The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

Latest Episodes:

When No One Cares May 27, 2023

Show notes

On the verge of a full recovery from his schnozzle surgery (more ominously referred to as “the operation”), Jonah’s prepared to indulge in another needlessly long Ruminant that blends a generous helping of conservative dorkery with a smidgen of rank punditry. He gets things started with a few thoughts on Ron DeSantis’ glitch-ridden campaign announcement, but afterward, it’s time for a highfalutin geekout as he examines the failure of the new right to appeal to people who aren’t chronically online. Stick around until the end for a defense of a recent G-File.

Show Notes:

- The Morning Dispatch on DeSantis’ campaign launch

- Answering listener questions with Guy on the Remnant

- The Dispatch Podcast dispenses rank punditry

- Wednesday’s G-File

- Antonio Gramsci

- Vanity Fair: “The American Conservative May Be on Its Last Legs”

- Charlie Cooke: “Why Can’t Progressive Writers Defend the Law”

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Me and My Monkey May 25, 2023

Show notes

On today’s Remnant, Jonah’s brain is uniquely scrambled. He’s still disoriented after slipping into a near comatose state last week, and his nose hasn’t quite readjusted to the feeling of fresh air. Rather than forcing a guest to deal with his mental malaise, he brings Guy, his immigrant manservant, back onto the program to field another round of carefully cultivated listener questions. The resulting conversation—which touches on the 2024 election, the purpose of American conservatism, the shame of closeted Kiss fans, and Jonah’s deranged fondness for a blowtorch—is as peculiarly nerdish as you’d expect

Show Notes:

- The Remnant, hosted by Chris Stirewalt, with David Drucker

- Jonah: “Does the GOP Deserve Tim Scott?”

- Albert Jay Nock’s Memoirs of a Superfluous Man

- David Pietrusza’s 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents

- Jonah: “Goldberg’s Conservative Canon”

- Keeping the Tablets: Modern American Conservative Thought

- Death of a Beatle

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Beware the Bachelor May 24, 2023

Show notes

While Jonah struggles with a nasal incident, Chris Stirewalt—more commonly recognized as Pooh Richardson’s number one fan—returns to the Remnant command chair. He’s joined by Dispatch Politics mastermind David Drucker to discuss a horrifying subject that’s inescapably consuming everything: the 2024 election. The punditry is uncut, the pop culture references are punchy, and the nudity is tasteful as they examine what we should expect from each GOP candidate. Can anyone match Donald Trump’s mastery of schmoozing? Can Tim Scott appeal to American families? And does Ron DeSantis qualify for carbon-based life?

Show Notes:

- Chris’ page at The Dispatch

- David’s newsletter, Dispatch Politics

- Dispatch Politics: “Tim Scott Takes His 2024 Shot”

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Hell Is Other Pundits May 18, 2023

Show notes

It’s that time again: Chris “Lil’ Enos” Stirewalt is back on the Remnant to provide his signature blend of square-eyed pop culture nerdery and fiendishly rank punditry. What do the size of Congress, James Comey’s ego, and The Dispatch’s profit margin have to do with one another? Was the Durham report an explosive game-changer or a damp squib? How’s the Republican primary shaping up? And are we really about to endure a Trump-Biden rematch? Only Chris and Jonah possess the knowledge of Smokey and the Bandit necessary to answer these questions with maximum insight.

Show Notes:

- Chris’ page at The Dispatch

- Subscribe to The Dispatch and watch an exclusive live Remnant with Jonah, Chris, and Steve Hayes

- The Remnant with Ben Smith

- The Remnant with Elizabeth Nolan Brown

- Chris: “The Republican Case for Lying Down for Trump Again”

- Noah Rothman: “GOP Voters Are Making Impossible Demands of a Trump Alternative”

- Jonah: “Our No-Win Scenario”

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The Great Unlearning May 17, 2023

Show notes

Last year, Remnant regular and AEI scholar Matt Continetti published The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism, a tome so nerdy that he and Jonah needed two full podcast episodes just to discuss the first half of it. Today, Matt returns to the program to continue working through the history of the right from the ‘80s to the present. Or, at least, that was the plan. Instead, the conversation ends up focusing on the nature of the new right, how Pat Buchanan changed conservatism, and what Donald Trump’s devotees actually want. Plus, listeners of the Commentary podcast will be delighted to find that Matt is actually allowed to speak.

Show Notes:

- Matt’s page at AEI

- The Right, now available in paperback

- Part one of Matt’s previous Remnant nerdfest…

- …and part two

- The Commentary podcast

- Lionel Trilling’s The Liberal Imagination

- Julius Krein: “I Voted for Trump. And I Sorely Regret It.”

- Christopher Lasch’s The Revolt of the Elites

- Tom Wolfe: “The Great Relearning”

- Ezra Klein: “The Problem With Everything-Bagel Liberalism”

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Neverending Stories May 13, 2023

Show notes

In what may be the most indulgent Ruminant ever recorded (which is really saying a lot), Jonah delivers a supremely curmudgeonly rant that encompasses everything from the formative years of Western civilization to the 2024 presidential election. After providing a pointless overview of his taste in political podcasts, he dives into the importance of taboos in society, and why throwing away centuries of inherited wisdom might not be the best idea. (Hint: Suicide of the West is still available from all good booksellers.) Then, it’s rank punditry all the way down, as Jonah offers musings on the Jordan Neely situation, rising crime in cities, the baby bust, and the continuing madness of Donald Trump. It’s as cheery an episode as you’d expect.

Show Notes:

- The Wednesday G-File

- The Remnant with Elizabeth Nolan Brown

- Julian Simon was right

- The Dispatch Podcast on all things Trump

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Click Addicts May 11, 2023

Show notes

In a twist on the standard Remnant formula that nobody asked for, Jonah is joined by noted chicken wing connoisseur Steve Hayes to co-host today’s episode. Their guest is Ben Smith, founder of Semafor, former editor in chief of BuzzFeed News, and author of the new book, Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral. The book takes us back to the early days of the internet to explore how the rivalry between Jonah Peretti of BuzzFeed and Nick Denton of Gawker paved the way for today's climate of disinformation, and naturally, it raises a number of questions. How has journalism changed since the dawn of the internet? Why does the young right tend to confuse social media with real life? What can we do to fix the media landscape? And will Jonah ever get over the golden age of blogging?

Show Notes:

- Ben’s new book, Traffic

- Ben: “Confessions of a Media Chronicler”

- Semafor

- The Great Moon Hoax

- Benjy Sarlin: “Take Donald Trump seriously, not literally, on ‘fake news’”

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Babies Come Back May 10, 2023

Show notes

It’s been a while since the Remnant featured some pro-natal wonkery. To fill that void, Jonah’s joined today by Elizabeth Nolan Brown, a senior editor at Reason, to discuss her cover story for the latest issue of the magazine, “Storks Don't Take Orders From the State.” Together, they discuss the many burning questions surrounding baby-making in modern America: Why are fertility rates falling (spoiler: Elizabeth doesn’t think it’s because there’s a crippling sex recession)? Are pro-natalist policies working in other places? What are the main reasons to have children? And will Jonah ever explain his hatred of old people?

Show Notes:

-Subscribe to The Dispatch and watch an exclusive live Remnant with Jonah, Steve Hayes, and Chris Stirewalt

- Elizabeth’s author page at Reason

- Elizabeth’s cover story, “Storks Don't Take Orders From the State”

- The vampire problem

- Jonah: “The Worst Fang Club”

- Yuval Levin: “The Changing Face of Social Breakdown”

- Jonah: “I Think We’re Turning Japanese”

- Brian Doherty: “Libertarian Party Faces State Rebellions”

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Crime on My Hands May 06, 2023

Show notes

Jonah finds himself alone with the quadrupeds on today’s Ruminant as the Fair Jessica embarks on a grand European adventure. Isolated and caffeine-deprived, he’s in especially indulgent form as he rambles through a handful of interrelated topics. First up on the docket is a Supreme Court case that could scale back American bureaucracy, which prompts an extended discussion of how most of the problems we face in modern society can be attributed to a lack of self-government (whatever that means). Afterward, Jonah touches on the importance of institutions in a hyper-technological world, the dumbness of Republican and Democratic rhetoric around crime, and the improbable link between soup kitchens and Call of Duty chat rooms. Brace yourself for an extra-crotchety ride.

Show Notes:

- The Morning Dispatch: “SCOTUS Poised to Rein in the Administrative State”

- Philip Hamburger’s Is Administrative Law Unlawful

- Charles Murray’s By the People

- Jonah: “Is the GOP Becoming a Dysfunctional Chatroom?”

- The Remnant with Rob Long

- Tim Miller’s Why We Did It

- Michelle Cottle: “Georgia’s Hot Mess Is Headed Your Way”

- A crime-ridden Dispatch Podcast

- Wednesday’s “news”letter

- The Remnant with criminologist Shawn Bushway

- Subscribe to The Dispatch and watch an exclusive live Remnant with Jonah, Steve Hayes, and Chris Stirewalt

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The Remnant Live: Inside Fox News May 04, 2023

Show notes

On today’s very special Remnant, recorded before a live audience of Dispatch devotees in the hallowed halls of the American Enterprise Institute, Jonah is joined by Steve Hayes and Chris Stirewalt for an in-depth discussion of their time at Fox News. For the first time, they explore what it was like to work at Fox before 2015, how things changed when the Trump era began, and why they resonated with the network’s original approach. They also touch on Tucker Carlson’s firing and how we can improve cable news in this fraught political moment. But only the first half of their conversation is presented here. To hear the whole thing, you’ll need to become a member of the Dispatch community (sign up here!). Members will be able to access the entire discussion in both audio and video form on the Dispatch website, in the Dispatch Live feed. We’re grateful to all of you for your support, and we can’t wait to organize some similar live tapings in the future. Stay tuned…

Show Notes:

- Become a Dispatch member to get the full episode

- Steve and Jonah: “Why We Are Leaving Fox News”

- National Review’s “Against Trump” issue

- Jonah: “Tucker’s Matrix”

- The Wall Street Journal on Tucker’s foul language

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