The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

In a refreshing break from rank punditry, Jonah is joined by Sadanand Dhume—a Wall Street Journal columnist and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who specializes in South Asian political economy—to answer the question: How is India doing? Dhume also gives a lesson on the religious demographics in India and how the caste system actually works. Show Notes: —Dhume at the Wall Street Journal —Dhume’s book, My Friend the Fanatic: Travels with a Radical Islamist —Dhume: Indian Muslims Flunk the Israel Test Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah ruminates on the UN Special Rapporteur’s report alleging genocide in Gaza and the minimization of sexual violence on October 7. And if you weren’t day-drinking yet, he then kvetches about lousy concepts of social justice, the Ronna McDaniel-NBC News controversy, and the growing urge to oversimplify complex topics with monocausal explanations. Show Notes: —UN Special Rapporteur’s report —ABC News report on random punching incident —Protests at Vanderbilt —Jonah’s LA Times article on October 9 —John Spencer —The Remnant with Jonathan Haidt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah ruminates on the UN Special Rapporteur's report alleging genocide in Gaza and the minimization of sexual violence on October 7. And if you weren't day-drinking yet, he then kvetches about lousy concepts of social justice, the Ronna McDaniel-NBC News controversy, and the growing urge to oversimplify complex topics with monocausal explanations.Show Notes: —UN Special Rapporteur's report —ABC News report on random punching incident —Protests at Vanderbilt —Jonah's LA Times article on October 9 —John Spencer —The Remnant with Jonathan Haidt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonathan Haidt makes his long-heralded return to The Remnant to discuss his new book, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. He and Jonah discuss the unique issues facing Gen Z and the mental health crisis brought on by the proliferation of smartphones and social media. And unlike many other public intellectuals, Haidt has solutions. In regular Remnant fashion, Jonah also steers the conversation into the differences between the French and English Enlightenment, and how understandings of human nature can affect how we parent. Show Notes: —The Coddling of the American Mind —The Remnant with Rob Henderson —The Remnant with Tim Carney —What the Web Needs: More Gated Communities —New York Magazine on the freedom of sex —Hayek's Nobel speech —Heterodox Academy website —Let Grow website —The Anxious Generation website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rob Henderson, a psychologist and author, makes his Remnant debut to discuss his new book Troubled: A Memoir of Family, Foster Care, and Social Class. Growing up in poverty and moving through multiple foster homes in California, Henderson noticed a disparity between elite beliefs and the actual tools he used to climb the social ladder. The two explore this concept of "luxury beliefs," our screwed up foster care system, the arguments for mandatory public service, and more. Show Notes: —Rob's newsletter —Rasmussen report on Affirmative Action —The Remnant with Brad Wilcox —The Remnant with Tim Carney —Atomic Habits —Charles Murray's review of Rob's book Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah reaches new heights of self-indulgence on today's Ruminant, explaining why he's a soft Whig and why Romanticism is making everything worse. Devoted listeners will be quick to catch a whiff of Suicide of the West as Jonah veers to discuss the origin of identity politics and the structural resilience of liberal democracies. Have your bingo cards and German dictionaries at the ready. Show Notes: —The Remnant with Allen Guelzo —Jonah: Days of Future Past —Suicide of the West —Orwell's Notes on Nationalism —Wednesday's G-File —The Remnant with Tim Carney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Having endured years of Jonah's targeted bullying campaign, AEI senior fellow Tim Carney joins the pod to celebrate the release of his new book Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture is Making it Harder to Raise Happy, Healthy, and Successful Children. The two discuss why millennials aren’t having kids, why being a father in public is stigmatized, and whether feminism is undoing itself. Show Notes: -Germany’s birth rates are dropping -Rethinking Sex: A Provocation -Wild Problems: A Guide to the Decisions That Define Us -Michelle Goldberg on Family Friendly in the New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah invites prolific historian, scholar, and author Allen C. Guelzo, to discuss his new book, Our Ancient Faith: Lincoln, Democracy, and the American Experiment, and has plenty of questions: What does Abraham Lincoln tell us about democracy? Why did Lincoln call himself a conservative? What went wrong with the revolutions of the 1840s? What does Lincoln tell us about the rise of post-liberalism? Stay tuned for the usual highfalutin discussions on conservative intellectual history. Show Notes: —Our Ancient Faith: Lincoln, Democracy, and the American Experiment —Guelzo's website —Christopher DeMuth: Why America Needs National Conservatism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah overcomes his flu-induced hallucinations and ruminates on the current attempt by Congress to force a sale of TikTok and Trump's suspicious flip-flop on the issue. The hallucinations reappearing, Jonah begins to complain about the bots on Twitter making dumb arguments for isolationism and ending Ukraine aid. With whatever sanity he has left he argues against Chuck Schumer's call for new elections in Israel and explains the importance of commitment to allies. Show Notes: —The Dispatch editorial —Boiling Frogs on TikTok divestment —ISW: The Kremlin's Occupation Playbook —Jonah's LA Times article on the use of "genocide" —Sen. Schumer calls for new elections in Israel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Senor, author of The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World and host of Call Me Back with Dan Senor, returns to discuss the state of Israel's war against Hamas as the IDF begins to move into Rafah. How is Israeli society holding up? What should we make of growing accusations of genocide? Can Israel achieve its military objectives? What do Israelis think about American politics? And what is does future for Jews in America look like? Show Notes: —Tablet: How the Gaza Ministry of Health Fakes Casualty Numbers —John Podhoretz: They’re Coming After Us —Dan Senor's previous appearance on The Remnant —Jonah: The Many Problems With Accusing Israel of ‘Genocide’ in Gaza Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Stirewalt, the Arby's of punditry and host of The Hill Sunday, was so eager to return to The Remnant that he joined in the midst of another episode. Awkwardness overcome, the two tackle the big questions: Why can't we learn our lesson? Where are Nikki Haley voters going come November? How should we interpret primary turnout? When will the reckoning come? And why can't democrats figure out crime? Chris "Unpledged Delegate" Stirewalt has the answers. Show Notes: —The Hill Sunday —Jonah's LA Times column on the GOP establishment —Skiff AMA 3 —Dune Part Two Skiff Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah reassures listeners on today’s Ruminant that this election is not a Flight 93 election and America as we know it will not end come January 2025. He then turns to comment on the Supreme Court ruling that Colorado can’t disqualify Trump from their ballots and the growing treatment of presidents as monarchs. And just as you thought you avoided more State of the Union rank punditry... Show Notes: —G-File: Apocalypse Not —The Dispatch editorial: The American People Should Demand Better —Advisory Opinions on the Colorado SCOTUS decision —The Dispatch's new newsletter Techne —The Skiff on Dune: Part Two Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The last time Razib Khan—a geneticist and author of the Unsupervised Learning Substack—appeared on The Remnant to discuss genes and behavior, Jonah couldn’t resist focusing their conversation exclusively on canines. Today, Razib is finally back to explore the genetic makeup of the world’s second most important animal, human beings. He and Jonah try to keep the science simple and the nudity tasteful as they explore some highfalutin topics: How has our knowledge of genetics evolved over time? What can our genes tell us about our ancestors? And are genes the ultimate predictor of intelligence and disease? Show Notes: - Razib’s Substack, Unsupervised Learning - Razib: “The Longer I Live, the Wronger I Get to Be” - Razib interviews Chris Stringer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do habits influence behavior? Significantly, according to returning Remnant favorite Cass Sunstein, Harvard professor and co-author of the new book Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always There. In it, he argues that breaking habits and routines can enable us to find greater fulfillment in life. But why did humans evolve to acquire habits in the first place? How do habits desensitize us? And how can we encourage people to adopt healthy habits of the heart? Show Notes: - Cass’ new book, Look Again - Cass and co-author Tali Sharot on how we become habituated to horrible things - Cass’ Democracy and the Problem of Free Speech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah, used and abused by CNN, is prepared to deliver a level of rank punditry not yet seen in legacy media. He begins today's episode of The Ruminant by eulogizing Mitch McConnell's tenure in the Senate, noting the positive correlation between disdain for McConnell and general unseriousness. Briefly touching on the state of primaries and Biden's low popularity, he then explains his most recent G-File on Aaron Bushnell's suicide and how boredom is (not so slowly) killing us. Stick around for some ruminations on his episode with James Kirchick. Show Notes: —G-File on boredom —The Remnant with James Kirchik —Principles First conference Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If the American Enterprise Institute were a prison, education policy scholars Rick Hess and Michael McShane would be the leaders of its most feared inmate gang. Today, they join Jonah not simply to pressure him into swearing loyalty, but to discuss their new book, Getting Education Right: A Conservative Vision for Improving Early Childhood, K-12, and College. It’s no secret that America’s education system is struggling, but what can actually be done to reform it? What does it mean to be a conservative in education? Are teachers paid enough? And does the Department of Education have any reason to exist? Show Notes: -Rick’s page at AEI -Mike’s page at AEI -Rick and Mike’s new book, Getting Education Right -The Remnant with Brad Wilcox -Rick and Mike: “The Past and Future of Education Reform” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s episode of The Remnant features James Kirchick, the prolific pundit and author of Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington. Recently, James published an essay in Liberties that examined how gay culture has changed in American life since the 1980s. But despite the success of the gay rights movement, LGBTQ issues remain prominent in the culture war. Why is this the case? Where do we go from here? And how would Jonah’s grandpa feel about this episode? Show Notes: —Watch this episode on YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah attempts to avoid the straitjacket while The Fair Jessica is away, so he decides to spend an hour talking to himself in a dark basement. He goes through a number of topics to make even the most excitable eggheads nauseated, from the fad of stay-at-home girlfriends (why milk the cow ladies?) to Biden’s irresponsible dog ownership. Jonah regains sanity for a second to talk about the Alabama Supreme Court's IVF ruling before hallucinating about rodents and going gonzo on Tucker's trip to Russia. Show Notes: –Stay-at-Home Girlfriends Are Having a Moment – Brad Wilcox on The Remnant – Listen to Advisory Opinions on Alabama's IVF issue – Biden's German shepherd banished from the White House – Jonah's G-File: Nations, Nation-States, and Nationalism – The Lewis brothers on The Remnant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marriage is a fundamental institution, so why is it under attack from both ends of the political spectrum? In his new book, Get Married, Brad Wilcox—a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a professor at the University of Virginia—makes the case that getting married and starting a family is the best way of leading a prosperous life. But how can law and culture encourage Americans to tie the knot? Why has public interest in marriage declined? And how does marriage make people better off? Show Notes: – Brad’s page at AEI – Brad’s new book, Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization – Brad: “Marriage Is Key to Living Your Best Life” – Brad: “Why You Should Get Married” – The Remnant with Russ Roberts – Elizabeth Grace Matthew: Can People Be Persuaded to ‘Get Married’? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of The Remnant, Jonah’s disdain for the elderly leads him to step into the intellectual octagon with a man nine days his senior: novelist and CNN host Jake Tapper. Jake’s new show, United States of Scandal, takes a darkly comedic look at some of America’s wildest political controversies, and Jonah’s eager to discuss all the sordid details while keeping the nudity as tasteful as possible. Is Washington full of conspiracies? How many chemicals were in Larry King’s hair? And do scandals even matter anymore in the age of Trump? Show Notes: - Jake’s new show, United States of Scandal - Jake on the origins of the series - Watch this episode on YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Having woken up to the Alexei Navalny news, Jonah spends this Ruminant thinking through what the Russian opposition leader’s death might portend. From tzars and (real) settler colonialism to useful idiots a-la Tucker Carlson, the good listener should expect a very Russian episode. Пожалуйста. A more patient listener will also hear Jonah revisiting his conversation with the Lewis brothers, due to somewhat popular demand. Show Notes: -The Lewis brothers on The Remnant -Kevin Kosar on The Remnant -Bernie Sanders on Soviet chandeliers -Dan McLaughlin: "Tucker Carlson's Lowest Moment" -Kevin D. Williamson: "The Full Duranty" -WSJ: "China's Shipyards Are Ready for a Protracted War. America's Aren't" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once again, Jonah has abandoned his Remnant duties to spend the week nibbling on sponge cake while watching the sun bake. Fortunately, Chris Stirewalt, America’s favorite simple country pundit, is on hand to take control of the program. He’s joined by Ruy Teixiera, author of Where Have All the Democrats Gone? and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, to discuss what the wretched state of our parties could mean for the 2024 election. The GOP has spent the last decade having an extended nervous breakdown, so why haven’t the Democrats used this opportunity to become the dominant party? For that matter, why can’t Democratic candidates get a grip on working class voters? And why can’t all politicians just be normal? Show Notes: - Ruy’s AEI webpage - Ruy’s Substack, The Liberal Patriot - Ruy’s latest book, Where Have All the Democrats Gone? - Ruy’s The Emerging Democratic Majority Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is there really such a thing as left and right? Scholars Hyrum and Verlan Lewis don’t think so. In their book, The Myth of Left and Right, the brothers argue that this generalization is undermining sophisticated political discourse. And on today’s episode of The Remnant, they join Jonah to explain why, when two tribes go to war, a point really is all you can score. Do terms like conservative and liberal really have any use? Why are we having an election between two wretched candidates? How do industrialized democracies around the world think about the political spectrum? And will Jonah ever get sick of talking about Liberal Fascism? Show Notes: - Hyrum’s blog - Verlan on the myth of ideological polarization - Hyrum and Verlan’s book, The Myth of Left and Right Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tired and sunburnt, Jonah chimes in from somewhere in the Virgin Islands to share his thoughts (ramblings?) on the little he knows from the news of the past week. But stay tuned for a crossover of his appearance on Kevin Williamson’s podcast, How The World Works. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve never been a resident of the Washington egghead-osphere, you’re probably not familiar with the 20th-century political scientist Edward Banfield. But Kevin Kosar—a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and noted KISS fanatic—thinks that you should be. In 1951, Banfield published Government Project, an account of the U.S. government’s attempt to remake the lives of some of its citizens by establishing a cooperative farm in Arizona during the Great Depression. The project didn’t go so well, and Kevin believes it holds vital lessons about the limits of government planning that Americans across the political spectrum would be wise to recall today. Tune in for neocon nerdery, but stick around for some more contemporary wonkery on what’s gone wrong with Congress. Show Notes: - Kevin’s page at AEI - Kevin’s podcast, Understanding Congress - Edward Banfield’s Government Project, reissued with a new introduction by Kevin - Kevin on Banfield’s The Unheavenly City - Banfield’s The Moral Basis of a Backward Society - Kevin and Phil Wallach: “The Case for a Congressional Regulation Office” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What’s the meaning of life? 42? Pizza? The Remnant? David Bahnsen may or may not have the answer, but he’s at least certain of what makes life satisfying: honest, productive work. In his new book, Full-Time, he explores how work can allow us to find purpose and fulfillment. But is all work equally meaningful? Is the market best placed to determine its value? And does David have a higher net worth than Scrooge McDuck? Show Notes: – David’s webpage – David’s new book, Full-Time: Work and the Meaning of Life – David: “The Problem with a ‘Work–Life Balance’” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah starts on a cheerful note with lessons from Groundhog Day, but quickly the grim realities of our fallen world drag him back to punditry. If you manage to get past the brooding about Taylor/Kelce, philosophical pragmatism, and the American propensity for conspiracies, then you'll be subjected to passages from Liberal Fascism and, worst of all, notes about anti-NATO Twitter. Good luck. Show Notes: –Jonah: “It’s Nietzsche’s World, You’re Just Living In It” -Jonah: "A Movie for All Time" -The United States of Paranoia: A Conspiracy Theory -Jonah: "Look What You Made Me Do" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah serves up a jumbo slice of rank eggheadery on today’s Remnant to compensate for yesterday’s shockingly (or perhaps mercifully) brief episode. He’s joined for the first time by Peter Berkowitz, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and prolific writer on politics and America’s liberal tradition, to wax Yiddish on topics of both broad and minimal interest. What do academics and philosophers have against the English language? Do ideas actually matter? And what does the nationalist right get wrong about freedom? Show Notes: -Peter’s webpage -Jonah: “It’s Nietzsche’s World, You’re Just Living In It” -Peter’s first book, Nietzsche: The Ethics of an Immoralist -Samuel Moyn’s Liberalism Against Itself -Peter’s Constitutional Conservatism: Liberty, Self-Government, and Political Moderation -Peter responds to Robert Kagan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Has America lost its sense of humor? In Jonah’s view, only a Brit with a distinctly stiff upper lip can answer that question. He’s joined on today’s Remnant by journalist and politician Daniel Hannan, who’s back on the show to explore when and why America began to take a turn for the crazy. Why do recessions lead to populism? Is political apathy actually a good thing? And has the United Kingdom become besotted by its own post-liberal movement? Show Notes: – Daniel’s webpage – Steven Pinker’s The Better Angels of Our Nature – Matt Ridley’s The Rational Optimist – The Remnant with Yuval Levin - Watch this episode on YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah is well-rested which means an extra long and digressive Ruminant in which he recounts his experience debating Ezra Klein at an event in Ohio. He then ruminates on conservative intellectual history (the free spot on your bingo cards), the left-wingification of the right wing, and the benefit of “invisible hand” systems. Ignore the sounds of the asylum staff trying to break through the door. Show Notes: — Jonah: Does Reality Change Ideas or Vice Versa? — Adrian Vermeule: Liberalism and the Invisible Hand Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Finally back from his escapades in the Midwest, Jonah invites Brian Riedl, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and resident "debts and deficits" wonk, back on The Remnant. They discuss the necessity of raising taxes on the middle class, how much weed it would take to balance the budget, and the extinction of fiscally conservative Republicans. What can be done about the debt? What would happen if the IRS is abolished? Why is Jonah so afraid of monetary policy? Show Notes: — Brian's page at the Manhattan Institute — Brian: The Rich Aren’t Rich Enough to Balance the Federal Budget Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s special and prematurely released episode of The Remnant, Jonah is joined by Sarah Isgur, the host of the niche legal pseudo-podcast, Advisory Opinions, to explain Chevron deference and its prognosis at the Supreme Court. They explore the potential implications of overturning it—the good, the bad, and the ugly—and the likelihood of Congress getting its act together. However, the main event is the debate over whether our lizard brains truly care about policy. Did the abolition of slavery affect the 1860 election? Did Lincoln win because he was tall? Is Sarah a vulgar Marxist? (Plus, Sarah provides an update on Mailboxgate.) Show Notes: —Jonah’s LA Times column on Chevron —Advisory Opinions on Chevron —Ben Sasse on the third episode of The Remnant —Last week’s episode of The Dispatch Podcast —Kim Strassel: The Them-vs.-Us Election Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah is in a suspiciously pleasant mood coming off The Dispatch's live event in New Hampshire but regular disclaimers of tiredness still apply. Before replaying the Ruminant's greatest hits, he criticizes Rand Paul's ironic response to Donald Trump's claim of presidential immunity, explains how 2024 might begin to look like 2016, and kvetches about the anti-Trump crowd's catastrophization. Stick around for some ruminations on doggy eugenics. Show Notes: — Trump's "full immunity" truth — Rand Paul's filibuster against John Brennan —G-File: The Unpopular Vote —Jonah: Mau-Mauing the Dogcatcher Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While Jonah heads to New Hampshire, Chris “Dixville’s Notch” Stirewalt reassumes his rightful position as chief poobah of The Remnant. He’s joined by Christine Rosen—AEI senior fellow, Commentary magazine columnist, and noted “quiet car Karen”—to discuss the state of the 2024 election as we approach the New Hampshire primary. At this point, it seems certain that Trump will be the GOP nominee, but what will this mean for his opponents? For that matter, who will be his running mate? Is America still like The Handmaid’s Tale? And should people who eat loud snacks on airplanes be shown no mercy? Show Notes: - Christine’s AEI webpage - Trump takes the lead in New Hampshire - Chris discusses the 2024 election at AEI - Chris: “Haley’s Narrow Path Runs Across DeSantis’ 2028 Ambitions” - Watch this episode on YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ross Douthat is back on TheRemnant to provide a post-mortem for the Iowa caucuses. With the first result of the race now in, is Donald Trump’s renomination guaranteed? Where did Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley go wrong? Would a second Trump administration be staffed entirely by crazy people? And could a Trump-Biden rematch cause Jonah and Ross to rethink their life choices? Show Notes: -Watch this episode on YouTube -Ross: “How Trump’s Opponents Made Iowa Easy for Him” -Ross’ 2020 book, The Decadent Society -Ramesh Ponnuru: “The 2024 Campaign Has Left Republicans in a State of Confusion” -Martin Gurri’s The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Full of rage and regret, Jonah reconsiders the life choices that led to him watching the interminable DeSantis-Haley debate start to finish, and plans to inflict his pain on listeners. He also revisits his argument about Hitler inflation in Democratic electioneering, and, at a listener's request, considers the ties between DEI and Marxism. Show Notes Jonah's Never Go Full Hitler Jonah on CNN (DEI debate) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Determined to prove that Advisory Opinions is merely a niche secondary podcast, Jonah is joined today by Adam White—the American Enterprise Institute’s resident law-talkin’ guy—to ramble through the latest in legal controversies. Topics on the docket include a potential Biden impeachment, legal threats to Donald Trump, and how the Supreme Court is holding up in these turbulent times. Plus, tune in to find out if America will ever become a land without lawyers. Show Notes: —Adam: “Common Law Judgements, Common Sense Justices” —Kurt Lash on the 14th Amendment Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your bingo cards ready, because Remnant stalwart Mo Elleithee makes an overdue return to the program to kvetch about some familiar topics. Mo believes that we’re heading for a terrifying 2020 rematch. But could one of Donald Trump’s opponents still make a comeback, and will Joe Biden manage to make it through a full campaign? For that matter, what’s wrong with American elites? How can we reverse declining trust in institutions? And how did Jonah come to have more hatred for primaries than life itself? Show notes: - Watch this episode on YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hungover from a night of CNN debate wonkery and inadequately caffeinated, Jonah provides an especially nerdy Ruminant covering yesterday’s town hall with Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, the strange desire to have a beer with presidential candidates, and the Biden administration’s lacking response to the Houthis, the latter inevitably leading to a lengthy defense of having a Navy. He discusses all of this while leaving enough (probably too much) time for the reification of diversity and some lousy defenses on behalf of Claudine Gay. Show notes: - Yesterday's Dispatch Podcast - Jonah’s piece on Haley’s civil war answer - Jonah’s most recent G-File on Claudine Gay Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah completes his American Enterprise Institute hat trick on today’s Remnant with Yuval Levin, AEI’s director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies. The two start with some hesitant media criticism of the reaction to Harvard President Claudine Gay’s resignation before turning to the novelty, or lack thereof, of the oppressor-oppressed paradigm, the usefulness of horseshoe theory, and the need for strong institutions. Prepare your bingo cards. Show notes: - Yuval's AEI page - Conservatism as an Ideology by Samuel Huntington - Jonah's LA Times column on horseshoe theory - AEI Summer Honors Program - Watch this episode on YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s finally 2024, but instead of looking ahead with optimism, Jonah would rather use The Remnant to kvetch about the many lows of last year. Today, he’s joined by Matthew Continetti—still adjusting to his new role as the American Enterprise Institute’s leading corporate suit—to decide whether 2023 should be considered the worst year in modern political history. But given the unfolding presidential race, is 2024 shaping up to be any better? Is a Trump renomination guaranteed? And will Biden even make it to the finish line? Show Notes: - Matt’s AEI webpage - Jonah: “Nikki Haley’s Slavery Gaffe Is a Rare Misstep From a Good Politician” - Robert Kagan on a Trump dictatorship - Matthew Schmitz: “The Secret of Trump’s Appeal Isn’t Authoritarianism” - Video version Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Of all the (many) things Jonah hates, he has a unique resentment for the concept of New Year’s Eve. If you share his disdain for the holiday, then try ringing in 2024 with the bitter grumblings of today’s discombobulated, needlessly lengthy Ruminant rather than a trip to Times Square or an overpriced prix-fixe dinner. As usual, a number of urgent questions are addressed: Could Nikki Haley’s recent slavery gaffe tank her campaign? Why is partisanship problematic? What’s the latest on the war in Israel? And how did Jonah learn to stop worrying and (sort of) love horseshoe theory? Show Notes: - Jeff Blehar: “Nikki Haley’s Sin Isn’t Racism” - Jonah: “The Left’s Whackjob Problem—and Ours” - Michael Lind: “The New National American Elite” - Jonah: “New Year’s Kiss-Off” - Jonah: “The Year of the Horseshoe Theory” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah’s in full fanboy mode on today’s long-anticipated Remnant. His guest is Paul Bloom—respected psychologist, prolific author, and noted body double for Al Gore and soundalike for Donald Sutherland—who’s back on the program at last to answer all of Jonah’s burning questions about human behavior and the mind. How should we feel about Freud? Who should decide what issues are taboo? And are people born with an innate political orientation? Viking babies and sci-fi aficionados alike will find much to appreciate. Show Notes: - Paul’s website - Paul’s previous Remnant appearance - Paul’s latest book, Psych: The Story of the Human Mind (now available in paperback) - Just Babies: The Origins of Good and Evil - The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning - Jonah: “Speaking Freely About Free Speech” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah indulges in one of his favorite traditions in today's Remnant: kvetching about economics with Michael Strain, the American Enterprise Institute’s director of economic policy studies. Their conversation offers a crash course in the history of economics as a social science, a guide to the myths of income inequality, and a few musings on what really caused the Great Depression. Plus, they explore perhaps the most important topic of all: TV shows you should watch instead of paying attention to your children this holiday season Show Notes: -Dr. Strain’s page at AEI -Dr. Strain: “The Myth of the 1%” -Jonah: “Mr. Piketty’s Big Book of Marxiness” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The holidays are nearly here, and there’s nothing more likely to encourage festive cheer than a wide-ranging, ultra-rambly Ruminant. Today’s episode offers musings on Trump’s removal from Colorado ballots, the complicated politics of abortion, and the enduring dumbness of populism. But those also looking for an uplifting seasonal message will find it in Jonah’s thoughts on why gratitude is so important this time of year. Merry Christmas! Show Notes: - The Remnant with Frederick Kagan - Advisory Opinions on the Colorado Supreme Court decision - Advisory Opinions with Will Baude on Trump’s presidential eligibility - Yuval Levin on the anti-Trump 14th Amendment strategy - Jonah on Trump’s dictatorial flirtations - The Dispatch Podcast on abortion law - Ramesh Ponnuru’s The Party of Death - Jonah on Claudine Gay and diversity Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As 2023 draws to a close, Jonah invites Frederick Kagan—director of the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project—back on The Remnant to explore how we can expect the conflicts between Israel and Hamas and Russia and Ukraine to unfold in 2024. They also discuss how the Biden administration should approach Iran and China, what the 2024 election could mean for American foreign policy, and what history can teach us about modern warfare. Show Notes: - Dr. Kagan’s page at AEI - Dr. Kagan: “If the West Cuts Aid to Ukraine, Russia Will Win. If the West Leans In, Ukraine Can Win.” - Dr. Kagan: “The High Price of Losing Ukraine” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this interview only episode, Eli talks to Jonah Goldberg, host of the Remnant Podcast and a founding editor of the Dispatch. They discuss the inevitability of a GOP Trump nomination and the recent warnings that a second Trump term will bring the end of democracy. Note: This episode originally aired on The Re-Education with Eli Lake Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah’s even more bleary-eyed than usual on today’s Ruminant, which begins innocently enough before transforming into an epic rant of astonishingly nerdy proportions. After opening with a few thoughts on why free speech absolutism might actually not be something to strive for, he dives into an ultra-indulgent reflection on the legacy of Liberal Fascism prompted by a recent Niall Ferguson piece on the goals of higher education. Listeners with a penchant for intellectual history will delight in the esoteric questions raised: How did antisemitism originate? What did the Nazis do to change institutions? And how can members of the Remnant remain in high spirits? Show Notes: -Jonah: “Speaking Freely About Free Speech” -The Remnant with Sarah Isgur on Nazis marching in Skokie -Niall Ferguson: “The Treason of the Intellectuals” -Julian Benda’s The Treason of the Intellectuals -The Remnant with Bret Devereaux -Jonah on Trump the day-one dictator Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s Remnant, Jonah joins GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas to discuss what we can do to fix Congress and our other broken institutions of government. Come prepared with your bingo cards, because the nerdery covers some of Jonah’s favorite bugaboos, including Congress’ transformation into a parliament of pundits, the weakening of our major parties, and the historical roots of antisemitism. Note: this episode originally aired on We Hold These Truths with Dan Crenshaw. Show Notes: -Watch this episode on YouTube -Dan’s podcast, Hold These Truth -Jonah’s problem with small dollar donors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ancient historian Bret Devereaux is back on the Remnant to provide a definitive answer to the year’s biggest question: Why do men really think about the Roman Empire? He also gives an overview of Israel’s history and the origins of today’s conflict, and examines whether Donald Trump could really become the next Caesar. Prospective dictators in need of career advice are strongly encouraged to tune in. Show Notes: -Watch the episode on YouTube -Bret’s pedantic blog -Bret’s previous Remnant appearance -The Remnant, hosted by Brother Stirewalt, with Mike Duncan -The Remnant with Russell Moore Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices