The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

As Jonah prepares to drop off the grid for a week, he brings Guy, his immigrant majordomo, back on the Remnant to ask an eclectic selection of listener questions. Predictably, things start innocently enough with some hyper-rank punditry on 2024 and a brief canine update, but afterward, they quickly get weird. From talk of ChatGPT and zombies overthrowing the established world order to musings on scotch, wrestling, and pretentious foreign movies, the second half of this episode is a unique ride. By the end, Jonah’s perception of Guy may have been permanently altered.Show Notes:- Tuesday’s Ruminant- David Drucker breaks down Nikki Haley’s announcement- The Dispatch Podcast on Haley, Harris, and helium- Kurt Schlichter: “No to Nikki Harris”- The Bing chatbot’s freakouts- The Remnant with Jim Pethokoukis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back from his sojourn in the Land of Lincoln, Jonah invites Coleman Hughes–host of the Conversations with Coleman podcast–onto the Remnant for a lively discussion of race and religion (everyone’s favorite topics). What’s the relationship between authenticity and identity? Is it possible to completely root out racism in American society? And what danger does audience capture pose to responsible journalism?Show Notes:- Coleman’s webpage- Conversations with Coleman- The Panic in Needle Park- Coleman: “Actually, Color-Blindness Isn’t Racist” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stranded without a guest in beautiful Springfield, Illinois, Jonah is forced to record another Ruminant, and the result finds his mind drifting from place to place like a wayward spy balloon. After a brief foray into dirigible-based punditry, he quickly turns to protectionism and Biden’s “Buy American” mantra, providing some extended thoughts on why both are so annoying. From there, his ramblings fall into an uncontrolled tailspin, covering everything from NIMBianism to René Girard and, finally, the incomparable Cronut.Show Notes:- Real life Up- Dominic Pino: “Biden Promises to Spend Your Money Poorly”- Phil Klein: “The Story Construction Tells About America’s Economy Is Disturbing”- George McGovern: “A Politician's Dream Is a Businessman's Nightmare”- Neal Stephenson’s -The Diamond Age Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s Ruminant, Jonah once again finds himself agitated by a veritable cornucopia of asininities. From the idea that every problem in San Francisco can be blamed on COVID to our embarrassing balloon response, no topic is safe from his ire. Can every problem be blamed on late-stage capitalism? What is the difference between good politics and good policy? And how should the Remnant advertise itself to the outside world?Show Notes:- The Daily’s episode on San Francisco- Anastasia Tsioulcasa: “An artist's 'Healing Project,' focused on incarceration and violence, wins $1 million”- The Commentary Podcast- What the heck is F Troop?- “It is balloon” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the wake of 2023’s raucous State of the Union address, Jonah invites Noah Rothman back to the Remnant for some obscenely rank punditry on a host of hot topics. They begin by exploring what we should make of Biden’s speech, and whether the rowdy atmosphere that accompanied it was actually a good thing, before turning to issues foreign and domestic. How does Biden look as a 2024 candidate given his age? Does the GOP have anything to offer the electorate? Why did it take so long to pop China’s pesky balloon? And could that floating middle finger be the Sputnik moment America needs?Show Notes:- Noah’s page at Commentary- Noah’s latest book, The Rise of the New Puritans- Noah’s previous book, Unjust- Noah’s previous Remnant appearance- Kevin Williamson: “Joe Biden as Priest-King”- Jonah: “Advice for Biden: Be Like Ike”-  A deflated Commentary Podcast- The Remnant with Dalibor Rohac Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AEI Senior Fellow Dalibor Rohac makes his Remnant debut in today’s outrageously wonky discussion of Eastern Europe. In light of the ongoing war in Ukraine, the conversation covers America’s foreign policy debate, Germany’s continued weirdness, and the European Union’s role in modern geopolitics. Will peace require a resounding Russian defeat? Can more can be done to support Ukraine’s defense? And what will a postwar Europe look like?Show Notes:- AEI’s The Eastern Front podcast- Dr. Rohac’s page at AEI- Dr. Rohac: “Dnipro Slaughter Shows Depths of Putin’s Depravity Against Ukraine”- Dr. Rohac: “Fuss over Ukraine Tanks Shows the World Has No Substitute for America’s Defense Industry”- Dr. Rohac: “How We Get Europe to Ensure Ukraine’s Post-War Success”-The Telegraph’s Ukraine: The Latest podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s Ruminant, unencumbered by any pretension to organization, Jonah waxes eloquent on everything from the spy balloon over Montana to the breakdown of organized religion. After beginning with a dive into the rhetoric surrounding the war in Ukraine, he directs his ire towards the cult of victimhood that seems to dominate public life. Stick around for a particularly eggheadish discussion on the nature of policing, American racial progress, and why individual choice matters.Show Notes:-Telegraph’s Ukraine: The Latest podcast-The Guardian: Burning of Qur’an in Stockholm funded by journalist with Kremlin ties-Jonah’s 1995 Public Interest article-James Burnham’s Suicide of the West-Jonah: “The Race to Racism” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Podhoretz makes his triumphant return to the Remnant for a characteristically freewheeling discussion covering everything from Israeli politics to the classified document scandals. Who isn’t hoarding a classified document or two nowadays? What’s going on with Israel’s judiciary? How is the GOP doing? Will Joe Biden run in 2024? And is it ever appropriate to sing the Felix the Cat theme song? Be prepared to have it lodged in your brain. Show Notes:- GLoP, the pop culture podcast America deserves- John’s author page at Commentary- FBI search of Biden’s beach house- The Felix the Cat theme song- The Remnant with A.B. Stoddard Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an attempt to overcome the trauma that developed after his recent visit to Portland, Jonah invites the prolific author and journalist Nancy Rommelmann onto the Remnant for the first time to explore how the city descended into something resembling Escape from New York. They discuss when Portland’s decline began, whether it can fairly be compared to the New York of the 1970s and ‘80s, and whether these problems will be fixed anytime soon. And shockingly enough, no references to The Warriors are included.Show Notes:- Nancy’s Substack, Make More Pie- Nancy’s page at Reason- Nancy’s podcast, Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em- Jonah: “A Pox Upon Portland”- Nancy: “The Dream of the ‘90s Died in Portland”- Nancy: “Is Portland the new Neverland?”- Nancy: “A Murder in Portland”- Nancy: “You’re Not Allowed to Film”- Tom Wolfe: “The Great Relearning”- An exhibitionistic GLoP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah’s eggheadery reaches a new extreme on today’s rambly Ruminant, which may leave you dreaming of the end times. After beginning with some brief thoughts on Biden’s document escapade and when it’s appropriate for the government to declassify information, he turns to a melange of nerdishly complicated questions. Is it the end of the world as we know it? How did the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists blind us with science? Do Irving Kristol’s objections to capitalism have merit? And are Cheez-Its the ultimate snack food?Show Notes:- Jonah “moderates” the Dispatch Podcast- The Economist’s The Intelligence podcast- Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s Secrecy- The Remnant with Bruce Caldwell- Irving Kristol: “When Virtue Loses All Her Loveliness” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices