The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

Latest Episodes:

I See You Jan 04, 2023

Show notes

The Remnant kicks off 2023 in appropriately rank fashion today, as Megan McArdle returns to the program for some eggheady musings on what the new year could bring for our legislative branch, parties, and broader political culture. She and Jonah begin by examining the state of Congress and what we can do to fix it, before turning to some pressing questions. Will cryptocurrency conquer the world? How does transparency harm institutions? And will the Republican Party start inching back toward sanity anytime soon?

Show Notes:

- Megan’s page at the Washington Post

- Jonah: “So Congress is a mess. It’s supposed to be messy”

- The Economist: “How Is Ukraine Using Crypto to Fund the War?”

- Matt Levine: “The Crypto Story”

- The Remnant with Russ Roberts

- Jonah: “The Worst Fang Club”

- The Remnant with Yuval Levin

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Every Day I’m Shoveling Dec 31, 2022

Show notes

Jonah brings 2022 to a close in typically freewheeling fashion on today’s Ruminant, which aims to provide a minimal amount of crushing morosity. He kicks things off by exploring the Southwest Airlines meltdown and why airline disasters are uniquely infuriating, before turning to the inefficiency of big government, how pandemics and other crises can affect economies, and what can go wrong when we mix up our gemeinschafts. Plus, stick around for a discussion of how fusion power could solve our environmental problems, some obligatory Marx bashing, and a few words about the state of The Dispatch. Happy New Year!

Show Notes:

- Ezekiel Emanuel: “Covid Isn’t the Only Reason Children’s Vaccination Rates Are Falling”

- The Remnant with Scott Lincicome

- The Economist: “The great inflation of the 1500s is echoing eerily today”

- Jerry Muller’s The Mind and the Market

- Wednesday’s “news”letter

- David Bahnsen: “Put Not Your Trust in Princes”

- Jim Pethokoukis on the state of nuclear fusion

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Season’s Groanings Dec 29, 2022

Show notes

As 2022 winds down, Kevin Williamson returns to the Remnant for some wide-ranging sociopolitical nerdery. He and Jonah explore what characterizes effective social policy, why it pays to be skeptical of new ideas, and what makes no sense about the American tax system. They also provide a modicum of more lighthearted punditry on the George Santos debacle and indulge in a lengthy discussion of the gun debate. Tune in for explanation, but stick around for obfuscation.

Show Notes:

- Kevin’s page at The Dispatch

- Kevin: “A Guide to Guns”

- Nick Catoggio: “The Talented Mr. Santos”

- Jonah: “Something Short of Tragic”

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The Rant Before Christmas Dec 24, 2022

Show notes

It’s Christmas Eve, and what’s more germane to the holiday season than some lengthy rambling about authoritarianism? Of course, today’s Ruminant is a little more nuanced than that. It also digs into how political states emerge in the first place, why Russia is becoming a “really crappy” country, and how to distinguish between valid criticism of American foreign policy toward Ukraine and toadying to Vladimir Putin. On the lighter side, Jonah also answers a few questions that arose after the week’s earlier episode with the Fair Jessica. We wish you all a wonderful holiday!

Show Notes:

- The Fair Jessica’s Remnant return

- Zelensky’s speech to Congress

- Julia Davis’ Russian Media Monitor

- Jonah: “Authoritarianism’s Bad Year”

- Francis Fukuyama’s The Origins of Political Order

- How Putin’s war became a catastrophe for Russia

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Merry Christmas, Ms. Gavora Dec 22, 2022

Show notes

On today’s Remnant, Jonah’s esteemed wife and bear skeptic, Jessica Gavora (aka the Fair Jessica), makes her highly anticipated return. The two JGs explore some more nerdish topics than last time, including what it takes to be a successful ghostwriter, how the right changed during the Trump years, and what it’s like writing speeches for prominent politicians. They also touch on a few personal subjects, including memories of Jonah’s mom, the recent trip to Istanbul, and Jessica’s current book project (she needs your help!). Plus, stick around until the end to hear Jessica make her best case against human-bear interaction.

Show Notes:

- The Fair Jessica’s first Remnant appearance

- Betsy DeVos’ Hostages No More

- Hugh Hewitt: “The ‘Agnew Option’ could be a way out for Trump — and America”

- The Fair Jessica’s Tilting the Playing Field: Schools, Sports, Sex and Title IX

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What’d I Miss? Dec 21, 2022

Show notes

During his wild European vacation last week, Jonah didn’t follow the news too closely. To catch himself up, he invites The Dispatch’s own Andrew Egger back to the Remnant for some intensely rank punditry. Together, they explore the biggest and strangest stories currently unfolding in politics, including Kevin McCarthy’s bid for House speaker, Ron DeSantis’ attack on vaccines, and Donald Trump’s criminal referral. Plus, they offer some musings on the 2024 election and the horrors of Trump trading cards.

Show Notes:

- Andrew: “Trump 2024’s Terrible Start”

- Andrew: “Ron DeSantis Gambles on Vaccine Grievance”

- The Morning Dispatch: “The January 6th Committee’s Last Hurrah”

- Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene go to war

- Trump NFTs

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Beyond the Melting Pot Dec 15, 2022

Show notes

With Jonah off on a clandestine mission to Turkey, Chris Stirewalt takes his place in the Remnant captain’s chair for a wonktastic dive into American demography. His guest is Dr. Richard Alba, a sociologist and the author of The Great Demographic Illusion: Majority, Minority, and the Expanding American Mainstream, which explores America’s changing racial makeup and the increasing prevalence of Americans born from mixed families. Their discussion touches on a number of pressing questions. Can we rely on Census data? What does assimilation mean in America today? And how can we create more opportunities for young Americans to move into?

Show Notes:

- Dr. Alba’s page at CUNY

- Dr. Alba’s The Great Demographic Illusion

- Chris: “America’s No-Majority Future Is Going to be Delicious”

- Dr. Alba: “The Truth About White America”

- Dr. Alba: “The Myth of a Majority-Minority America”

- The Remnant with Ruy Teixeira

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That Toddlin’ Town Dec 14, 2022

Show notes

Dedicated Remnant listeners may recall that in 2019, Jonah stopped by the headquarters of the Illinois Policy Institute to record a special, Chicago-centric episode. On his recent voyage to the Windy City, Jonah returned to the institute to record a follow-up with its president, Matt Paprocki. Together, they discuss the challenges facing Chicago, how conservatives can win Illinois, and what policies should be pursued to lift people out of poverty. Tune in for the wonkery, but stick around to find out how many obscure nicknames for Chicago are lodged in Jonah’s brain.

Show Notes:

- The Illinois Policy Institute

- Matt’s page at IPI

- Matt’s Substack

- Michael Madigan’s scandals

- The Remnant with Arthur Brooks

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Turkish Delights Dec 10, 2022

Show notes

Today’s Ruminant, recorded live from an undisclosed hotel in the depths of Chicago, finds Jonah even more scatterbrained than usual. Although he begins by discussing the nature of the First Amendment and why Twitter isn’t at the heart and soul of American democracy, he quickly abandons rank punditry and veers in a radically different direction. With a vacation in Istanbul coming up, Jonah tells the long, strange tale of his first visit to the city, which may or may not evoke comparisons to Midnight Express. It’s an unconventional episode, but don’t say you weren’t warned.

Show Notes:

- Bari Weiss’ “Twitter Files”

- David French: “Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson Don’t Understand the First Amendment”

- Christian Schneider: “Does Nobody Understand How the First Amendment Works?”

- The Remnant with Scott Lincicome

- The Remnant with Jonathan Rauch

- Charlie Cooke and Michael Brendan Dougherty debate Republican electability

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Democracy Manifest Dec 08, 2022

Show notes

Jonathan Rauch, beloved scholar at the otherwise hated Brookings Institution, returns to the Remnant for some spirited kvetching about primaries, polarization, and the state of democracy. He and Jonah also mix in some ruminations on the Republican Party’s dysfunction, the nature of racism in contemporary American society, and how identity politics radicalizes people. Be ready with your bingo cards.

Show Notes:

- Jonathan’s page at Brookings

- Jonathan’s previous Remnant appearance

- Jonathan’s latest book, The Constitution of Knowledge

- Jonathan and Ray La Raja: “Too Much Democracy Is Bad for Democracy”

- “Toward a More Responsible Two Party System”

- Elaine Kamarck: “Is democracy failing and putting our economic system at risk?”

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