The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

Brian Riedl, also known as the “balanced budget good government guy,” is back on the Remnant to answer a pertinent question: Should we believe that the GOP suddenly cares about fiscal responsibility? He and Jonah also provide some wonkified commentary on a whole host of other economic issues. What’s to be done about the national debt? How should conservatives approach the IRS? And is it possible to reform the tax system?Show Notes:- Jonah: “The GOP’s Spending Fight Is More About Fighting Than Spending”- Brian Riedl: “How Republicans Can Get Serious on Spending”- The Remnant with A.B. Stoddard- Byron Donalds spars with Joy Reid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Remnant gets back to basics today, as A.B. Stoddard returns to the show for some deeply rank punditry on (what else?) the dysfunctional state of our parties and the prospect of a second term for Biden. With insurgents rising among both Republicans and Democrats, how long will it take for the parties to get healthy again? For that matter, how concerned should Democrats be about the loss of black and Hispanic voters? Will the GOP actually raise the debt limit? And is there any way of excusing Biden’s document blunder?Show Notes:- A.B.’s page at RealClearPolitics- Jonah: “GOP’s deficit reduction is a cynical performative gesture”- A.B.: “Kevin McCarthy Is Already a Gift to Democrats”- Jonah: “McCarthy’s Misery”- A.B.: “Yes, He Will Burn It All Down” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s Ruminant, a self-described “rambling, weird, incoherent hot mess,” can perhaps be taken as a reflection of Jonah’s addled brain. With his wife and daughter on a road trip, his mind has regressed into bachelor mode, and he’s begun to subsist on chicken eaten over the kitchen sink. Thankfully, he still has opinions on the biggest stories of the day, including the Biden administration’s potential ban of gas stoves, how Biden’s classified document scandal compares with Trump’s, and technological developments that could counteract climate change. Come for the punditry, but stay for the strange digression about the mating habits of deer. Show Notes:- The Dispatch breaks down the battle over gas stoves- NPR: “We need to talk about your gas stove, your health and climate change”- Jonah: “The Hypocritic Oath”- The Dispatch Podcast on Biden’s classified document scandal- Wall Street Journal: “Climate Startup Removes Carbon From Open Air in Industry First”- The Remnant with Jim Pethokoukis- Jonah: “Two Cheers for Techno-Marxism” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cass Sunstein, the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard and Jonah’s fellow disciple of the dingo, makes an overdue return to the Remnant to discuss his recent book, Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment. Noise, the book argues, is a deadly flaw in human judgment that clouds many of our decisions and produces errors in fields such as medicine, law, and public health. Dr. Sunstein and Jonah examine how noise should be defined, what separates it from bias, and what we can do to fight it. They also explore whether the phenomenon varies across the world, and how terrifying changes in AI and algorithms may affect it.Show Notes:- Dr. Sunstein’s recent book, Noise- Dr. Sunstein’s other recent book, Sludge- Dr. Sunstein: “Governing by Algorithm? No Noise and (Potentially) Less Bias” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For no particular reason, the Remnant returns to an in-person format today, as Jonah drops by the AEI offices to chat about what the future holds for humans and technology with James “Jimmy P” Pethokoukis. Together, they explore why we still haven’t achieved some of the major advancements that wonks were predicting in the ‘70s, occasionally stopping to ponder the merits of popular sci-fi television shows. AI, fusion power, and space elevators are all discussed, but by the end of it all, an important question still hasn’t received enough attention: Will highly intelligent, taxi-driving super-apes eventually overthrow mankind?Show Notes:- Jim’s Substack, Faster, Please!- Ezra Klein: “The Dystopia We Fear Is Keeping Us From the Utopia We Deserve”- Jim: “Who taught us to fear Dystopia? Who taught us we didn't deserve Utopia?”- Jim: “Paul Ehrlich interview on '60 Minutes' shows the need to finally defeat degrowth environmentalism”- Our World in Data- Jonah’s review of The Reactionary Mind- Alvin Toffler’s Future Shock- Arthur C. Clarke’s Profiles of the Future- Scientific American: “Space Elevators Are Less Sci-Fi Than You Think”- Jonah: “Two Cheers for Techno-Marxism”- Jim: “Billionaires, space, and the Blade Runner Fallacy” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah’s in especially ranty form on today’s Ruminant as he explores the continuing war over the House speakership and where most commentators are going wrong in their analysis of it. He also examines the broader prevalence of annoying misconceptions about Congress, what media bias really looks like, and how conservatism should be measured. Plus, tune in for discussion of a controversial Daily Beast story, the Damar Hamlin incident, and the political proclivities of big corporations.Show Notes:- Wednesday’s (members only) “news”letter- Jonah: “McCarthy’s Misery”- The Daily Beast's Matt Schlapp story- Joshua Green: “Can Ron DeSantis replace Donald Trump as the Face of the GOP?”- Philip Bump: “Can Ron DeSantis Ride an Anti-Business Message to the White House?”- Tim Carney’s - The Big Ripoff Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In what is sure to be the first of many appearances in 2023, Chris Stirewalt joins the Remnant to discuss the ongoing debacle that is Kevin McCarthy’s bid for House speaker. He and Jonah explore what McCarthy’s opponents hope to gain, whether it’s true that opposing him makes you more conservative, and why all of this actually may not matter very much. They also touch on whether wokeism has passed its peak, why scripted comedy is in such a strange position, and what’s irritating about generational generalizations. Plus, tune in for a few obligatory shots at the New York Times’ newest columnist.Show Notes:- The Remnant with Megan McCardle- Chris: “The Agonizingly Low Stakes of Today’s Vote for House Speaker”- This week’s Dispatch Live- Josh Kraushaar: “The Return of the Moral Majority”- David Halberstram’s - The Coldest Winter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices