The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

Earlier this week, Jonah took a visit to a sacred temple in India, where he engaged in several hours of deep meditation that eventually resulted in his ascension to nirvana. Those who have reached the highest plane of enlightenment tend to reject earthly concerns like podcasts, so the helm of The Remnant has been passed to a former theater critic operating under the alias of Kevin D. Williamson. Kevin is joined by Frank Bruni of the New York Times, primarily to discuss The Exorcist, which happens to have a lot of crossover with the current state of American politics. The two dig in to the absence of gratitude and obsession with grievances plaguing political discourse, the roots of mounting resentment between economic classes, and the woes of commercial air travel. Show Notes —Frank’s latest book, The Age of Grievance —Kevin CLEARs things up —Kevin’s case against empathy The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even as he embarks on a grand adventure in India, Jonah is seduced by the siren song of U.S. punditry. After providing a brief recap of the resoundingly successful inaugural Dispatch Summit, he gives in to the uncontrollable urge to pontificate and punditrate. To mitigate his anti-malaria medication hallucinations, Jonah takes a break from the smog and samosas to discuss the deteriorating quality of the Trump cabinet nominations, the gross mischaracterization of neoconservatism, and the increasing corruption of morals and ideas on the right. Show Notes: —Smoggy weather —Nick Catoggio on Matt Gaetz The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Twenty-five years ago, Jonah found himself stranded without a passport in a crowded street in Karachi. With nowhere else to turn, he spent the last of his rupees on a rescue call to none other than Commentary editor John Podhoretz. John obliged, and continued to rescue Jonah throughout the course of their friendship by coming on TheRemnant whenever Jonah is down and out for a guest. The two start the show by workshopping some potential design choices for their future podcast studio before diving in to some post-presidential election punditry, discussing the first slew of Cabinet appointments, U.S.-Israel relations, the London underground, and the idiocy of political mandates. Plus: the race to the bottom for speaker of the House and Senate majority leader, Jonah’s pessimism and John’s optimism, and the consequences of the recess appointment system. The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah made one singular endorsement this election season; he cast his presidential ballot for Paul Ryan. To thank Jonah for his lonely, intrepid work on the Ryan ’24 campaign that wasn’t, the former Speaker joins Jonah for a very special live taping of The Remnant from this year’s Dispatch Summit. They discuss the pitfalls and peaks of Trump’s economic plan, why incumbent parties continue to lose (and ways to avoid an infinity of single term majorities), how to solve the debt crisis, and the fame game in Congress—but the party doesn’t stop there. Later in the show, Jonah and Paul debate the durability of American institutions, consider Trump’s proposed cabinet appointments, and determine how Reaganite conservatives can walk the line between supporting good policy and descending into MAGAness. Show Notes —Yuval Levin’s latest Dispatch piece The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

At long last, it’s over. The ever-intrepid Jonah remains trapped in the CNN studios, but was granted an hour to return to the sausage making factory for a quick rundown of what happened on Tuesday night. He discusses the potential self-fulfilling prophecy of alleging threats to democracy, the record minority turnout for Donald Trump (and what it means for the Democratic party), and the lessons to be learned from the era of language policing and the term “Latinx.” Later is the show, Jonah explains the importance of a more nationally oriented campaign strategy, the value in a digestible vocabulary of moralism, and reminds us all that despair is never the answer. Show Notes —A very raunchy G-File —Dispatch Live: Election Night Stream The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Note: Things got a little heated on CNN Friday morning. It’s been a long election year. Nevertheless and always a mensch, Jonah addresses the controversy related to Donald Trump’s recent comments regarding Liz Cheney. Manic, spiritually exhausted, and scarred from attempting to get Pippa into her Halloween costume, Jonah capitulates to a brief period of punditry until he is overwhelmed with nausea and pivots to a scathing critique of the right’s new obsession with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Later in the episode, Jonah gives a lesson on self-determination, indulges in even more Woodrow Wilson bashing, sings the praises of Yuval Levin once again, and dismantles the case for “unity.” Show Notes —Jonah’s statement —Jonah’s RFK Jr. tear —Matthew Scully on RFK Jr. —Jonathan Adler’s response —Jonah’s anti-endorsement endorsement —Wilson-gate —David Frum’s defense of Wilson —Jonah on Mo News Podcast The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah and Chris Stirewalt have been conscripted from their respective caves of sequestration and dragged into the American Enterprise Institute studio for one last round of 2024 election outcome punditry. Chris and Jonah cover the sorry state of polling practices, engage in some risky predictions, and bemoan the parties’ new political bases. Later in the episode, they take a crack at amateur demographic delineation and put on their leg warmers to take it back to the ’80s for some rehashing of partisan realignment. Chris can hardly remember who the Democratic nominee is and Jonah is full of jokes, but at the end of the day, some salient points are made for ye loyal listeners. Show Notes —Wednesday’s TMD on the polling industry —Will TV viewers trust Brother Stirewalt? —Seth Masket on The Remnant —Seth Masket’s piece for The Dispatch The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If Jonah had it his way, “The Fighting Uruk-hai” would be playing softly in the background of this entire episode, but he’s lost his privileges. If that doesn’t give you an idea of what this Remnant episode entails, shame on you—but we’ll give you a few hints anyway. Jonah is joined by Christopher Cox, former congressman and SEC chair, to discuss his new book, Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn. Christopher has taken a new approach to his biography of Jonah’s arch nemeses, focusing on the women’s suffrage movement and Wilson’s views on race. Jonah and Christopher discuss the historically hagiographic treatment of Wilson, the highly un-woke construction of American progressivism, the relationship between the women’s suffrage movement and Jim Crow laws, and Jonah’s litany of grievances with the un-distinguished man of the hour. Show Notes: —Pre-order Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn —The accompanying picture book —Ichabod by John Greenleaf Whittier —The Myth of Left and Right byVerlan and Hyrum Lewis The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah has a gift for the masochists that punish themselves by running to the tune of his rants: a long, bingo-card friendly, esoteric Ruminant.First, Jonah forces everyone to listen to Tucker Carlson’s creepy “Daddy” analogy before returning to the ole reliables: gemeinschaft and gesellschaft, the incessant lizard-brain blabbering of late-stage election season, and the nebulous definition of fascism. To wrap up Ruminant el clasico, Jonah chastises Kamala Harris and the other jabronies throwing the “f” word around, comes to the defense of Liberal Fascism, and ponders the rising authoritarian tendencies of the big tech bros. Show Notes —"Down From Libertarianism" —German Big Business and the Rise of Hitler —Final tickets for The Dispatch Summit —Stellar reporting from Michael Reneau The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Team Remnant has a gift for ye loyal listeners: an entire episode where Donald Trump and Kamala Harris go unmentioned! (Almost...) Jonah is joined by Kenneth Pollack, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, to discuss the increasingly tenuous conflict in the Middle East. Ken makes the case that accusations of total war between Israel and Iran are blown far out of proportion, inevitably leading Jonah to throw a small tantrum and predict worst-case scenarios. Later in the episode, Ken and Jonah discuss the future of Hezbollah following Israel’s pager attack, Iran’s nuclear status, and the role of the U.S. in ensuring deterrence in the region. Show Notes —Ken’s Monday Essay for The Dispatch —Ken’s piece in Foreign Affairs —The Dispatch’s October 7 commemoration —Jonah’s LA Times column —Get your Dispatch Summit tickets! The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republicans are embracing protectionism and populism and Democrats have lost the white working class. Political scientist and professor Seth Masket joins Jonah to discuss his latest piece in The Dispatch and get to the bottom of the changing constitutions and compositions of the political parties. Seth and Jonah dig into the history of American political realignment, the GOP’s strategy in winning over the working class, the black electorate, and the current state of polling. Plus: the strange obsession with undecided voters, Jonah’s ongoing existential dread, and a grievance airing power hour. Show Notes: —Seth’s Substack —“What Are We Talking About When We Talk About a Realignment?” —Steadfast Democrats: How Social Forces Shape Black Political Behavior —Seth’s podcast —Steve and Jonah’s State of The Dispatch The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah explores what a Kamala Harris presidency might look like, examines the potential worst-case scenario of either presidential candidate winning, and dives into who The Dispatch’s content is designed to reach.The Agenda: —Best- and worst-case scenarios for the election —What would a Harris presidency look like? —Where Obama went wrong —Irrational voting practices —Does Trump believe in democracy? —Is Trump like Hitler? —The Base —Who is The Dispatch’s audience?Show Notes: —Remaking Conservatism, One Plank at a Time —Liz Cheney column —Dispatch Summit tickets The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NOTE: This is only part of the full State of The Dispatch. To listen to the full Dispatch Live with Jonah and Steve that aired on Tuesday,  join The Dispatch and watch here. There are many ways to celebrate birthdays. MTV had My Super Sweet 16, Jewish American Princesses have blowout bat mitzvahs, and The Dispatch has, well, Jonah and Steve. In this special free preview of Dispatch Live, packaged with love for ye loyal Remnant listeners, Jonah and Steve begrudgingly eat their spinach and discuss the dark, stormy cloud that is the 2024 election, lament the rapidly deteriorating state of the media environment, and discuss all their wildest hopes and dreams for the future of The Dispatch. If you enjoyed this free preview, do yourself a favor and subscribe to The Dispatch for access to all the party favors Team Dispatch has to offer. Show Notes —Steve reflects on the last five years —The Dispatch’s founding manifesto —The full live State of The Dispatch How to subscribe to The Skiff:To follow The Skiff on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you catch your podcasts, please follow these instructions: Choose which device you prefer to listen on (Mac, iOS, Android…). Click here to get your personal feed. (Make sure you’re logged in as a Dispatch member!) Select The Skiff. Select your device and podcast player (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, etc.): this will let you subscribe to the feed for direct updates! Note: If your preferred podcast player asks you to subscribe by RSS feed you’ll need to copy and paste a URL link. To get that link, go back to the menu with all of the options to subscribe (the page with all of the player logos), scroll to the bottom, and copy the link you see there. Then, go back to your player and paste it in the field. The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and Donald Trump’s love of tariffs. Jonah has braved the no-man’s land that separates conservatives and libertarians to enlist Scott Lincicome, Vice President of the Cato Institute, to discuss his newest report and provide a crash course on tariffs, inflation, and free market principles. Scott makes the case that comparison between 19th century tariff policy and the contemporary global market is a fool’s errand, predicts the best case scenario of what could be achieved if Trump implements his economic plan, and calls out the hypocrisy of the Republicans bullish on tariffs. Plus: a rare moment of Goldbergian sympathy for Rand Paul, the consequences of modifying supply chains, and the stagnating disconnect between economists and politicians. Jonah antagonizes free trade hardliners, Scott is a good sport, and Newt Gingrich is beclowned; it’s all in a day’s work at The Remnant. Show Notes: —CATO report on tariffs —Phil Magnus debunks tariff myths The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah remains in a similar mental state as fans of the New England Patriots, disaffected and disappointed by a once-successful dynasty that has been reduced to a trash-talking caricature of itself. Alas, the show must go on, so Jonah launches further into his critique of the CBS News scandal, yet another Ta-Nehisi Coates debacle, and Tim Walz’s shoddy critique of the Electoral College. Later in the episode, Jonah ruminates upon The Dispatch’s fifth anniversary, The Remnant bingo card staple that is the evergreen contradistinction between patriotism and nationalism, the correct definition of hypocrisy, and the role memory plays in gratitude.Show Notes: —The Dispatch anniversary livestream —G-File on Ta-Nehisi Coates The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christine Rosen, Jonah's American Enterprise Institute compatriot and Commentary magazine contributor, usurped today’s episode of The Remnantand invited Eliana Johnson, editor-in-chief of the Washington Free Beacon and former Politico White House correspondent, to discuss the fallout from Ta-Nehisi Coates’ CBS interview, Kamala Harris’ rocky 60 Minutes appearance, and the Harris campaign’s pick-and-choose approach to identity politics. Plus: the anxiety caused by Tim Walz’s rocky rollout, the rhetorical upper-hand held by J.D. Vance and Ron DeSantis, and Christine’s mild obsession with the political spouses, specifically the liability that is Doug Emhoff. Show Notes —The Washington Free Beacon The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s turmoil in the People’s Republic of The Dispatch. Democratically elected President Jonah J. Goldberg was deposed in the early hours of the morning by dissident General Kevin D. Williamson, who has taken over The Remnant airwaves in an often-precedented coup d’état. Kevin is joined by Mitch Kokai, senior political analyst at the John Locke Foundation, to discuss the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and the potential consequences on the fast-approaching presidential election. Kevin and Mitch negate the loony conspiracies stemming from the storm, discuss the status of polling sites across the state, and dig into the voter demographics of the southern swing state. Mitch explains why North Carolina is in a unique position this election season, and makes a case that it’s time for the sane among us to reclaim the term “RINO” once and for all. Show Notes: —Kevin’s reporting from Asheville —Learn more about the John Locke Foundation —The Carolina Journal The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re seeking to slow the passage of time, you should consider a career in political punditry during the zenith of an election season. Jonah’s Saturday stand-up revisits a news week that has felt more like a news epoch. He reconsiders Tuesday’s vice capades to remind the people what “book banning” really means—outside of a wildly efficient marketing strategy—and opines upon the end of the Port Union Strike and the scourge of collective bargaining. Later in the episode, Jonah pivots to express his deep frustrations with Trump’s increasingly dark rhetoric, the damning lack of strategy behind it, and the blame that falls on the hapless normie Republicans capitulating to the crazies. This leaves our intrepid host sick and tired of political malarkey, allowing himself to call out what is supremely stupid and remind the critics that revenge is a dish best served cold. Show Notes: —Send in your guest suggestions: theremnantpod@gmail.com —Dispatch Summit Tickets (Code: SIGNMEUP for discounted prices) —Jon Rauch’s interview with Jonah —Sam Harris on The Remnant —Kevin’s Springfield, Ohio, investigation —Chris Stirewalt has a poll party The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recording live from the Cosmo the Wonder Dog Memorial Studio in the catacombs of the American Enterprise Institute, it’s the rankest pundits east of the Mississippi: Jonah Goldberg and Chris Stirewalt! Chris is back in Remnant action and ready to talk Tim Walz’s anxieties, grocery store monopolies, and J.D. Vance’s personality disorder. A few things they know for certain—normie Republicans are feeling left out and low-propensity voters are playing hard to get—but many questions remain unanswered. Are there persuadable voters who are ready to give Trump the popular vote? Did Vance’s debate performance help the Republican ticket, or was it just an act of self-service? Is Walz duping the progressives, and if so, do they believe him? All shall be revealed through the prophecies of Brother Stirewalt, alongside a raucous discussion of the best Grizzly Bear actors of the 20th century, the minutiae of some controversy in the pollster world, and the long-forgotten, oft-neglected elections in the House and Senate. Show Notes: —Ink Stained Wretches with Chris and Eliana Johnson —Chris for The Dispatch: “The Chameleon and the Caterpillar” —Ben Wallace in The New Yorker: “J.D. Vance Got the Conversation He Wanted” —Dispatch Summit Tickets (Code: SIGNMEUP for discounted prices)The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices