The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

Latest Episodes:

Send in the Clowns Dec 06, 2023

Show notes

While Advisory Opinions continues its slow transformation into a dating podcast, Jonah invites Sarah Isgur back to The Remnant for some potent punditry on the unfolding 2024 election. Are the Bidens a crime family? Is it inevitable that Trump will be renominated? And what would a second Trump term actually look like? All of these questions and more will be addressed, but you’ll need to stick around until the end to learn about a man’s correct placement on the sidewalk and the virtues of food sharing.

Show Notes:

-The Remnant with Frank Foer

-New York Times: “Why a Second Trump Presidency May Be More Radical Than His First”

-Robert Kagan: “A Trump dictatorship is increasingly inevitable. We should stop pretending.”

-Jonah: “George Santos hasn’t been convicted of a crime. Congress was still right to kick him out”

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It's Not Personal – It's Just Realpolitik Dec 02, 2023

Show notes

On today's interminable Ruminant, Jonah subjects listeners to musings about the death of Henry Kissinger and the gross reveling by some. He then turns to the shortcomings of realpolitik and realism, the debate between Gov. DeSantis and Gov. Newsom, the anticipated sequel to Suicide of the West, and the presence of post-liberalism on the right. Stick around to find out why Jonah doesn't write comedic columns anymore.

Show Notes:

-G-File: Elizabeth Warren, Countess of Sandwich, Schmears the Market

-Henry Kissinger, War Criminal Beloved by America’s Ruling Class, Finally Dies

-George Will: The Conservative Sensibility

-Axios: The Trump job applications revealed

-Donald Trump poses the biggest danger to the world in 2024

-Paul Wolfowitz’s interview with Vanity Fair

-Tim Alberta on The Remnant

-Danielle Pletka on The Remnant

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The Gospel Truth Nov 30, 2023

Show notes

Jonah returns to distinctly Frenchian territory on today’s Remnant, which explores the state of evangelicalism in America. His guest is Tim Alberta, a staff writer at The Atlantic and author of The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism. Tim’s new book raises an exigent question: Why are so many interpreting faith through the lens of politics instead of the other way round? Tune in to learn all about Tim’s religious journey, how Donald Trump’s relationship with the evangelical movement is changing, and why Jonah feels both ideologically homeless and secure at the same time.

Show Notes:

-Tim’s webpage

-Tim’s new book,The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism

-Tim: “My Father, My Faith, and Donald Trump”

-Tim: “Donald Trump Is on the Wrong Side of the Religious Right”

-The Remnant with Russell Moore

-Jonah: “No Movement That Embraces Trump Can Call Itself Conservative”

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What’s Going On? Nov 29, 2023

Show notes

Today’s Remnant features the overdue first appearance of AEI senior fellow Danielle Pletka, who joins the program to discuss the ongoing conflicts in Israel and Ukraine. What does the future hold for both countries? Why has antisemitism become so prevalent? How’s Benjamin Netanyahu doing? And does the U.N. have any reason to exist?

Show Notes:

- Danielle’s page at AEI

- Danielle’s podcast, What the Hell Is Going On?

- Ruth Wisse on the explosion of antisemitism

- Mike Gallagher on TikTok’s propaganda

- Danielle: “Iran Is the Problem”

- Fred Kagan: “If the West Cuts Aid to Ukraine, Russia Will Win. If the West Leans In, Ukraine Can Win.”

-Video version

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A Tribe of Liberalism Nov 25, 2023

Show notes

Jonah delivers another ill-advised Ruminant full of his regular grievances such as: the lack of national gratitude, the moral equivalent of war, the antiquated concept of left and right, and of course the misuses of the term fascism.

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Power to the Pundits Nov 23, 2023

Show notes

As a Thanksgiving treat, Jonah invites Chris “Giblets” Stirewalt—his favorite Gen X nostalgist—back on The Remnant to dispense some ruthlessly rank punditry on the state of the 2024 election. With Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley now doing most of the fighting in the GOP primary, do either of them pose a viable threat to Donald Trump? And if the former president captures the nomination, what will that mean for an increasingly fragile-looking Joe Biden? You’ll also want to tune in to learn why men really think about the Roman Empire (yes, the issue is unresolved), and to learn some dark, turkey-related secrets.

Show Notes:

- Chris’ page at The Dispatch

- Chris interviews Mike Duncan on Ancient Rome

- Chris: “Nikki Haley’s Unproven Reserves”

- Ben Smith: “Why Nikki Haley is Ready for This Ugly Media Moment”

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Crashing the Party Nov 22, 2023

Show notes

Twenty years ago, the Democratic Party seemed poised to dominate American politics. But having alienated many of their traditional working class voters, that dominance didn’t come to pass—and the party could be on the precipice of a political disaster. To understand how we got here, Jonah invites Ruy Teixeira—senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of The Liberal Patriot on Substack—back on The Remnant for some white hot wonkery on the shifting demographics of America’s major parties. In his new book, Where Have All the Democrats Gone? Ruy explores the Democratic Party’s evolution and what it should do to get back on track. Why did the working class turn on the Democrats in the first place? What will it take for the party to embrace a more moderate policy platform? And why is everyone so determined to make the perfect the enemy of the good?

Show Notes:

-Ruy’s page at AEI

-Ruy’s Substack, The Liberal Patriot

-Ruy’s new book, Where Have All the Democrats Gone?

-Ruy’s earlier book, The Emerging Democratic Majority

-Ruy: “A Three Point Plan to Fix the Democrats and Their Coalition”

-Jonah’s first AMA on The Skiff, The Dispatch’s members-only podcast feed

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Natural Born Grifters Nov 18, 2023

Show notes

Jonah begins today’s Ruminant by staring blankly into the ether, but he’s quickly jolted back to reality by the latest in political asininity. Recently, America has faced an upsurge in antisemitism across the political spectrum, and Jonah has plenty of thoughts about why this is happening and how we can stop it. In predictably slapdash fashion, he also explores the astonishingly dumb trend of young Americans sympathizing with Osama bin Laden, and what 2024’s political coalitions will look like. Also, tune in for an important dingo update.

Show Notes:

-Jonah: “Democrats Are Right to Worry About Biden in 2024”

-Matt Lewis: “Ben Shapiro Astonished by Candace Owens Being Her Usual Self”

-Isaac Schorr: “The Shameful Nods to Antisemitism From Candance Owens and Tucker Carlson”

-Ian Haworth: “Tucker Carlson Sells ‘Just Asking Questions’ Antisemitism”

-Charlie Cooke: “Wokesters for Osama bin Laden?”

-The Economist’s Intelligence podcast on another Trump victory

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Sense and Civility Nov 16, 2023

Show notes

Jonah’s even more sleep-deprived than usual on today’s Remnant due to dingo-related difficulties. Thankfully, however, his guest has more than enough rich insights on hand to keep him awake. He’s joined by Alexandra Hudson—writer, academic, and author of the new book, The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves.

It’s clear that American society isn’t in a particularly civil state, and there’s plenty of appetite for improvement. But Alexandra thinks that we often fail to grasp what civility really means in the first place. Armed with an esoteric collection of historical references, she and Jonah explore what the distinction is between civility and politeness, how we can bring about a “civility renaissance,” and why civility is foundational to liberal democracy. Break out your bingo cards.

Show Notes:

- Alexandra’s webpage

- Alexandra’s new book, The Soul of Civility

- Defining the World: The Extraordinary History of Dr. Johnson’s Dictionary

- Video version

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Rothschild Abuse Nov 15, 2023

Show notes

Jonah teams up with Mike Rothschild (who, shockingly enough, is not a member of the Rothschild family) to discuss conspiracy theories and the fallacies that undergird them on today's Remnant. In a conversation that touches on wackiness ranging from Pizzagate to the Rothschilds' supposed lease on Israel, Jonah and Mike try to understand why conspiracy theories formulate and what makes people subscribe to them. What do pro-Trump conspiracy theories indicate about the state of our institutions? Why is antisemitism such a pervasive evil? And a general decline in in social media to connect crazy people to crazy ideas in ways that underground bookstores never could.

Show Notes:

-Mike’s new book, Jewish Space Lasers

-Mike: “The Internet Never Met a Conspiracy Theory It Can’t Love”

-Mike: “On the Rothschilds’ Myth in Literature and Film”

-The Rothschilds and Waterloo

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