The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

Latest Episodes:

The Tribe of Asininity Sep 02, 2023

Show notes

Ignoring the desperate pleas of those closest to him, Jonah reaches new heights of excess on today’s needlessly long Ruminant. Still on a China kick, he begins by addressing the country’s spiraling economy and illiberal regime, but quickly becomes distracted by a handful of similarly grim topics, including the awfulness of Russia and the poisonous role of the coalitional instinct in American life. Stick around for musings on the Clarence Thomas controversy, Mitch McConnell’s health, and civic ignorance in American life. Oh, and to hear a few intimate details about the discomfort Jonah feels when staring at himself for an extended period.

Show Notes:

- Jonah: “China’s Economy Is Spiraling”

- Jonah: “Xi’s Republic of China”

- Jonah: “Czar Gazing”

- The Remnant with Luke Coffey

- The Prince, The Economist’s podcast on Xi Jinping

- John Tooby on coalitional instincts

- David French: “The Articulate Ignorance of Vivek Ramaswamy”

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ukraine on the Brain Aug 31, 2023

Show notes

Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Luke Coffey returns after an appearance last October with esteemed Remnant guest host Klon Kitchen. In that time, a whole mess of insanity has gone on in Ukraine—some of it good, some of it worrying. Now that we’re a year and a half into the maelstrom, do Ukrainians still like Zelensky? How long can Russia keep its hand on this kind of a hot burner before wrenching it away? And above all, Luke gives us the reasons for optimism about the situation and why it’s not only desirable but important to keep that optimism alive for Ukraine’s sake.

Show Notes:

-Luke’s page at the Hudson Institute

-Luke: “How the War Could Make Ukraine a Defense Powerhouse”

-Luke: “Don’t Hold Your Breath for an End to the Ukraine War”

-The Remnant with Leon Aron

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Generation Flex Aug 30, 2023

Show notes

By popular demand, psychologist and author Jean Twenge joins the Remnant today to affirm Jonah’s status as America’s most arrogant Gen Xer. Dr. Twenge’s recent work has focused on generational differences, the challenges facing Generation Z, and how generational changes are influenced by developments in technology. All of these subjects and more are examined throughout, and many disturbing questions are answered: Why are Gen Zers living life at such a slow pace? What’s the real link between pornography and America’s sex recession? What determines generational happiness? And can anything shatter Jonah’s ‘70s-bred ego?

Show Notes:

-Dr. Twenge’s webpage

-Dr. Twenge’s latest book, Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents―and What They Mean for America's Future

-The Remnant with Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff

-William Strauss and Neil Howe’s Generations

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rat Races Aug 26, 2023

Show notes

Today’s Ruminant raises a predictably peculiar question within its opening moments: How can rodentology help us understand the first Republican debate? Jonah’s answer may surprise you, but what’s more surprising is that it connects quite naturally to another of the week’s hot topics: the debate over what America’s role should be in the war in Ukraine. With plenty of vim and slightly less vigor, he dedicates most of this episode to exploring what form American foreign policy should take, and why we must remember that Putin is the villain in this conflict.

Show Notes:

- The Remnant with Michael H. Parsons (rat guy)

- The Dispatch Podcast on the debate that didn’t matter

- A post-debate Dispatch Live

- Jonah breaks down the debate with Chuck Todd

- Tevi Troy: “Moderators Have Ruined Presidential Debates. Let’s Get Rid of Them.”

- The Remnant with Luke Coffey

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He Ain’t Heavy, He’s Brother George Aug 24, 2023

Show notes

If the Remnant has a failing, it’s that, in almost 700 episodes of relentlessly nerdy conversation, Robert P. George hasn’t once appeared on the program. Today, Jonah rectifies that mistake, inviting the beloved Princeton professor and director of the James Madison Program onto the show to discuss America’s fraying civic bonds, and what we can do to stem the tide of illiberalism. They also provide some uniquely sophisticated punditry on the 2024 election, examine what it takes to build a conservative institution, and clear up some confusion around Robby’s name. Brothers and sisters alike are encouraged to tune in.

Show Notes:

- Dr. George’s webpage

- Dr. George: “Universities Shouldn’t Take Political Positions”

- Dr. George: “How Universities Can Restore Academic Freedom and Free Speech”

- Dr. George’s advice for incoming students

- Julien Benda’s The Treason of the Intellectuals

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Kaplan Chronicles Aug 23, 2023

Show notes

It’s another round of intense national security wonkery on today’s Remnant, but this time, Jonah’s joined by an overdue first-timer rather than a returning favorite. His guest is Robert D. Kaplan, a prolific writer on foreign policy and author of the new book, The Loom of Time, which explores the state of politics in the Greater Middle East and makes the case for a realist approach to the region. But what does foreign policy realism look like in practice? What kind of shape is democracy in around the world? And what does the future hold for today’s great powers?

Show Notes:

- Robert’s webpage

- Robert’s new book, The Loom of Time: Between Empire and Anarchy, from the Mediterranean to China

- Robert: “Order After Empire: The Roots of Instability in the Middle East”

- Robert: “Will America Share Rome’s Fate?”

- Frederick Kagan: “Biden Could Have Stopped the Taliban. He Chose Not To.”

- Orlando Figes’ The Story of Russia

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Right Regime Aug 19, 2023

Show notes

Jonah’s in an uncharacteristically effulgent and ebullient mood on today’s Ruminant, but don’t let his high spirits trick you into expecting a less ranty and discombobulated episode than usual. Jonah kicks things off with some extended thoughts on the problems with small dollar donors, before shifting, somehow, into a discussion of the coalition instinct among human beings. If that sounds a little too cerebral, rest assured that the latter half of this episode provides nothing but unfiltered punditry on the ongoing Hunter Biden scandal, the latest Trump controversies, and the state of conservative commentary.

Show Notes:

- Jonah’s problem with small dollar donors

- This weekend’s Dispatch Podcast

- The Remnant with Daniel Hannan

- The Remnant with Ken Pollack

- Advisory Opinions on the Georgia indictments

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trouble with Tehran Aug 17, 2023

Show notes

In keeping with the Remnant’s long tradition of providing edifying counter-programming, Jonah’s joined today by Ken Pollack—AEI senior fellow and expert on the Middle East—to discuss the latest on Iran and American policy toward the region. “Since the 1979 revolution,” Dr. Pollack writes in his latest piece for Foreign Policy, “Iran’s leadership has single-mindedly attempted to dominate the Middle East and drive the United States and Israel out.” But now, Tehran is shifting its approach, and Iranian grand strategy is placing a new emphasis on diplomacy. What does that mean for the United States? How will it affect other relationships between nations? And does Jonah’s general grouchiness stem from his political realism?

Show Notes:

- Dr. Pollack’s page at AEI

- Dr. Pollack: “Iran’s Grand Strategy Has Fundamentally Shifted”

- The Remnant with Frederick Kagan

- The Remnant with Daniel Hannan

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Full English Aug 16, 2023

Show notes

Sleep-deprived and disoriented in his shrinking ghetto of the egghead-osphere, Jonah’s in desperate need of a euphonious English accent to help him collect his thoughts. Fortunately, prolific author Daniel Hannan is on hand to provide exactly that, and to offer some erudite insights into a wide range of political and philosophical topics. How should we define republican virtue, and what does that have to do with fighting wokeism? Is Britain’s conservative movement a stable force or a hot mess? Has Russia always been awful? And do Europeans think America has gone insane?

Show Notes:

- Daniel’s webpage

- Inventing Freedom, Daniel’s oft-plugged book

- Kevin Carroll: “An Unthinkable Choice”

- Orlando Figes’ The Story of Russia

- Joseph Henrich’s The WEIRDest People in the World

- George Orwell: “Second Thoughts on James Burnham”

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Baring All Aug 12, 2023

Show notes

Jonah’s world is often defined by the things he hates, but just can’t resist talking about. Today’s Ruminant kicks off with an unrelenting rant against many of such subjects, including Trump; populism; and petty, meaningless Twitter feuds. After that, things drift in a more eggheady direction, as Jonah examines Israel’s governmental framework and provides a few musings on public morality. But even if none of those eclectic topics interest you, you’ll want to stick around until the end of this episode to answer an urgent call. The Remnant has received a nomination in the 2023 Podcast Awards, and we need you, our faithful listeners, to vote for the show right here.

Show Notes:

- The Remnant with Andy McCarthy

- The Dispatch Podcast on Israel’s constitutional moment

- Politico on the online porn industry’s retreat

- Vote for the Remnant in the 2023 Podcast Awards

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices