The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg ‘Complexity is a Subsidy’ | Ruminant
111 snips
Feb 7, 2026 A solo reflection on why labeling opponents 'fascist' weakens persuasion and how semantic inflation harms debate. A dive into progressivism’s troubled intellectual past and why movements should self-scrutinize. A look at corporatism, regulation as a barrier to entry, and how complexity can subsidize incumbents. Quick takes on the Melania film, The Washington Post’s strategy, and political hypocrisy.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Progressivism's Unexamined Past
- "Progressive" retained positive connotations because mainstream institutions rarely scrutinized its intellectual baggage.
- Jonah highlights that Progressive Era thinkers were often eugenicists and critics downplayed that history.
Fascism As Corporatist State Capitalism
- Fascist economics looked like corporatism: state-coordinated private groups, not pure laissez-faire.
- Jonah connects that model to modern "state capitalism" and examples like China's mixed state-corporate control.
Complexity Becomes An Incumbent Subsidy
- Complexity and regulation act as a subsidy to incumbents by raising barriers to entry.
- Jonah uses the Americans with Disabilities Act to show how compliance costs favor big firms over nimble startups.
