The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

Latest Episodes:

Hardly Working Sep 22, 2022

Show notes

Nicholas Eberstadt, AEI’s Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy, makes an overdue Remnant return to discuss his new book, Men Without Work: Post-Pandemic Edition, an expanded version of his 2016 release which examined the collapse of work for men in modern America. Why are increasingly large numbers of men abandoning the workforce? Is something similar going on with women? And what will be the social, cultural, and economic effects of this trend? Tune in to hear these questions answered, and to hear some reflections on why work is valuable in the first place.

Show Notes:

- Dr. Eberstadt’s page at AEI

- Men Without Work: Post-Pandemic Edition

- Dr. Eberstadt: “What’s Behind the Flight from Work in Post-Pandemic America”

- The Remnant with Michael Strain

- Charles Murray’s Coming Apart

- The Remnant with Marian Tupy

- Keynes: “Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren”

- China, unquarantined

- Allahpundit, unmasked

- Dispatch Live introduces Kevin D. Williamson

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Strain’s New Respect Sep 21, 2022

Show notes

Michael Strain, Remnant regular and beloved economic policy wonk at AEI, returns to the program to explore the state of inflation and kvetch about the Federal Reserve. He and Jonah also provide some unwashed commentary on House of the Dragon, discuss whether economics really is a dismal science, and mix in some thoughts on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Can inflation be fought at the state level? When should economics and politics mix? And is it possible for a Remnant episode to be too long and nerdy?

Show Notes:

- Michael’s page at AEI

- Jonah: “Not Everything Is a Morality Tale”

- Russia’s oil riches

- Celebrate Kevin D. Williamson’s arrival at The Dispatch with a 30-day free trial

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Somebody’s Watching Me Sep 17, 2022

Show notes

Live and under-caffeinated from a mysterious compound buried deep in the Adirondacks, Jonah focuses today’s Ruminant on nationalism, liberalism, and the American tradition. After providing an update on the state of The Dispatch and a few thoughts on integrity in politics, he launches into an epic rant on the recent National Conservatism Conference in Miami and the movement behind it. Throughout, he’s keen to stress a particular point: Our constitutional order still works.

Show Notes:

- Peter Thiel, losing Arizona

- Jonah: “Mugged by Fallacy”

- The Ahmari-French debate

- National conservatism: a primer

- Jonah: “Bellamy’s Children”

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Serious Thrills Sep 14, 2022

Show notes

Determined to reclaim his Remnant throne from Chris Stirewalt, Jim Geraghty returns to the program to discuss his new thriller, Gathering Five Storms. The novel also provides a launch pad for some exceedingly rank punditry on Russia, the midterms, and the state of the Republican Party. Earlier in the year, it seemed certain that the GOP would make significant gains in November, but is that still the case? For that matter, why does the foreign policy establishment seem to get so many things wrong? How does writing fiction compare to writing about politics? And can any pundit match Jim’s Trump impression?

Show Notes:

- Jim’s page at National Review

- Jim’s new novel, Gathering Five Storms

- Jonah and Yuval Levin’s first Remnant encounter

- Jim: “Control of the Senate Is Still a Jump Ball”

- Jim: “Does AOC Want to Be Anything More Than a Celebrity?”

- Jonah: “Principles vs. Partisanship”

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Down to the Roots Sep 10, 2022

Show notes

On today’s Ruminant, Jonah provides a distinctly Goldbergian fusion of punditry and nerdery. After evaluating Joe Biden’s use of the phrase “MAGA Republicans” and offering a few further thoughts on the Philadelphia speech, he discusses Steve Bannon’s arrest, the ongoing fallout from the Mar-a-Lago raid, and Gov. Greg Abbott’s migrant busing policy. It all ends on a philosophical note, as Jonah reflects on the distinction between conservatism and radicalism.

Show Notes:

- Last weekend’s Remnant

- Last Friday’s G-File

- Texas’ migrant bussing

- Muriel Bowser declares a public emergency

- Steve Bannon’s arrest

- Andy McCarthy on Bannon’s indictment

- The Dispatch Podcast on the Mar-a-Lago investigation

- Greta Van Awful

- The pandemic erased two years of progress in math and reading

- The Remnant with Matt Continetti

- Leo Ribuffo’s The Old Christian Right

- Ukraine lures Russian missiles with fake HIMARs

- Attend The Dispatch’s What’s Next summit in Naples

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Crime After Crime Sep 08, 2022

Show notes

It’s been a while since the Remnant featured an expert on crime, but today, Manhattan Institute fellow Rafael Mangual joins the program to fill that void. Recently, Rafael published Criminal (In)Justice, in which he argues against decarceration and depolicing. Using that book as a launch pad, he and Jonah discuss the sociological factors behind criminality, how crime can be deterred, and why the U.S. is an outlier in its incarceration rate. Plenty of policy wonkery is also mixed in.

Show Notes:

- Rafael’s Manhattan Institute webpage

- Rafael’s new book, Criminal (In)Justice

- Rafael: “The Cost of Decarceration”

- The D.C. sniper attacks

- Jonah: “Abolishing Police Departments Is Insane”

- Stanton Samenow’s Inside the Criminal Mind

- Rafael: “Are Democrats Serious About Gun Crime?”

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Apocalypse Maybe Sep 07, 2022

Show notes

Cato Institute uberwonk Marian Tupy returns to the Remnant to discuss his new book, Superabundance: The Story of Population Growth, Innovation, and Human Flourishing on an Infinitely Bountiful Planet. For some time, the idea that overpopulation will deplete the world of its resources has been popular in sociology. In this extra-long, extra-nerdy outing, Marian explains why its proponents are mistaken. He and Jonah also explore how nations become prosperous, the problem of collapsing fertility rates, and the appeal of apocalyptic predictions.

Show Notes:

- Marian’s page at the Cato Institute

- Marian and Gale L. Pooley’s new book, Superabundance

- HumanProgress.org

- The Simon-Ehrlich wager

- Jane Goodall and Prince Harry on sustainability

- Nick Eberstadt: “The Americans Who Never Went Back to Work After the Pandemic”

- Jonah’s review of The Reactionary Mind

- The Morning Dispatch breaks big news

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Forever Twirling Sep 03, 2022

Show notes

With no preparation and last minute coordination, the drive-time Remnant format returns. Today’s pointlessly random audio adventure covers Biden’s polarizing speech in Philadelphia, Jonah’s unique theory of what happened at Mar-a-Lago, and the dark connection between fast food magnates and conservative think tanks. Musings on TV, movies, and the strange nature of the solo Ruminant are also mixed in. Plus, stick around until the end for some breaking news about The Dispatch.

Show Notes:

- Biden’s Philadelphia speech

- Marc Thiessen: “Biden is disgracing the institution of the prime-time presidential address”

- Jimmy Carter’s malaise speech

- The gap between Trump and his lawyers

- Michael D. Higgins…

- …and his dogs

- The Thailand cave rescue

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The Heroine Diaries Sep 01, 2022

Show notes

Katherine Mangu-Ward is back on the Remnant, and although Jonah had planned on hosting her for an episode of rank punditry, their conversation takes a more philosophical turn instead. After digging into the weeds of libertarian philosophy, the nature of the social good, and the relationship between libertarianism and feminism, they explore a potpourri of topics ranging from drug liberalization to the transgender debate. Be prepared for unfettered nerdery.

Show Notes:

- Katherine’s page at Reason

- The Remnant with Sarah Isgur

- David Friedman on medieval Iceland

- The Remnant with Megan McArdle

- Nate Cohn: “How Educational Differences Are Widening America’s Political Rift”

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Over the Limit Aug 31, 2022

Show notes

It’s a Dispatch crossover on today’s Remnant, as Sarah Isgur returns to the program to explore the aftermath of the Mar-a-Lago raid, the meaning of executive privilege, and whether this situation can be compared with the Hillary Clinton email controversy. There’s also an extended discussion of child-rearing and the neuroscience of motherhood prompted by a recent New York Times op-ed. Oh, and a look at Sarah’s strange relationship with spiders.

Show Notes:

- Who gets to classify (and declassify) government secrets?

- Chelsea Conaboy: “Maternal Instinct Is a Myth That Men Created”

- Caroline Criado-Perez’ Invisible Women

- Radiolab’s “The Unsilencing”

- The Remnant with Paul Bloom

- Paul Bloom’s Just Babies

- James Q. Wilson’s The Moral Sense

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