension, and mocks the rush to rebrand artificial intelligence as "superintelligence." The hour closes with Senator Eric Schmitt's embarrassing Jack Smith "Hawks game" gotcha that blew up on live television. Sarah Huckabee Sanders welfare ad: Arkansas welfare reform work requirements, the Brad in the basement ad, and why more white men than black women are on welfare in Arkansas, plus Erick's rebuke of the white right grievance crowd and Beau French's UT graduation comments. Iran collapsing under Trump sanctions: Economic isolation, hyperinflation, unpaid soldiers and teachers, reported skirmishes near the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's banking isolation, and the risk of an October surprise before the midterms. Gas prices, diesel and the midterms: Former Deputy Treasury Secretary on Fox Business tying gas prices to the generic ballot, Treasury bond buyback limits, mortgage rates above 7 percent, Brian Kemp's Georgia gas tax suspension, and California's gas tax. Trump's "superintelligence" rebrand: Erick pushes back on the fawning over renaming artificial intelligence, Laura Ingraham's praise, Mark Zuckerberg's Meta strategy, and Meta's Muse AI assistant. Eric Schmitt's Jack Smith gotcha backfires: The Hawks versus Hawkeyes mix-up, the Axios VP buzz for 2028, Scott Jennings on CNN, and Republican complaints about Jack Smith obtaining congressional and Molly Hemingway records.