The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

On today’s episode, Vital Interests author and national security extraordinaire Thomas Joscelyn makes his first Remnant appearance. With a healthy supply of Hayek references on hand, Jonah seems determined to outdo the wonkiness of Brian Riedl’s visit earlier this week. Al-Qaeda, Afghanistan, China, and the meaning of necrocracy are all discussed peacefully by the pair, until a certain name is mentioned; If you thought Jonah’s contempt for Woodrow Wilson was unparalleled, just wait until you hear the disdain that overtakes Tom at the mere mention of Henry Kissinger. Show Notes: - Tom’s journal, Long War - Vital Interests at The Dispatch - Just in case you happen to know Siraj Haqqani - The history of the institutionalized form of al-Qaeda, the AQAP - Bin Laden’s files - Tom: “The Flawed Reasoning Behind Biden’s Afghanistan Withdrawal” - Jonah: “Biden Citing the Wrong Reasons for Afghanistan Withdrawal” - The Remnant with Bing West - Kissinger makes WWI metaphors in regards to China - Hitchens: “A necrocracy?” - The Remnant with Oriana Skylar Mastro - “The Longer Telegram,” by an anonymous official - Lin Wells’ memo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senior Manhattan Institute fellow Brian Riedl joins Jonah on The Remnant for an uber-wonky discussion of economic policy. Fresh from testifying before the House Committee on Financial Services on President Biden’s madcap “infrastructure” plan, Brian provides insight on all manner of economic fallacies peddled by Republicans and Democrats alike. What’s to be done about infrastructure? Are inflation and debt really a big deal? And why is everyone turning on free markets? Also, take a shot of your favorite alcoholic beverage every time the words “infrastructure” and “buy gold” are uttered. You’ll soon realize how Jonah felt at the end of last week’s Mike Gallagher episode. Show Notes: -Brian Riedl - The Manhattan Institute -Brian’s recent House testimony -Last week’s astonishing Remnant with Rep. Mike Gallagher -Jonah shakes his fist in the direction of infrastructure -The good old days of complaining about Obama’s stimulus -“That’s a shark” -The GOP is more concerned with Green Eggs and Ham than spending -Brian: “The Entitlement Crisis Ignored” -David Beckworth and Ramesh Ponnuru: “Stop Worrying About Inflation” -Brian: “Liberal Economists Say Debt Doesn’t Matter. They’re Wrong.” -Brian: “Who Will Fund $24 Trillion in New Government Debt?” -Brian: “Taxing the ‘Rich’ Won’t Pay for Politicians’ Promises” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s refreshingly (or regrettably, depending on your perspective) sober Ruminant finds Jonah surrounded by boxes of books so nerdy that even Goodwill won’t take them. Preoccupied with thoughts on the strange state of the right, and the equally strange state of Joe Biden, he swiftly reaches levels of wonkiness so high that they could cure sleep deprivation. What’s the matter with the Claremont Institute? Will the oft-discussed “Liberal Fascism Revisited” piece ever be completed? And what new euphemism for a mild hangover will soon be sweeping the nation? Show Notes: - Jonah’s pre-coffee reproval of Ryan Williams - The Wednesday G-File - J.D. Vance’s Democrat-esque response to David French - The decline of the Lincoln Fellowship - The week’s first Remnant with Andy Smarick - The week’s second Remnant with Mike Gallagher, which must be heard to be believed - Horseshoe theory - Last Friday’s G-File - Jerry Nadler: “We are not packing the Supreme Court, we are unpacking it.” - The Decadent Society, by Ross Douthat - Biden wears a mask alone in Arlington National Cemetery - Jonah: “Biden Puts Feelings Over Facts in Afghanistan Withdrawal” - The Rectification of Names Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s career-ruining episode, recorded deep within the headquarters of Half-Baked DARPA, Jonah is joined by frequent guest Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Packers) for a jaunt through the land of new and creative ideas that still need some more time in the oven. The show sees the guys return to the idea of annexing Greenland while also bringing new life to half-baked concepts such as spray-painted meteors, an $800 quadrillion infrastructure plan for salvaging the experience of the midpriced American hotel, and the joys of director commentaries when combined with drinking games. Emphasis on the drinking part. Also, find out what masterful modern novel Gallagher thought “sucked.” Show Notes: -Rep. Gallagher’s webpage -Rep. Gallagher’s appearance on the Remnant’s super-spectacular 200th episode -Trump’s hand on the Ohio Senate primary -“We’re gonna have… tryouts” -Jonah shakes his fist in the direction of infrastructure -Jonah: “Greenland Should Be Ours” -Obi-Wan v. Darth Vader, gloriously re-imagined -It’s “I’m Eighteen,” Jonah -The Jewish space lazer conspiracy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Only those in the wonky 1 percent should subject themselves to today’s nerdtastic Remnant, in which Jonah is joined for a third time by the Manhattan Institute’s Andy Smarick. The pair use Andy’s recent Dispatch piece on the folly of never-ending school closures to launch a wide-ranging discussion of the pandemic culture war and divisions among conservatives. Should you be friends with politicians? Why are some Americans desperate for normalcy to never return? And is it wise for so many right-wing whippersnappers to reject the so-called “dead consensus”? Unsurprisingly, Jonah thinks Hayek has the answer to at least one of those questions. Show Notes: -Andy Smarick - the Manhattan Institute -Jim Geraghty on opening with the 10th step of a 10-step argument -Last week’s Remnant with Dan Crenshaw -Jonah: “Giuliani's Sorry Path from Law-and-Order Mayor to Villainous Clown” -Giuliani: “My attitude to my legacy is …” -Andy: “What the Narrative on School Reopenings Has Missed” -Randi Weingarten calls American Jews “part of the ownership class” -The View of the World from 9th Avenue -Joy Reid is too scared to enjoy life after she’s vaccinated -Steven Petrow: “I’m Vaccinated, but I’m Not Really Ready to Leave My Pandemic Cocoon” -Hadley Arkes and peers argue for a “better” originalism -Catholics v. libertarians in the 1960s -Marco Rubio: “Amazon Should Face Unionization Drive Without Republican Support” -Mitt Romney’s child allowance proposal -Jonah is flattered by R.R. Reno’s gushing review of Suicide of the West -YouGov’s recent survey of 2020 Trump voters -Hayek’s “The Use of Knowledge in Society” -David French on nutpicking Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this freewheeling Ruminant, Jonah is accompanied by a smaller cast of off-putting onlookers than last time. Still on a high after the week’s earlier discussion of Bigfoot’s messianic powers, he approaches the questions of the day with extra verve. Is recycling a load of garbage? Is President Biden’s rhetoric on race any better? And, of course, has politics supplanted religion? Tune in to find out and, in case you missed it, to learn of the Sasquatch’s alien origins. Show Notes: - The great plastic recycling lie - ”Do you kids want to be like the real UN? Or do you just want to squabble and waste time?” - John Tierny: “Recycling is Garbage” - The week’s second Remnant with Dan Crenshaw - “She just dislikes me so much… it’s irresistible!” - The Suicidal Corporation, by Paul Weaver - Jonah: “No, Georgia’s Election Law is Not ‘Jim Crow 2.0’" - The week’s first Dispatch Podcast - Biden gets four Pinocchios - Minneapolis newspaper owner thinks we haven’t had racial progress in three generations - Biden: “They’re going to put ya’ll back in chains” - Jonah: “WaterGaetz” - Last week’s Remnant with Shadi Hamid - The “Religion of Humanity” - The Revolutions podcast - The week’s first Remnant with Denver Riggleman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah collaborates with Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw on their second Remnant together in an attempt to hash out their differences of opinion regarding why Congress doesn’t work. (Or does it?) Come listen, and discover why members of Congress feel the need to have such robust media teams on staff all the time, why Marjorie Taylor Greene is actually a swamp creature nowadays, and walk through Dan’s “favorite moment of 2021,” which features a shockingly bad instance of Spanglish. Show Notes: -Dan’s podcast, Hold These Truths -Dan’s article on fighting, not performing -Jonathan Rauch: Is Congress broken? -Jonathan Haidt’s political Turing test -Jonah’s article on Antony Blinken and China -Dan’s Conservative Guide to the Culture Wars -Almost nobody uses “Latinx” -“Si, se pwadway!” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Denver Riggleman, former congressman for Virginia’s 5th District and noted Bigfoot enthusiast, joins Jonah on today’s episode for a colorful discussion of Americans’ freedom to believe anything they want. Sometimes, the consequences can be tragic, as in the case of January 6. But they can also be truly spectacular, and for proof, look no further than those who believe Bigfoot is an interdimensional traveler, psychedelic prophet, and alien scout. Before diving headfirst into Sasquatch lore, the pair also explore fine liquor, what it’s really like inside the House Freedom Caucus, and Denver’s experiences running for office. It’s a Remnant André the Giant wouldn’t want you to miss. Show Notes: -Denver’s website -Denver, QAnon, and Bigfoot erotica -"The QAnon Conspiracy: Destroying Families, Dividing Communities, Undermining Democracy" - a report co-authored by Denver -Denver’s new book, Bigfoot… It’s Complicated -The Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot film -9/11 truthers -NYT: “One Republican’s Lonely Fight Against a Flood of Misinformation” -Mick Mulvaney on The Dispatch Podcast -Denver and the church parking lot -Silverback Distillery -Is Bigfoot an interdimensional traveler? -The Nashville bomber believed in lizard people -Giuliani’s insane voter fraud claims -Judean People’s Front vs. People’s Front of Judea -The Six Million Dollar Man vs. Bigfoot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s Ruminant features Jonah amid a group of silent watchers, staring at him while on mute in a Zoom meeting as he speaks to himself for an hour in the basement of an undisclosed location. On the docket today: Jonah returns to one of the most interesting political conundrums of our moment. Was our class of political nutjobs always crazy, or did they only get crazy in the last few years? On a completely unrelated note, why is Matt Gaetz the way he is? And, of course, Jonah speaks to the dangers of “thinking about politics like you’re watching a movie.” Show Notes: - The ongoing Matt Gaetz scandal - Politico’s summary of John Boehner’s new book, On the House: A Washington Memoir - Boehner unloads on the GOP’s “crazy caucus” - Jonah: “I’m Not Going to Say I Told You So… But” - Last month’s Remnant with Elaine Kamarck - Steve Bannon and the “Island of Misfit Toys” - Kevin Williamson: “Peter Navarro: Trump’s Nutty Economics Professor” - Peter Navarro believes Fauci created COVID - Memories of bleach - This week’s second Remnant with Shadi Hamid - Chelsea Handler on due process for Derek Chauvin - Jonah: “Why Bipartisanship is a Weapon to Use Against Your Political Foes” - Romney pushes Biden on bipartisanship - The week’s first Remnant with Chris Stirewalt - Triangulation: the dirtiest word in politics - Bill Maher steals Jonah’s joke - Kevin McCarthy reads Green Eggs and Ham Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, first-time guest of The Remnant, Shadi Hamid joins Jonah for a comprehensive discussion on religion, identity, and the bizarre wokespeak favored by Twitter’s blue checkmark crowd. Have wokeism and ethno-nationalism superseded religion on the left and right respectively? Are Islam and classical liberalism compatible? And, crucially, can Jonah contain the annoyance that consumes him at the mere mention of Adrian Vermeule? Show Notes: - Shadi Hamid - Brookings Institution - Shadi: “America Without God” - Shadi’s podcast, Wisdom of Crowds - They’re always eating candy at Brookings… - Jonathan Haidt on moral psychology and religion - Shadi on the “Church of Woke” - Jonah: “The Definition of Dogma” - Trump’s improved Muslim support in 2020 - Just 3% of Hispanics use Latinx - 25% of black Democrats identify as conservative - Shadi’s latest book, Islamic Exceptionalism - Catholics vs. Libertarians in the 1960s - Muslim views on morality - Reopening Muslim Minds, by Mustafa Akyol - Why Liberalism Failed, by Patrick Deneen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, it’s déjà vu all over again as Chris Stirewalt returns - this time in the guest seat. What do Georgia’s new voter laws, Arlen Specter, mandatory voting, The World According to Garp’s infamous “tongue scene,” Henry VIII, and Robin Williams’ illustrious career in drag have to do with one another? Well, the guys talk about all of it and more in this edition, and hopefully it puts you in a mood to believe that the living will not, in fact, envy the dead - “at least at the margins.” Show Notes: -Chris’ page at The Dispatch -Chiller Theater -New voting laws in Georgia -Chris’ recent Remnant with Daron Shaw -Jonah: “Voter Apathy Isn’t a Crime” -Obama: the filibuster is a “Jim Crow relic” -Jonah’s love of Arlen Specter -Was the 1960 election stolen? -Jonah “The Center is a Lonely Place to Be” -Jonah: “We Have Two Moon Parties, No Sun Party” -Patriotic Grace, by Peggy Noonan -Boehner and Obama’s bad bromance -Jonah: Congress is a “parliament of pundits” -Revolutions Podcast - The English Civil War -Divided We Fall, by David French -James Kirchichick: “Why White-Nationalist Thugs Thrill to Trump” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this weekend’s Ruminant, hop into Jonah’s somewhat underwhelming time machine that goes only to the past – because, after all, “the future doesn’t exist.” Why is Jonah driving through the setting of a Mark Twain story? Why do conservatives look to the past for better times (even when the past is largely worse), and why do liberals look to a nonexistent future? Why are both left- and right-wing kids trying to make the entire world like a college campus? And who is Gabriel Kolko, and why does Jonah find him “useful”? Show notes: - Jonah’s desert adventures - The week’s first Remnant with Tevi Troy - The week’s second Remnant, with David French and Greg Lukianoff - Jonah reviews Wendy Shalit’s book - Jonah’s filibuster column - Gabriel Kolko’s bibliography Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David French graciously guest-hosts in Jonah’s place on today’s program, wherein he has a long-ranging conversation with a longtime friend , Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. David and Greg discuss some of the silliest and most sinister examples of censorship regimes on college campuses from recent history, the history of the campus free speech movement stretching back to the 1950s, David’s memories of being a conservative at Harvard Law School, and the moment that Greg realized that “the students themselves had become the main proponents of censorship.” By coincidence, it’s our second Remnant in a row that is largely about modern cancel culture and censorship, rounded out by a conversation about the Snyder Cut. The only difference, really, is that David and Greg seriously dig it. Show Notes: - Greg Lukianoff of FIRE - The Coddling of the American Mind, by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt - Herbert Marcuse and campus free speech - Greg: “Speech Codes: The Biggest Scandal on College Campuses Today” - “Inappropriately directed laughter” - “Beirut on the Charles” - Greg’s first book, Unlearning Liberty - Indian River Community College bans The Passion of the Christ - The Eternally Radical Idea - The Ronald Zaccari Memorial Parking Garage - Greg debates Ken White on cancel culture - Greg talks about social justice graduate requirements in the Chronicle of Higher Education - Alexi McCammond fired from Teen Vogue over old tweets - Jonathan Rauch on how to tell if you’re being canceled - The Revolt of the Public, by Martin Gurri - Amazon pulls Ryan T. Anderson’s book on transgender issues Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tevi Troy—presidential historian and all-around smart person—joins the program to talk about the mechanics of cancel culture, and what might be done to prevent it from taking hold in the future. Key to Tevi’s point is that “cancel culture is actually a distinct phenomenon from political correctness, which everyone largely disliked in the ‘90s.” They also talk about the larger culture of censorship in America before moving into the most vitally important topics of our time: Marvel vs. DC, in both their cinematic and comic book forms (Reminder: Sonny Bunch is always right), and the Snyder Cut—including methods for getting through the whole thing without falling asleep. Show Notes: -Tevi’s page at National Affairs -Biden’s July 4 speech -Jonah: “The Treason of the Epidemiologists” -Lindsey J. Leininger and Harold Pollack: “We’re public health experts. We need to do a better job of talking to conservatives.” -Tevi: “Presidents and Public Health Crises” -Jake Sullivan and Anthony Blinken’s China summit -Tevi: “How to Defend Free Speech” -David Brooks: “Freakish Thinking” -Kindly Inquisitors, by Jonathan Rausch -Barbara Jordan’s 1992 DNC speech -Irving Kristol: “Pornography, Obscenity and the Case for Censorship” -Tevi: “The Fanny Hill Phenomenon” -The Coddling of the American Mind, by Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff -Bari Weiss interviews Jonathan Haidt -Jonah and Bing West laugh at Tevi -Fight House: Rivalries in the White House from Truman to Trump, by Tevi -Sonny Bunch reviews Zack Snyder’s Justice League Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the midst of carving a path to Yosemite, Jonah has graced us with a Ruminant that provides a weekly roundup of his writing – from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to an example from his past that indicates why our radicals should Czech their privilege. He moves into a rumination on subconscious conservative messages embedded within Hollywood entertainment before discussing the unintended consequences of the Senate re-embrace of earmarks as well as the perks of sleeping in Walmart parking lots. It suffices to say that this Ruminant has a positively buckshot-like spread in terms of topics, so have fun with it. Show notes: - The Remnant with Professional Jonah Impersonator Chris Stirewalt - The member’s only Wednesday “news”letter from The Cleve - One of rock’s wildest singers has a permanent Vegas residency - Jonah’s Czech-cellent Adventure - Chekov’s Gun - “We made a person!” - The virtues of The Walking Dead - The weird Remnant with Nick and Guy - Jonah’s column on earmarks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Live (well, at the time of recording) from Park City, Utah, Jonah is joined by his AEI handlers, Nick and Guy, for a pop culture-filled conversation with the help of listener-provided questions. Why does Jonah go on trips fit only for Survivorman? Why is Pam Grier so fascinating? Was Angel actually better than Buffy? And, the most important question of all, which one of Jonah’s former coworkers in conservative news media does Guy sound exactly like? Show Notes - Onion: “Markle seen holding Prince Harry’s cadaverous hand for support” - Jonah’s G-File from a snow-wracked Texas - Jack’s defense of Weird Wendy’s - Scott Lincicome asking Jonah the hard questions - “Oh, come on, Gallagher!” - The members-only midweek “news”letter - The Remnant with Cass Sunstein, potential future dog-book co-author - Jasmine, true name unpronounceable by human tongue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pinch-hitting for Jonah today is his vocal double Chris Stirewalt, who talks with his old friend from their shared years at Fox News’ Decision Desk, Daron Shaw. Chris and Daron go on a “mythbusting” expedition, explaining why the conventional wisdom that high-turnout elections benefit Democrats isn’t true (and has never been) as well as why campaign finance efforts have historically failed to attack corruption in favor of simply dismantling the “appearance of corruption.” It’s a punched-up episode that’s sure to complete a few of your Remnant Bingo cards. Show Notes: -Daron Shaw at the University of Texas -Daron and John Petrocik’s book, The Turnout Myth -Voter files -2020 was largest turnout since 1900 -Was Edgar Allan Poe “cooped”? -McConnell speaks about McCain-Feingold -Daron’s book on Buckley v. Valeo, The Appearance of Corruption -P.J. O’Rourke’s Don’t Vote Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this weekend’s Ruminant, Jonah has a lot rattling around in his mind, and now you're gonna hear about it. Why are elites inevitable? What explains the transformation of the Democratic Party into an ideological party? Stay for Jonah's thoughts on Covid relief, and President Biden's first prime-time White House address. Show Notes: -The Friday G-File -The members-only midweek “news”letter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steven Hayward enters the ranks of the three-timers on today’s Remnant, as he and Jonah engage in a discussion of the American right that manages to be both wide and deep. Jonah and Steve get the “dark clouds out of the way” (such as a pervasive illiberal cancel culture and the reappearance of especially nasty tribalism) first to make room for Steve’s heartening optimism. Such greener pastures involve an investigation into what remains of the old fusionist mindset among conservatives, why the right should not adopt basically left wing policies simply to conform with the “motivated reasoning” of certain activist conservatives, and how the right can do its part to stop the exporting of campus values into the general culture. Show Notes: -Steven F. Hayward - The Claremont Institute -Steven’s first book, Churchill on Leadership -Steven’s second book, The Age of Reagan: The Fall of the Old Liberal Order, 1964-1980 -Amazon removes Clarence Thomas documentary -Cancel Pepe Le Pew -Macron more American than an American now -Rich Lowry: “Don’t Rewrite Mark Twain” -Ebay removes listings for canceled Dr. Seuss books -Jonah: “America Has Two Minority Parties” -James Clyburn: “Defund the police” cost Democrats seats -The Great Debate, by Yuval Levin -Steven’s latest book, M. Stanton Evans: Conservative Wit, Apostle of Freedom -Oren Cass: “America Should Adopt an Industrial Policy” -Oren Cass on The Dispatch Podcast -Jonah: “Does Anyone Really Believe Free Market Fundamentalists Are ‘Running the Show’?” -Christopher J. Walker: “The Federalist Society’s Chevron Deference Dilemma” -Stephanie Slade: “Is There a Future for Fusionism?” -Stephanie Slade’s latest Remnant appearance -Daniel E. Burns: “Liberal Practice v. Liberal Theory” -Blacklisted by History, by M. Stanton Evans -Robert J. Zimmer stands up for free speech at UChicago -Charles Murray attacked at Middlebury -The Port Huron Statement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show, Jonah speaks to Manhattan Institute fellow and CCNY professor Daniel DiSalvo (an expert on public-sector unions and their history) to find out how the sausage really gets made in the intra-organizational politics of these public-sector unions, and how their influence is often the result of “the breakdown of machine politics – especially within the Democratic Party – in big cities.” Show Notes: - Dan’s page at the Manhattan Institute - “The Trouble with Police Unions” - Dan’s latest book, Government Against Itself - The first work on the “New Class,” by Milovan Djilas - Maya Wiley back by the SEIU in NYC - DeBlasio was also endorsed by SEIU - Terry Moe’s book on teachers unions - New York teachers’ all-expenses-paid “rubber rooms” - The OG happy warrior Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This weekend’s edition of the Ruminant is a little bit like Christopher Hitchens’ D.C. apartment: a little bit of one thing right next to a little bit of the complete opposite thing. There’s a lot of ground covered in this, a practically record-breaking long episode of the podcast in which Jonah discusses his dad’s work for the wonderfully-acronymed NANA (North American Newspaper Alliance), dynamic scoring (a system in which this episode gets an A+), the necessity of telling the truth at a time in which even committed conservatives have a legitimate temptation to abandon their principles, the request from a listener for Goldberg Story Time, and much, much more. Show Notes: - Tim Russert interviews Bob Kerrey - John Edwards’ bizarre stem cell comments - CDC director “speaking in her personal capacity” - TX Gov. Abbott lifts mask mandate - Thomas Kuhn: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions - “Rationalia” - Jay Nordlinger’s Q&A - Memogate/Rathergate - “Slackjawed troglodytes” - Voir dire, or, as Advisory Opinions likes to say, “Vwahr Dahr” - “I don’t like the… stumps” - Mit-Voche Epistle - The Remnant with Steve Hayward and Charles Murray - Kathryn Jean Lopez’ page at National Review - Matt Lewis speaks to Bill Kristol Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elaine Kamarck of the Brookings Institution joins us for the first time. She and Jonah stray from pure rank punditry to instead discuss intra-party politics of primaries, the Democratic Party, and Elaine’s innate skepticism of the Electoral College. Jonah pushes back by saying that “When you start to dig under the surface, most people who oppose the Electoral College are really just saying that they don’t like the Senate,” to which Elaine has a great, balanced response (probably the best answer we’ve heard on this program from someone that dislikes the Electoral College). Join the program to see more light than heat on this episode. Show Notes: -Elaine Kamarck, the Brookings Institution -Elaine’s latest book, Primary Politics: Everything You Need to Know about How America Nominates Its Presidential Candidates -Elaine: “The urgent need for peer review in the presidential nominating process” -The McGovern-Fraser Commission Report -"I opened up the doors of the Democratic Party, and 20 million people walked out." -81 percent of black Americans don't want less police presence -NYT: “Yes, We Mean Literally Abolish the Police” -Lessons from Mike Bloomberg’s attempt to buy the 2020 election -Why Presidents Fail and How They Can Succeed Again -The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact -Elaine and John Hudak: “How to get rid of the Electoral College” -Elaine with Jon Ward on The Long Game podcast -The latest GLoP podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an effort to explain the current state of the economy as well as the political ramifications of some parts of the Biden agenda coming down the pipeline, Jonah invited Michael Strain, his colleague at the American Enterprise Institute, for a return appearance. Strain explains complicated issues without confusing the plebeians among us who can’t look at numbers for very long before developing a headache. Speaking of headaches, near the end of the podcast the guys get into a relitigation of the ending of Lost, in addition to a brief discussion of WandaVision, Peaky Blinders, and Deep Impact, of all things. Show Notes: -Michael R. Strain, American Enterprise Institute -Michael’s latest book, The American Dream is Not Dead (But Populism Could Kill It) -Larry Summers: “The Biden stimulus is admirably ambitious. But it brings some big risks, too” -Michael in National Review: “When Will the Pandemic End?” -Consumers to unleash trillions of dollars in excess savings when pandemic ends -Paul Volcker’s war on inflation -Michael in Bloomberg Opinion: “How to Make a (Modest) Minimum Wage Hike Work” -Josh Hawley’s minimum wage proposal -Jonah’s love of public sector unions -Lost as a metaphor for lack of payoff Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah joins us on a feature-length Relaxed Fit™ episode of the Ruminant in which he discusses his innate wish to continue speaking as a conservative without the sacrifice of genuinely-held principles. An important trait for a moment where that simply doesn’t happen often. In the first half, Jonah also addresses the “autoimmune problem” (both literal and figurative) of American youth as they continuously fail to prove themselves in tests of emotional fragility, and he makes a shocking claim about the Jaws sequels that must only be heard to be believed. Show Notes: -Lady Gaga’s French bulldogs, Koji and Gustav, stolen -The Friday G-File -Kevin Williamson and Jonah talk “doubling down on yeehaw” -BIG IF TRUE: Jaws 2 is good??? -Michael Powell on the insanity at Smith College -Oberlin student mistakes person in blanket for Klansman -A landmine-filled G-File on language -The intentionally meandering G-File from two Fridays ago - “The Murphy Brown thing” -What might a “red meat hat” even look like? -Bill Kristol’s “trial balloon” -“The Irony of Bill Kristol” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fellow Dispatcher Declan Garvey joins Jonah on today’s program, wherein they discuss the parallels between the GOP’s current identity crisis and the last time that Americans witnessed a similar party realignment (the Whigs vs. Jacksonian Democrats). The guys discuss the prospects for a theoretically ascendant third party - “The people I spoke to said, ‘Yeah, I’d be happy to belong to a party that addressed my concerns even if I knew it might lose in the short term,’” says Declan - as well as early 2024 contenders and the validity of the “Red Dog Democrat” theory. Show Notes: -Declan’s page at The Dispatch -“Hey, egghead, sing ‘Fair Harvard!’” -Declan: “Is it Time for the Republican Party to Split Apart?” -Steve Scalise won’t say the election wasn’t stolen -Trump’s attack on Mitch McConnell -Republican loyalty to Trump -Mitt Romney says Trump is already a 2024 frontrunner -Maine and Alaska should watch out for unintended consequences -Bill Kristol: “What About Joe?” -Tim Miller: “The Trade: Meet the New Red Dog Democrats” -Mitt Romney and Tom Cotton propose a minimum wage hike Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we confirm that Dispatch contributing editor Chris Stirewalt has indeed surpassed our gold jacket threshold while engaging in the rankest of punditry. Chris and Jonah discuss how Biden’s “poison pills” (Neera Tanden’s potential confirmation, a dogmatic insistence on a $15 minimum wage policy, et al) are quickly becoming … well, pills, simply put. While the administration continues to add progressive boxes to their checklist, Israel continues to speed ahead with vaccinations and, in the domestic realm, the lingering shadow of Trump still presents obstacles for the GOP. As a bonus, this episode should hopefully make up for the lack of a Ruminant last weekend, as the vocal similarities between Chris and Jonah make the whole thing sound like a gigantic monologue. Show Notes: -Chris’ page at The Dispatch -The WKRP in Cincinnati theme -The status of the U.S. vaccination rollout -Israel’s vaccination strategy -Fauci on normality and masking into 2022 -Jonah argued Biden should run a “return to normalcy” campaign before anyone else -Brad Pascale: Trump would have won with a different approach to COVID -Obama calling Bush “unpatriotic” for adding to the debt -“Out, out, brief candle!” -NYT: Biden should appoint a “reality czar” -Will Chamberlain: “Platform Access is a Civil Right” -Jonah’s college newspaper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah welcomes Kevin Williamson to discuss their shared status as Americans trapped within the final layer of Dante’s Hell (aka, Texas in the midst of a large-scale winter weather disaster). From the corporatism on display to the “stunning lack of entrepreneurialism” in response to the issues the state is currently facing, to every issue in between - such as the pointless populism being proffered as an explanation for Texas’ woes - this situation is proving to be a microcosm of everything that is dysfunctional in American politics. Who better to walk us through the sociopolitical ramifications of this situation, than two men who are known for their unadulterated joviality? Show Notes: -Kevin’s page at National Review -Kevin’s new book, still in the running for “Greatest Subtitle Ever” - Big White Ghetto: Dead Broke, Stone-Cold Stupid, and High on Rage in the Dank Woolly Wilds of the “Real America” -Baksheesh -Jonah v. David on the zombie apocalypse -NYT: “No, Wind Turbines Aren’t the Main Cause of the Texas Blackouts” -“Solar power, when will people learn?” -Rick Perry doubles down on yee-haw -The FairTax movement -Kevin on Satan’s balls -Alex Jones’ lawyers admit he’s an actor -Texas GOP chair Allen West suggests secession -“They’re always eating candy in Shelbyville.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Jonah brings The Remnant to you from the ice-wracked void of Austin, Texas. His guest is Stephanie Slade, the managing editor of Reason magazine. Stephanie and Jonah provide some helpful explanations of what the oldest coalition of modern conservatism (i.e. “fusionism”) really is, who its members were, and what its political motivations were. Then, in an instance of “violent agreement,” our two intrepid intellectual explorers refute the idea that this fusionist project is a “dead consensus” or that it necessarily precludes membership from libertarians. Interestingly, Jonah thinks that the tensions within fusionism are strong enough that “it doesn’t make sense as a purely philosophical project,” but Stephanie is confident that American political history indicates that the tension between virtue and freedom is resolved within the fusion of these different branches of conservatism. Show Notes: -Stephanie Slade’s Reason archive -Stephanie: “Is There a Future for Fusionism?” -M. Stanton Evans: The Theme is Freedom -Jonah: “Fusionism Today” -Ramesh Ponnuru: “Fusionists and Fissionists” -Murray Rothbard: “Frank S. Meyer: The Fusionist as Libertarian” -Frank Meyer v. L. Brent Bozell Jr. -Daniel E. Burns: “Liberal Practice v. Liberal Theory” -Donald Devine’s The Enduring Tension: Capitalism and the Moral Order -William James’ “blooming, buzzing confusion” -Post-liberal conservatives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this weekend’s Ruminant, Jonah figures that it is his duty to do what he can to clean the gigantic metaphorical Augean Stable that is Washington D.C. as recompense for missing a G-File. Thus, this is an episode filled with only the rankest of punditry: Grifters abound, both within Congress and in the fundraising and activism apparatchiks of both the right and the left. Not only is it the case that the grift was getting more intense on its own, but impeachment has just made it all the more self-aggrandizing. Listen as Jonah takes aim at the nepotistic relationship between conservative boosters and lobbyists, The Lincoln Project, and Congress itself for consistently living down to Americans’ expectations. Show Notes: -Frigid Austin -The inklings of an Ivanka Trump campaign in Florida against Rubio -Demosclerosis by Jonathan Rauch -Lincoln Project awfulness -The online Roget’s Thesaurus… just in case you are curious -Matt Schlapp and pardon foolishness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This podcast is for those of us who feel like the state of our political parties makes us want a drink, or at least some reliable recommendations about what we should be drinking. Jonah is joined by AEI colleague Kevin Kosar, who writes on how Congress is failing to do its job - not simply because of populism and polarization, but also because “its smaller numbers of staffers mean that Congress is literally shrinking while the institution is being asked to do more than ever.” They discuss how to fix the backwardness of this system, before moving on to a discussion of Kevin’s true passion (proven by his pedigree as one of the earliest bloggers on the subject): whiskey and other fine spirits. Show Notes: -Kevin Kosar - American Enterprise Institute -Moving Congress into the 21st Century -Congress Overwhelmed -Show horses vs work horses -Kevin on the true use of earmarks -A Time to Build, by Yuval Levin -Jonah’s love of the term “co-equal” -What’s a pager? -Sen. Lamar Alexander’s farewell speech -Bill Barr’s civilized hearing -Floor Charts, doing important work -Whiskey: A Global History -Alcoholreviews.com, continually operating since 1998 -Connemara peated Irish Whiskey -White whiskey, or, uhm, moonshine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Astute listeners may remember Europe’s immigration crisis circa 2015, in which more than 1 million people, many of them refugees, made their way to the continent. Today, Jonah is joined by one of the most informed public intellectuals on the matter, Ayaan Hirsi Ali. In addition to her first-hand account of leaving Somalia for the West, she also comes loded with information from her new book, Prey, which recounts many of the ways in which affected European nations have either struggled or outright failed to assimilate this largely Muslim population. Ayaan admires Jonah’s “chivalry” on these issues, but makes it clear that one of the direct effects of this failure is a continual erosion of women’s rights in countries that are otherwise considered beacons of social progress. Show Notes: -Ayaan Hirsi Ali - The Hoover Institution -The Ayaan Hirsi Ali Podcast -Prey, Ayaan’s new book -Infidel, Ayaan’s first book -China’s Uighur atrocities -Modernization of Turkey under Kemal Ataturk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Go down the rabbit hole of conservative eggheadiness on this weekend’s Ruminant, where Jonah discusses both the validity of “Trumpism” as an ideological construct as well as how that plays with the idea of conservatism as the “negation of an ideology.” Jonah also explains how we are seeing the ratcheting effect of increased government authority take place in real time, why Chris Stirewalt is the greatest, why right wing populism is the worst, and much more. Show Notes: -The Dispatch Podcast with Chris Stirewalt and Jonah -“Expressio Unius Exclusio Alterius” -Crisis and Leviathan by Robert Higgs -Milton Friedman and income tax withholding -This Friday’s G-File -Giuliani: My legacy? F*** it! -Area man loses mind on live television -Kirk: “Conservatism is the negation of ideology” -Jordan Peterson: Reject ideology -Murphy Brown and Dan Quayle -Erewhon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Given the state of… things (imagine us gesturing wildly as we say this) as they currently are, Jonah figured that this might be an apropos time to bring back a popular guest for his second showing: Joseph Uscinski, a political scientist and professor at the University of Miami specializing in how conspiracy theories spread. Buckle up for the discussion of Jewish space lasers, QAnon, Frazzledrip, and much more. They also discuss why the conspiratorial tendency never seems to go away, thanks to its basis in personality type, as well as the fact that “politicians … use [them] as a cudgel to go around accusing their opponents of the worst things possible.” We’re sure you can imagine just what Joe is talking about with that one. Show Notes: -Joseph E Uscinski - University of Miami -Our previous episode with Joseph -Birtherism -Every conspiracy theory promoted by Trump -Conspiracy theories are for losers -9/11 truthers -70 percent of Republicans don’t think the election was free and fair -Eric Voegelin and the roots of conspiracy theories -The God of the gaps -Conspiracy theories and evolutionary psychology -The Koch brothers control everything -Bernie and the rigged economy -Alienated America by Tim Carney -“Frazzledrip”??? -6 percent of Republicans and Democrats believe in QAnon -NYT: Biden should appoint a “reality czar” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thanks to international supply chains, Scott Lincicome’s Five Timer gold jacket is in the mail today as he joins Jonah to discuss a whole panoply of economic trends. Scott and Jonah talk about some of his observations from his posts as a fellow Dispatch-er with his Capitolism newsletter, as well as through his role at Cato where he has just put out a ton of research refuting the too-clever-by-half idea that the government can seize the manufacturing industry for national security reasons. The guys also discuss how COVID has essentially reversed the consumer side of the American economy. (“The pandemic has temporarily converted us into a country that buys goods instead of services”), and they even manage to get in some Hayek (peace be upon him). Show Notes: -“Five Timers Club” -Scott’s newsletter, Capitolism -Democrats trying to push through $15 minimum wage -Tom Sowell on the minimum wage -More from Less by Andrew McAfee -Scott’s latest for Cato -Scott’s take on the ‘deindustrialization’ myth -A rundown on the National Technology Industrial Base -U.S. ventilator overproduction -Sherrod Brown’s “Buy American” push to the Biden administration -Jonah: Thank globalism for COVID response, not nationalism -Jonah, microcosms, and macrocosms -Invisible Wealth by Nick Schulz and Arnold Kling Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Ruminant, Jonah explicates the sadly prominent “antisemitism in the gaps” theory of political history on both the left and right, his proud status as an ideologue of the lukewarmist school, and the GOP’s inability to take “yes” for an answer on winning cultural issues against the American left. He also touches on how the GameStop kerfuffle is really just a case where “the market should be left to sort it out,” and how it isn’t some kind of refutation of libertarian economics, in addition to pondering the ways that the virtual world has started to rewire our brains. Show Notes: -This week’s G-File -Iranian conspiracies about the British -“A lukewarmer” -David French: “An ocean of possibility for a reasonable GOP” -Madison Cawthorn’s staff is built around comms, not legislation -A Remnant starter on impeachment -The members-only midweek “news”letter -“Every kiss begins with Kay” -The LeafFilter commercial -Take our podcast survey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will Saletan of Slate returns to discuss the looming possibility of a political conflict between the Biden administration and the public sector teachers’ unions who nominally support him, the ways in which the pandemic has shifted labor back into the private sphere of the American household, why both parties should be aiming to present themselves as “the ‘not crazy’ party” (and why they both seem to be doing the opposite), and much more. Will also provides a useful thought experiment as to whether or not one is engaging in hypocrisy in political discussions: “Always try to ask, ‘Am I doing the same thing I’m accusing others of?’” Show Notes: -Will’s page at Slate -Will: “The Enemy isn’t Republicans. It’s Liars.” -Biden now wants 1.5 million vaccinations a day -Student suicides in Las Vegas -Will with Charlie Sykes on The Bulwark podcast -Jonah: “The Center is a Lonely Place to Be” -Will: “Trump is the GOP’s warlord” -Lucifer: “The very first radical” -Tucker Carlson goes to bat for QAnon -Newsweek edits 2015 story to conform to new attack on Tom Cotton -Burke and the impeachment of Warren Hastings -Jonah and Tom Friedman: BFFs -Take our podcast survey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A.B. Stoddard rejoins the show for the three-timer award, as well as to talk, well, politics of all things. What can we expect from Senate Republicans at the start of the new Biden administration. Especially with a vote on whether to convict Donald Trump in the pipeline? We also get some more chronicles in the saga of Mitch McConnell: Machiavellian, principled, or both? And what about the recent flurry of (largely) socially progressive executive orders from the Resolute Desk? Stoddard helps determine what of this recent political news is a signal, and what’s simply noise. Show Notes: -Stoddard at RCP -Stoddard on McConnell -The Hawaii GOP expresses its support for QAnon -Is Jim Jordan about to get more influential? -“The One Where Jonah Calls Matt Gaetz a Steroidal Playmobil Figurine” -Updates on the Patriot Party -Take our podcast survey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The days of the 2012 GOP “autopsy” are long behind us. Listen as Jonah ruminates on the struggles of protecting serious conservatism at a time of supreme unreflectiveness among many adherents of the movement as to how it has been led astray. Jonah also expresses his optimism at the revitalized raison d’être of The Dispatch in a post-Trump America. Additionally, Jonah even previews a forthcoming idea that could be of supreme interest to The Remnant’s nerdier factions: “I owe it to readers to do a deep dive… into what Liberal Fascism has to say” about the revanchist populism of the Trumpian right. Show Notes: - Take our podcast survey - This week’s G-File - The minimum wage and eugenics - Why are they calling all of Antifa “Biden voters”? - Hunter Baker’s article - Newt Gingrich, with another asinine thing - “Not my president?” - The Wednesday “news”letter - The Remnant with Mo Elleithee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Jonah and special guest Jack Butler, his former research assistant for the tricentennial episode. It’s the best of both worlds as the program recalls its greatest hits (conspiracies about the Soviets, Bigfoot Erotica, The Episode that Shall Not be Named, and, of course, Jokes at Jack’s expense) while also breaking into new territory. The guys talk about the conflict between college Republicans who got into politics just to be edgy versus the more thoughtful millenials and Zoomers who actually hold convictions, and about how “for the first time in more than four years, conservative politics do not have to flow through the person of Donald Trump.” Show Notes: - Take our podcast survey - Jack’s page at NR - The Remnant with Joseph Uscinski (or, as Jack said in an interesting instance of spoonerism, “Douglas Urbanski”) - Lost Cosmonauts - Werner Herzog being vaguely horrified by Grizzly Man audio - Bigfoot Erotica: Origin Stories - “The Swamp: An affectionate farewell” - The “Uncomfortable Learning” program at Williams College has a strange history - Jack’s profound disappointment with Madison Cawthorn - Jack ponders the possibilities of Amazon’s show in Middle-Earth - Dan McLaughlin on what comes after Trump - Zhou Enlai on the French Revolution: “Toon soon to tell” - Community: Nick Cage, good or bad? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an exercise of “dealing with liberalism’s best arguments,” Jonah plays host to returning guest Mo Elleithee, a Democratic political strategist. They talk about the first day of the Biden administration and many of the coming political realignments. Would Democrats relish the thought of a “Patriot Party” rising up in opposition to the GOP, or would they reel in horror? Are Americans cautiously optimistic about the incoming administration’s “unity” message, and if so, are they right to be? And in a shocking turn of events, every House Democrat must now bow before the Lord Regent of West Virginia, Joe Manchin. Show Notes: -Take our podcast survey -Mo Elleithee - Georgetown University -George W. Bush’s first inaugural address -Trump’s “Patriot Party” -Liz Cheney vs. the House GOP -Chip Roy’s House speech on impeachment -NYT: “Yes, We Mean Literally Abolish the Police” -The January 2021 Civility Poll Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this weekend’s Ruminant, Jonah discusses how the essence of conservatism in all its variety has been distilled down to a single oversimplistic metric: The more one likes Trump, and the more libs one owns, the more conservative one is assumed to be. “If you agree with Donald Trump, you’re a conservative, and if you defend Trump at all costs, you’re a good conservative.” Jonah then talks about how the larger panoply of conservative ideas is not only more interesting, but more practical for achieving realistic goals in our politics. There’s also a healthy smattering of theology, dog-talk, and Buckley stories throughout. Show Notes: - Take our podcast survey - This week’s Remnant with Yuval - This week’s G-File - DeSantis puts his kid in a MAGA onesie - Varieties of Conservatism in America - Varieties of Progressivism in America - Advisory Opinions talks about incitement standards - Pew polls attitudes about election results - This week’s Remnant with Keith Whittington - Last weekend’s Ruminant - Jonah combat’s J. V. Last’s dog-suspicion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, AEI’s Yuval Levin returns, and Jonah asks him something more important than “What happens next?” Rather, they try to think about “What should we do next?” They talk about what Congress’ institutional responsibility is in regards to impeachment. They also discuss the 10 Republican representatives who voted for impeachment (“Look, I’m Jewish: 10 is better than zero.”), and their hopes to move past the historically anomalous character of right wing discourse throughout the Trump years. “This period has just been devoid of policy conversations. … Keeping the left from crushing you is an important goal, but it’s not what matters most.” Show Notes: - Yuval’s most recent book, A Time to Build - Yuval’s quarterly publication, National Affairs - Rich Lowry: “The Crash of the Flight 93 Presidency” - The Good Fight with Yascha Mounk - William James and Charles Peirce’s “Cash value of an idea” - “’Coequal’ is my trigger word” - Federalist No. 10, where Madison discusses democracy vs. republicanism - Robert Putnam, The Upswing - “A Nation of Cowards,” by Jeffrey Snyder Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is to be made of the concerns – practical or philosophical – about a second impeachment of Donald Trump? Keith Whittington of Princeton returns to The Remnant to encourage us not to take such concerns too rigidly. Since, as we got used to hearing, impeachment is a political process and not a legal remedy, the ability to get through an impeachment quickly – say, before January 20 – is “purely a matter of political will.” In addition to digging into some founding-period legal nerdiness (the original Constitution of Virginia says what?), Jonah also asks Whittington about the standards of impeachment, what the process might look like given the specifics of what happened at the Capitol on the January 6, and also asks him to address concerns, such as the idea that an impeachment would be an infringement on Trump’s free speech rights: “There’s a difference between what a private citizen can say and what someone like the president of the United States should say.” Show Notes: - Take our podcast survey - Keith’s most recent book - Jonah’s Los Angeles Times column - “Look at him, he’s wearing a belt!” - Listen to Advisory Opinions, home of latches - David French: The conservative legal movement is actually looking pretty good - Byron York interviews Michael Luttig - The original Virginia Constitution said, “The Governor, when he is out of office, … shall be impeachable by the House of Delegates.” - Einstein’s friend finding a dictatorship loophole - John Turturro as Bernie Bernbaum Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s Ruminant, Jonah takes care to push through the natural inclination to simply, well, be appalled at this past Wednesday’s “events” on Capitol Hill, and manages to talk about both the lead-up to them and their ramifications. He talks about how the rioters display all of the soul-sickness that conservatives normally only talk about in regard to far-left activists, and that while conservatives are quick to point out the failures to establish genuine communities with positive outcomes in peoples’ lives within progressive politics, “we very rarely say that these are problems for conservatives too.” This week, Jonah also closes with a personal rumination on the most important little platoon of all: the family. Show Notes: -This week’s G-File - Jonah and Brit’s disagreement -Josh Blackman: Can Trump be impeached for incitement? -Ramen Noodle Guy -The Ol’ Number Six -Tucker provides a useless panacea to listeners -Tim Carney: “Trump was something to believe in” -“When God is invisible behind the world, the contents of the world will become new gods” -Alienated America -Bubba McDonald Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As The Remnant kicks back into gear, we figured it would be best to let Jonah make his trek back to D.C. and instead treat you to a secret artifact from a few days after the election. This is a conversation between Jonah and AEI emeritus scholar Charles Murray on the state of libertarianism and liberalism (both of the “small-l” variants) in the aftermath of November 2020. Murray explains why he’s pessimistic, while he and Jonah also extol the virtues of a Madisonian system, and upon reflection, they both relish in being on the right side of the debate that character is indeed destiny in the political realm: “The idea that the United States can continue to be … exceptional without character being a leading principle is ridiculous—it can’t happen.” Show Notes: -Fusionism -John Adams: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” -Eric Voegelin on how lapses into fanaticism occur -Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010 -Misreading Adam Smith -Miracle At Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse think about the results of the 2020 election? The answer might come as a surprise: Even though the Democrats took the White House, on balance, Ben thinks the election proves that “We are a center-right nation, and even if people don’t have a philosophical embrace of limited government, [that idea] has a broad, functional embrace.” During this talk—originally part of The Dispatch’s post-election program What’s Next: Election 2020 and Beyond – Jonah asks Ben about how responsible Americans might stop our national politics from being run by political addicts, as well as asking him what he thinks about the assertion that he went through a “quiet period” in his Trump criticism, and addressing his controversial connections to Big Runza (Nebraska’s finest delicacy™). Show Notes: -“Straight-shooter” Ben Sasse wins re-election -The Hidden Tribes of America -Many Republicans are sure that the election was stolen -Kate McKinnon’s bizarrely accurate Rudy Giuliani -Jonah’s column on Trump loyalism -There’s a horse in the hospital -I Love Lucy’s ratings domination Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we close in on the end of the year, Jonah’s rumination proves to be a pretty sizable roundup of all the news that has been fit to print throughout the week. In addition to discussing attempts to relitigate the series of unfortunate events surrounding Jeffrey Toobin, the inaccuracy of our current Cold War metaphors in regards to China, and the ongoing conflict over wealth inequality, Jonah also finds the time to dip into several classically nerdy topics. Such subjects include the accidental genius of bad Kung Fu movies, how They Live isn’t nearly as Marxist as the academy would have you believe (and the fact that they try to prove that it is “just helps to prove how dumb Marxism is”), and how David French’s taste in films has made Jonah a nihilist. Show Notes: -This week’s G-File -Fatman -Caddyshack … II? -The fight scene in They Live -Kurt Thomas in Gymkata -Jonah: Farce as Tragedy -Adorno: “Thus one no longer learns to close a door softly, discreetly and yet firmly. Those of autos and frigidaires have to be slammed.” -The origin of the “alien visitor” thought experiment -A chin-stroking (so to speak) piece on Jeffrey Toobin -Pleasantville -This week’s Remnant with Matt Continetti -Jonah’s “New Cold War” column -This week’s Remnant with Scott Winship -The success sequence -Remnant Episode 100 with Thomas Sowell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AEI Fellow, author, and Washington Free Beacon founder Matt Continetti comes back to the program, and Jonah gets to pick his brain about… well, a ton of different things. From his expectations for the Biden presidency, to the shockingly progressive staff of the incoming administration, to the Georgia runoffs and a critical reappraisal of the neoconservatives’ role in deradicalizing the left, Matt provides deep and nuanced answers to the biggest stories of the day as well as the issues of bigger philosophical significance to conservatives. He and Jonah also dial in on some of the upcoming decisions that those on the right will have to make in the near future – decisions that may define basic points of conservative doctrine for a long time to come: What should be counted as a conservative “win,” either in politics or culture? Is conservatism going to be big-tent or selective in its coalition-building? And what should the conservative position on China be, as it becomes clearer that the nation may have grown into a superpower that shares very few of our values? Show Notes: -Matt’s page at AEI -Obama’s third term - Biden’s campaign manager being… unkind to Republicans -The Remnant with Andy Smarick -“Bobos” -The Polish Beer-Lovers’ Party -The Remnant with Tim Alberta -The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium by Martin Gurri -The Roots of Modern Conservatism by Michael Bowen -The Remnant with Carlos Lozada -What Biden can learn from Nat Glazer -Governing Priorities by AEI -Conservatism has conserved a lot, actually Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah is joined by Scott Winship – the director of Poverty Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, and fresh off the heels of his position within Senator Mike Lee’s Social Capital Project. Jonah asks Scott about the persistence of poverty in American society, and what progress has been made both recently and over the long term. Then, they get into why some of the obstacles that have to be removed in order to lift poor people up are more intractable than others. In part, Scott thinks that these difficulties “show how we’re hardwired to think about these problems in economic terms rather than in terms of social bonds,” and that certain data may blind us when searching for the real issues. Show Notes: -Scott’s research at AEI -Richard Burkhauser on poverty in the 60s versus now -The Social Capital Project -Raj Chetty on people doing better than their parents -Mr. Piketty’s big book of Marxiness -Jonah and Peter Beinart Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After describing the inner workings of a longstanding lunch among his friends that has become an institution unto itself and envisioning what his ideal “no rules” podcast might be like, Jonah asks the fundamental political question of our moment: What’s the matter with Texas? Jonah talks about how the state’s election lawsuit has released another swathe of intellectual dishonesty among right-wing tastemakers, as well as the “Kraken Caucus'' (or is it the Kraken Kaukus?) more generally, and how the Constitution endorses trial by combat for picking elector slates (well, kind of). This is followed by a rumination on “corruption” in both its classical and modern sense, the updated Hunter Biden story (and the reaction to it), and how imprecise language mars our debates about censorship: “We use ‘censorship’ to mean both a government action as well as the exercise of editorial judgment that we don’t like.” Show Notes: -GLoP: Origin Stories -This week’s Remnant with Reihan Salam -Martin Shkreli, DBOY -This week’s G-File -The Duke brothers -“One in quadrillion” -Burke’s “Speech to the Electors of Bristol” -The Five Thousand Year Leap -Happy Safe Harbor Day Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices