The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

On this edition of The Remnant, Jonah went around the (metaphorical) corner of the (also metaphorical) office and got colleague Sarah Isgur to come on the program for all sorts of legal-beagle nerdery. Sarah explains the constitutional provisions kicking into effect that are helping to slow down the chaos surrounding the November election results, what on earth is going on in Texas, and much more. Classic Remnant wonkery is then balanced out in the latter half of the show, as Jonah and Sarah both share their spiciest takes on The Queen’s Gambit and why it may not live up to the hype. Show Notes: -Sarah’s podcast with David French, Advisory Opinions -Sarah’s newsletter, The Sweep -Texas’ original jurisdiction suits against other states -“The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes” -Centennial Crisis: The Disputed Election of 1876 by William Rehnquist -AEI’s After the People Vote -The “witchcraft” of signature matching -The Bailey Cranberry Separator -Colorable argument -Jonah and Queen’s Gambit Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah flies solo once more in a podcast filled with the hottest of takes: Biden’s foot-breaking story is not only totally true – it’s also just kind of lame, weed saved George H.W. Bush’s life, and, most controversially of all, The Walking Dead still has some redeeming qualities. He also discusses why you should take John Bolton’s advice in The Dispatch seriously, and “Eurosclerosis,” the fanciest word of the day. Show Notes: -This week’s G-File -The origins of Biden-Foot-Trutherism -The week’s first Dispatch Podcast -The Remnant with Jonathan Adler -BREAKING: George H.W. Bush owes his life to hemp! Big If True! -If you want… just … a font of wisdom in response to Jonah’s “I-told-you-so” moment, look no further than his Facebook page -This week’s Remnant with Virginia Postrel; that’s the good nerd stuff, right there -John Bolton’s piece for The Dispatch on the future of conservatism -Jonah: “Too many Republicans just use conservatism as a tool” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have another Remnant first-timer on the show this week, as Jonah is joined by old friend, well-traveled military writer, and Marine veteran Bing West. With a discipline that only a Marine could muster, Bing joins the program to talk about his upcoming novel, The Last Platoon: A Novel of the Afghanistan War, which uses Afghanistan as a backdrop to tell the story of men in combat who “do their duty, even when it becomes clear that there will be no reward.” Jonah also probes Bing’s brain about the overall strategic value of the Afghanistan war, the abiding faith of American soldiers in an era of secularism, how to break up the perverse friendship between the Taliban and al-Qaeda, and most important, how a small, tri-fold shovel is sometimes the most valuable piece of equipment a soldier can have. Show Notes: -Pre-order The Last Platoon -Afghani tribal groups and opium production -Bing’s book embedded with Marines in Fallujah -Bing in WSJ: “How to save Kabul from Saigon’s fate” -Sebastian Junger’s Tribe -How counterinsurgency (or COIN) really works -The Dispatch addresses Pompeo’s thoughts on the Taliban turning on al-Qaeda -The Pepper Dogs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Jonah is joined by Virginia Postrel – former editor-in-chief of Reason magazine and author of many of the latter-day holy tomes of libertarianism, such as The Future and Its Enemies – to talk about her new book, The Fabric of Civilization. Virginia and Jonah do a deep dive into several moments in which the changes in textile manufacturing created giant, revolutionary, consciousness-shifting ripple effects regarding how civilizations viewed their relationship to markets and the economy. In particular, Virginia addresses how the un-guilded spinners of Europe were like the Luddites before it was cool, why textile-making would be one of the most laborious processes in the world without advanced technologies, and what made cotton fabric from India so special that “the French treated it much the same as the American government treats cocaine.” At least that kind of wild protectionism confirms a long-held American instinct: Never trust the French. Show Notes: -Virginia’s book, The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World -“Isaiah’s Job” -Our first episode with Matt Ridley (on technical innovation) -Our second episode with Matt Ridley (on more technical innovation) -Virginia at Volokh Conspiracy: The textile industry’s relationship to literacy -The salaries of spinners may be higher than one thinks -The High Sparrow and the Labor Theory of Value -Some bits from “The Bad Polanyi” on ancient Assyria -Virginia talks about Indian cotton prints Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Jonah is joined by Charles C.W. Cooke of National Review. It’s an eclectic mix today, as the duo gets into a good deal of punditry surrounding the Trump campaign’s election challenges and then move onto the future of conservatism (or “conservatarianism” in Charlie’s case) as a whole before tying the whole thing up around the Thanksgiving theme of gratitude. As a freshly minted American living through a relatively chaotic period in our politics, what is Cooke grateful for when it comes to the U.S.? During this holiday season, Jonah thinks we might all do well to be grateful for the fact that “we still live in a country where following politics is essentially a hobby … and isn’t a matter of survival.” Show Notes: -Charlie’s main podcasting gig -Charlie’s, uh, other main podcasting gig -Florida man saves puppy from alligator -National Review and the John Birchers -The Conservatarian Manifesto -Max Boot: America’s A-Team -Randoph Bourne: “The State” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After filing a more-spirited-than-average G-File, Jonah joins us for the weekend Ruminant. Today, he talks about how certain individuals associated with Trump seem determined to end their careers in ignominy, as well as discussing many other phenomena, such as America’s oversaturation of elites, the necessity of reading people with whom you disagree, the inadequacy of applying the left-right spectrum to American politics, what the possible consolidation of fringe-right news stations might look like, and how genuine post-Trump conservatism “is almost, in certain way, the same as [if it was] pre-Trump.” And, of course, the most exciting news in Jonah’s world right now? How a calmer political environment means that he can write about more interesting stuff. Show Notes: -This week’s G-File -Tucker Carlson almost closes the circle, but doesn’t make it quite there -The entire Dispatch team descends on the Cuomo Emmy news -The “Iron Law of Oligarchy” -The midweek “news”letter -A legendary piece of Goldbergian hagiography – Gargoyles: Guardians of the Gate -The quotable Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah’s return to The Remnant features a guest with “The most important hair in public policy,” Ryan Streeter from AEI. While Ryan’s magnificent mane isn't captured in the final product, his spot-on analysis of the causes of American stagnation (and what we can do to get out of it) certainly are. Why is fulfilling work so hard to find for a great many Americans? Which of the structures meant to stand between the individual and the government do our current policy regimes totally fail to support? Are all politicians really just heartless hacks? And what factors are the advocates of working-class Republicanism forgetting when they envision the future of the party? Lucky for us, Ryan thinks about this kind of thing for a living, and therefore has more revealing answers than you may find anywhere else. Show Notes: -Ryan’s page at AEI -Imagine Blue Steel from Zoolander, but it’s Ryan’s hair -Longstanding anti-“poaching” measures within fast food companies -AEI’s research into civil society and volunteerism -To Empower People: The Role of Mediating Structures in Public Policy -Rubio and the supposed face-heel turn of “market fundamentalism” -Ryan called some of America’s restlessness back in 2011 -The UCLA loneliness scale -Ben Carson, doing actual interesting things while no one pays attention Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah the Globetrotter has once again scattered to the four winds, temporarily leaving The Remnant once more in the capable hands of David French. Today, David speaks with his good friend Yascha Mounk, contributor to The Atlantic and founder of Persuasion. Mounk talks us through the current conditions within mainstream media outlets and how those institutions have the opportunity to lower the temperature of American discourse now that Trump is leaving office. David also talks about how a Biden administration might be expected to behave, and Yascha mentions that much of the conventional wisdom about the presidential election results are not only misguided, but that they often “underestimate the intelligence of the American people.” Show Notes: -David’s newsletter, The French Press -Yascha’s new publication, Persuasion -David Shor’s 2020 postmortem -The earliest mention of “nutpicking” that the Remnant crew could find -Jonathan Haidt’s Heterodox Academy -“Beirut on the Charles” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s Ruminant sees Jonah reach his final form, as he begins with post-election punditry before seamlessly transitioning into a brand of deep-cut, Grade A political-nerd eggheadery the likes of which are rarely seen even on this vaunted podcast. Listen as Jonah effortlessly bounces in a positively pinball-esque manner between Whittaker Chambers, Orwell, AOC, Joe Manchin, James Burham, Cicero, and obscure Italian Communist Party intellectuals, in a display that will both amaze and delight. Show Notes: -This week’s Wednesday “news”letter -The genuine Friday G-File for this week -“Second Thoughts on James Burnham” -The Beaconsfield Position -This week’s Remnant with Kevin Williamson -Jonah’s column on Joe Manchin -“That bit from Cicero” -Jim Geraghty: “Trump was not stabbed in the back” -The Bureaucratisation of the World by Bruno Rizzi -Charles Murray’s By the People: Rebuilding Liberty Without Permission Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s program, Jonah chats with an old friend who will definitely NOT polarize the Remnant audience whatsoever (If we wish hard enough then it has to come true, right?): National Review’s Kevin Williamson. Williamson is out with a new book, Big White Ghetto. Jonah sets up Kevin for a heaping helping of rank punditry to start things off before moving into some book-talk and some eggheadery. In addition to Jonah’s efforts to make Kevin explicate his self-described political ideology (“anarcho-capitalist Eisenhower libertarian”), the two also discuss the ways in which America’s titular big white ghetto actually, well, became a ghetto, and what the solutions might be for the people who feel trapped in struggling communities. In Kevin’s mind, part of the issue is that no one in politics is comfortable saying something that is obviously true: “Cities and towns disaggregate and disincorporate over time, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. But this is also why I’m not running for office.” Show Notes: -Kevin’s new book, definitely in the running for “Greatest Subtitle Ever” – Big White Ghetto: Dead Broke, Stone-Cold Stupid, and High on Rage in the Dank Woolly Wilds of the “Real America” -Karl Rove: This election won’t be overturned -Gangsters don’t have a retirement plan -Conrad Black’s column -Dee Dee Myers appearing generally confused -Jonah’s piece on Republicans and cities -Kevin, reporting from Eastern Kentucky -The most recent Dispatch Podcast -Eisenhower’s response to the prospect of dropping nukes on Dien Bien Phu -The glories of Taco Villa -The Remnant with John McWhorter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices