Fresh off the heels of his new manifesto (not of the communist variety, though), Iain Murray, CEI senior fellow, joins Jonah on The Remnant to discuss The Socialist Temptation : what it is, who it hits hardest, why socialism isn’t really even an economic theory, and what to do about it. Show Notes: - The Socialist Temptation Iain’s new book, - BBC’s generously donated show sets, to spruce up your Zoom background - Iain refuting Thomas Piketty - Josh Muravchik’s “Theories of the New Class” - “Soc...
Sep 08, 2020•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 251
Who actually believes the media anymore? Can you really call yourself a liberal if you’re also a socialist? And what dog species does Zoë hate with a burning passion? It’s the weekend, and you know what that means: These questions and many more will be answered on this edition of Jonah’s Ruminant. Show Notes: - “Fiery, but mostly peaceful” - The New Guinea Singing Dog - The Socialist Temptation Iain Murray’s - is What… Debbie Wasserman Schultz doing with her life nowadays? - NYT The always-lovel...
Sep 05, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 250
In the words of a famed conservative activist, “When they go low, we go high.” That’s what we’re doing today on The Remnant by getting out of the muck of American domestic politics and having a conversation with veteran guest Kenneth Pollack on the intricacies of the Israel-UAE deal instead. What does this mean for the region, and what are the historical corollaries (Hint: It might be on your Remnant Bingo card)? Show Notes: - Foreign Policy Ken’s piece for - Iran’s weapon facilities keep explod...
Sep 03, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 249
A solo Jonah returns, surrounded by cold beverages, to finish up his thoughts from last time about the final day of the RNC. He then moves on to the tactics of political grandstanding, the autocephalous (uh, Google it) nature of the activist left, and the importance of identifying the correct microclimate of the Loch Ness Monster. Show Notes: - Yuval’s latest Remnant appearance - Tom Cotton, sending mixed messages about America First - Harassing diners in Adams Morgan - “Vegetable rights and pea...
Aug 29, 2020•39 min•Ep. 248
While it may be the middle of the week, there’s no law against Jonah recording Ruminant-style (i.e. alone) – at least not yet. He discusses the RNC – and invents the fun tongue-twister, “Ceaușescu-esque,” while doing so – the “Biden is a vessel for radicals” theory, and the economically confused obsession with Jeff Bezos. Show Notes: - Kimberly Guilfoyle’s speech is pretty meme-y - Jonah’s spat with Erielle Davidson - Remnant veteran Jim Pethokoukis talking about why Jeff Bezos is unironically g...
Aug 27, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 247
Jonah makes a triumphant return to the Remnant on this episode, where he finally has a stable enough connection to record after a saga of perambulations around America’s western half. Jonah and Nick - his fearful amanuensis - discuss Alaska, the awkwardness of America’s largest political party holding a Zoom convention, and the potential for two actual crazy people to become elected officials within the GOP. Show Notes: - Jonah’s glacial ice chunk - “The Green Room,” within Hell’s Canyon - Row A...
Aug 21, 2020•58 min•Ep. 246
Remnant Hall-of-Famer Jim Geraghty joins the show with the continually-put-upon David French, who is heroically guest-hosting as Jonah continues to galavant around in the land of [REDACTED]. On COVID, Jim gets to reminisce a little about the early weeks of reporting on the pandemic while also updating us. The guys then move on to the election, the “convention” (if you can call it that), and Best Spanish Language Heist Show of 2020 - a category with shockingly little competition. Show Notes: - Ji...
Aug 19, 2020•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 245
Have no fear, dear listener: while Jonah is still radio silent as he swan-dives in slow-mo off of waterfalls (or something), The Remnant hasn’t forgotten you. David French returns to guest host this episode with return favorite Ramesh Ponnuru from National Review and AEI. There’s the requisite Kamala Harris talk, but also deeper questions about ideology and the “Burn It Down” debates. Show Notes: - Ramesh’s page at NR - Henry Olsen: Kamala changes nothing - Kevin Williamson summarizes the “Burn ...
Aug 14, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 244
Throwing recent rank punditry onto the back burner, Jonah speaks with his AEI colleague and UVA Professor Brad Wilcox, whose memory for statistics crashed over us in a refreshing wave of sheer competency. Tune in for a discussion of marriage, the concept of “family diversity,” and the three things Brad would do if he suddenly became Czar of America. Show Notes: - Brad’s page at AEI - Nicholas Christakis’ most recent book - Kevin E. Stuart on his baseball studies - Most NBA players grew up in a t...
Aug 11, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 243
Jonah stops to ruminate on the pathway between two menacingly-named locales—Snake River and Death Canyon (no Cliffs of Insanity, though). The topics today: why the mainstreaming of “white” identity is a genuinely awful idea, why being pro-Israel might cause you to get punched at synagogue, how progressives have adopted some of the worst parts of the European right, and much more. Show Notes: - How to punch a shark - Virginia Dare, and the disappearance of the Roanoke colonists - The Omni-America...
Aug 09, 2020•53 min•Ep. 242
Today, we present the second part of Jonah’s conversation with Washington Post opinion columnist Megan McArdle. The punditry was just too rank, so their conversation became a two-episode-long saga. In addition to some COVID punditry, some women’s issues, and some libertoid-speak, they also reminisce on their shared old stomping ground, New York City, and how it has changed. Show Notes: - Susan Hennessey calling out people who say Kamala Harris is too ambitious - Megan on Stephanie Cutter for the...
Aug 06, 2020•45 min•Ep. 241
In a world where people run amok on the internet screaming their heads off, Megan McArdle stands (or in this case, sits by a microphone) as a model for the cool and collected. After a pre-game round of dog talk, Megan and Jonah settle in for some candid words on bread, being nice, and feminism — commentary so well-informed, we’re posting Megan twice in one week. Show Notes: - The Big Tech Four vs. Congress - Maxine Waters asks a particularly garbled question to Bank of America - “The Great Relea...
Aug 04, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 240
Jonah’s had a long week, so grab an Irish whiskey (so long as it’s not Bushmills) and join him for some ruminating punditry on the tactical errors being made by conservative advocacy groups, “Cancel Rent” insanity, “Plandemic” insanity, and additional flavors of insanity. Also, Jameson, if you’re reading this, call us . Show Notes: - The glories of Jameson Caskmates - The most recent G-File - The (underrated) Tyranny of Cliches - Plandemic movie picking up speed - Our episode on conspiracy theor...
Aug 01, 2020•49 min•Ep. 239
A.B. Stoddard is a refreshing presence on today’s podcast as she and Jonah delve into starkly rank punditry and a discussion of the eerie intentionality behind Trump’s coronavirus response. In fact, A.B.’s wise words—on Fauci, on Trump’s fantasies, on panicked Texans—leave only a singular major question remaining: will Jonah end up rocking a man bun? Show Notes: - Steve’s piece on the canceling of Liz Cheney - Jonah’s recent appearance on the Chuck Toddcast - The Washington Post’s reporting of t...
Jul 30, 2020•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 238
A clean-shaven Michael Strain joins the perennially bearded Jonah to talk about the topic that always brings encouraging news: the economy. Lowering the national debt and the closing of movie theaters are two bullets in this chin-stroking chamber, complemented by banter about barbecue sauce and how to retrieve small children from the sewers. Show Notes: - Michael Strain’s new book, The American Dream Is Not Dead: (But Populism Could Kill It) - Jonathan Chait’s book on Obama’s legacy (got awkward...
Jul 28, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 237
What do canned meats and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment have in common? Are there any real rebels in American culture? Why shouldn’t gerbils be allowed to eat beets? Join Jonah in the passenger seat of his car to have all of these pressing questions and more answered on this weekend’s Ruminant. Show Notes: - The latest G-File - The most horrifying term: Forcemeat - The test Trump took, in case you want to test yourself - Silliness in our law enforcement conversations - The longstanding Marxis...
Jul 25, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 236
The punditry is strong today as Jonah and Luke Thompson meet at the intersection of conservatism and the Constitution. Stopping briefly for some quick jabs at Rep. Mike Gallagher and some comments that will definitely be taken out of context, we hear deep insights about big-kid words like “impoundment” and “rescission.” Show Notes: - Constitutionally Speaking, a podcast with Luke and Jay Cost - The Wisdom of Conservatism by Peter Witonski - Anti-impoundment act - Luke’s article in the Spectator ...
Jul 24, 2020•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 235
Rank punditry and eggheadery dominate the docket today as Matt Continetti joins Jonah on a mournfully swampy day in D.C. From Biden huddling in his basement to William F. Buckley Jr. naming his boat “Splendid Isolation,” the guys go backward from politics today to politics yesterday in a convention of nerd-dom, spiced up by mentions of Klingon weddings and Dungeons and Dragons. Show Notes: - Andy Kessler’s WSJ piece on June 1 being Trump’s official downfall date - Nate Cohn on a tiny but influen...
Jul 22, 2020•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 234
A rental-car bound Jonah invites his research assistant Nick Pompella onto the show from the reclusive Zoom cave in which Nick usually resides — or in this case, the dankness of Jonah’s basement as Nick housesits. Topping the docket today is a discussion of “whiteness,” along with verbal distress over how to pronounce “Parler” and the chilling acknowledgment that the government is the only entity that can legally kill you. Show Notes: - Barton Fink - Page about “Whiteness” from the NMAAHC - Pew ...
Jul 17, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 233
With Jonah traipsing about somewhere in the Alaskan wilderness, David French takes over the hosting duties to welcome David Bahnsen back on. David and David talk COVID, policy, and faith. After a jab at Jonah — will he really write a book on bigfoot erotica? — the Davids discuss team good vs. team lesser evil, noting that while Scripture anticipated the Assyrians, it didn’t predict Hillary Clinton. All hail King Dave! Show Notes: - Jonah, off the grid in Alaska - Bahnsen’s daily missal - Tenness...
Jul 14, 2020•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 232
On this episode, Jonah ruminates from his igloo (we hope - wouldn’t that be cool?) on some Alaska stories, the American founding, relativism in language, and why good manners are more important (and more complicated) than you might think. Show Notes: - Alaskans plug in their cars - The mighty Gavora Mall - The members-only Wednesday “news”letter - Remnant with John McWhorter - Tony Montana … asserts his dominance? … by eating the lemon in the washing bowl - Orwell’s Orphans - Jonah’s dueling ess...
Jul 11, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 231
Andy Smarick, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, joins a sleep-deprived Jonah in a discussion of schools in the time of COVID — all 14,000 districts’ worth. After nerding out over Supreme Court cases, civics, and badly misremembering an episode of M*A*S*H, Andy ends on a note of optimism while Jonah (hopefully) goes to get some sleep somewhere in Alaska. Show Notes: - Adrian Vermeule’s common-good constitutionalism - Sohrab Ahmari vs. David French debates, because why not - What is Conser...
Jul 10, 2020•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 230
Jonah has long awaited the chance to have Columbia University linguist John McWhorter on the show, and now he’s finally here. In a particularly un-rank episode of The Remnant, Jonah asks John about the shifting nature of language, and if it’s really a good thing that usage shifts so rapidly (e.g. “literally”). Also, what grammar police campaigns have been successful in preserving grammatical order, and where have they failed? Show Notes: - John’s many, many books - John’s podcast, Lexicon Valley...
Jul 07, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 229
Jonah gratefully drags a harried Niall Ferguson onto the show, which begins with Angela Merkel and ends with “copious quantities of claret.” Listen to Jonah and Niall — mostly Niall, of the Mellifluous Voice — speak in tongues, lament the destruction of critical thinking in universities, and sneak in a jab at Woodrow Wilson [dun dun dun]. Show Notes: - Angela Merkel on “the toughest situation” in Europe’s history - Communities of fate, coined by our grave German friends - The New Republic’s cont...
Jul 03, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 228
On his second Remnant appearance, National Review ’s Kevin Williamson travels down a series of tangent-friendly avenues with Jonah. What are statue-defacers actually accomplishing? Why are Americans “a bunch of maniacs” compared to our continental comrades? And what is Kevin’s obsession with Switzerland all about, anyway? Show Notes: - Kevin’s upcoming book, Big White Ghetto - Kevin’s smash-hit, The Smallest Minority - Kevin’s aptly-titled Tuesday newsletter, “The Tuesday” - Houston Rockets mana...
Jun 30, 2020•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 227
It’s the weekend, therefore it’s time for another Ruminant. This time, it’s a monologue in which Jonah truly realizes how Remnant-y he’s really become. In his own words, “the point of conservatism is not to get the Republican Party elected.” In short, this is a “down with majoritarianism, up with principles” kind of episode. Show Notes: - This week's G-File - Wednesday's "news"letter - Suicide of the West (now out in paperback!) - The non-scandal of Tina Fey and Jimmy Kimmel - Steve Teles (Rober...
Jun 27, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 226
Chris Wallace, host of Fox News Sunday , stops by to discuss his new book Countdown 1945 , the state of American politics, and the intersection of technology and journalism. Show Notes: - Chris' new book Countdown 1945 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 25, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 225
Remnant regular and Fox News politics editor Chris Stirewalt joins to discuss the newsiest events of the day: sausage varietals, Teddy Roosevelt’s legacy, and 1800s newspapers. In addition to nerding out on these rather specific topics, they do get around to some more modern rank punditry on everything from early voting to the future of cable news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 24, 2020•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 224
Why are politicians so reluctant to take responsibility for the history of their own ideas? Everything from the minimum wage to community policing has a sordid past if you just look back far enough, and Jonah thinks that putting on your partisan blinders only for the specific policies you happen to dislike leads to bad outcomes. In this particularly chaotic era of American politics, Jonah points out evidence of this sort of thing happening everywhere. Show Notes: - The Problem With Claiming That...
Jun 20, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 224
In the microcosm of right-of-center news, we have been blessed with two great writers by the name of Robert George. This podcast sees Jonah talking to one of them. No, not that one, the other one! They talk about what it’s like to work for two of the most spirited publications in New York (the Post and the Daily News ), and take a trip down memory lane to their time as pundits in the last dominant years of live TV. Show Notes: - Robert’s author page at New York Daily News - The long history of J...
Jun 19, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 223
