The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

Katherine Mangu-Ward, editor in chief of Reason magazine, joins the Remnant for the first time today to explore whether America’s libertarian spirit is still intact. In a moment where Americans are losing faith in authority, the right is succumbing to power worship, and pluralism is becoming increasingly unpopular, how can we avoid a “squishy apocalypse?” Moreover, is hypocrisy really a problem? W...

While Jonah traverses the sunny wilds of California, Chris Stirewalt steps in to host today’s Remnant. He’s joined by Amy Walter, publisher and editor in chief of the Cook Political Report, for exceptionally rank punditry on what we can expect from this year’s midterms and the 2024 presidential race. Would the American people accept a second Trump presidency? Why do certain states stay purple whil...

Sleep-deprived and bracing for a lengthy flight, Jonah begins today’s Ruminant with an insatiable thirst for coffee. Conveniently, he has plenty of topics to ramble about while enjoying his morning brew. First on the docket is the San Francisco school board recall, which prompts Jonah to ponder why Democrats keep getting the culture war so wrong. From there, a potpourri of nerdery begins, as Jonah...

New developments in John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe are electrifying conservative media and dominating the headlines. But for those who haven’t kept up with the story, it may be difficult to fully understand what’s going on. Thankfully, Dispatch associate editor Andrew Egger is on The Remnant to break things down. Together, he and Jonah discuss everything you...

Tevi Troy is back on The Remnant to explore the strange state of the American presidency. In recent years, presidents have used the power of the executive branch to profoundly alter our system of government—indeed, the presidency Joe Biden inhabits is far removed from that which Bill Clinton left behind. But could the increased importance of the presidency to American life actually be a good thing...

Haunted by a certain infectious Swedish pop song, Jonah begins today’s Ruminant by expanding substantially on a recent point from the G-File: Americans are addicted to despair even though life has never been better. In a moment where anger merchants dominate the media and environmental pessimism is spreading rapidly, how can the optimistic spirit on which our country was founded be restored? And w...

Demographer and Institute for Family Studies research fellow Lyman Stone returns to The Remnant to make the case for having more babies. With America’s birth rate in decline and increasingly large numbers of people living lives devoid of real connections, Lyman believes that we urgently need more pro-family policies. But though Jonah agrees completely that babies are good, he’s less sure about Lym...

Remnant regular A.B. Stoddard is back for more exceedingly rank punditry on our dysfunctional state of affairs. In light of the RNC’s decision to censure Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, is the GOP now committed to normalizing January 6? For that matter, why are major Republican figures continuing to suggest that the election was stolen? Does anyone want Mike Pence to be president besides his wife?...

Donald Trump, Whoopi Goldberg, Young Frankenstein, and dentistry - all unrelated in ordinary circumstances, but strangely intertwined on the latest drive-time Remnant. Today’s episode begins with Jonah, Guy, and Ryan exploring the juvenile group chats of esteemed scholars and reacting insensitively to a tragic news story. Afterward, the gang turns to rank punditry, rambling nerdily about current e...

Are we living through a new Cold War? Possibly. But we’re certainly in a new era of great-power competition between China and Russia and the United States. In a Remnant surprisingly lacking in ‘80s references, historian and American Enterprise Institute scholar Hal Brands joins Jonah to explore what America’s victory over the Soviet Union can teach us about how it should prosecute today’s global c...

In a brief respite from the horrors of book writing, Chris Stirewalt returns to The Remnant for another round of overpoweringly rank punditry. Mixing shameless self-promotion with nicotine-fueled insight, he and Jonah explore some pertinent political questions. Why do Americans frequently change their party alignment? Are hardcore progressives crazier than members of the House Freedom Caucus? And...

Jonah’s in a professorial mood on today’s nerdtastic Ruminant, which features disquisitions on censorship, pragmatism, and vestigial partisanship (be sure you tune in to find out what the latter actually means). Also included in this weekend’s potpourri is a lengthy discussion of Stephen Breyer’s retirement and Joe Biden’s pledge to appoint an African American woman to the Supreme Court. Plus, for...

Charles C.W. Cooke, senior writer at National Review and Anglo-Floridian golf cart enthusiast, returns to The Remnant for another round of exceptionally rank punditry on Joe Biden’s dismal first year in office. Before assuming the presidency, Biden made some big promises that he hasn’t been able to keep. But is his problem that he refuses to adjust to political circumstances, or that he’s simply a...

As Sting once sang, “in Europe and America, there’s a growing feeling of hysteria.” With war in Ukraine looking increasingly likely and tensions mounting between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin, it feels an awful lot like we’re back in 1987. To explore how Russia’s bellicosity might affect the global stage, Jonah is joined by Leon Aron, director of Russian studies at the American Enterprise Institute...

Jonah returns to the solo Ruminant format to end the week, reflecting on Joe Biden’s dismal first year in office and contemplating what the next three years might hold in store for the country. After what John Podhoretz labeled the “worst press conference in presidential history,” can Biden recover, or will his poll numbers continue to sink to increasingly humiliating lows? For that matter, is uni...

The Remnant’s British invasion continues as Economist deputy editor Edward Carr joins to provide a perspective on how the pandemic has affected nations beyond the United States. Together, he and Jonah examine how issues such as vaccine skepticism, excess deaths, and pandemic-related insanity vary between countries, all while kvetching vigorously about teachers’ unions and the politics of marmite....

As a young man, Jonah left his heart in San Francisco. But after today’s conversation with Remnant first-timer Michael Shellenberger, he probably won’t be going back for it any time soon. Michael joins the show for an exceedingly wonky discussion of his new book, San Fransicko, which explores how progressive policies are enabling an addiction and mental health crisis in America’s cities. Together,...

We’ll do it live! 2022’s first drive-time Remnant is here, and it’s predictably lacking in substance. With Guy and Ryan currently starring in their own production of The Odd Couple, Jonah invites them both into The Dispatch studio for a freewheeling discussion of vocabulary, D.C. geography, and movies ranging from The French Dispatch to Howard the Duck. There’s also plenty of serious punditry mixe...

Ross Douthat takes his place in the Remnant five-timers club today, joining Jonah for a discussion of (what else?) the dysfunctional state of American politics. Unlike last time, however, the nudity is tasteful, the Exorcist references are sparse, and the tone is (slightly) more optimistic. Is the United States on the cusp of a new civil war, and what would that look like in practice? For that mat...

Cato Institute economist Ryan Bourne joins The Remnant for the first time to discuss his new book, Economics in One Virus, which offers a crash course in economics using the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study. Over the last two years, many questions have been raised about America’s preparedness (or lack thereof) for the pandemic, and Ryan has answers. Did any country get COVID right? Why is testing...

A still Covid-brained Jonah does his first Ruminant of the new year today. Assuming most listeners are over the January 6th coverage, a brief point on the politics of that day leads the pod. Then, let’s talk about Fascism, baby. Then a potpourri of topics for you to enjoy this weekend. Why is the GOP so uncomfortable with January 6? What’s the deal with Fascism? How accurate was Ted Cruz’s impress...

Liquor connoisseur and noted Wisconsinite Christian Schneider joins The Remnant for the first time to discuss America’s strange plague of misinformation. In an age where politicians are incentivized to embrace ludicrous positions and all facts are negotiable, how can sanity be restored? For that matter, what’s wrong with modern political campaigns? Did God create Listerine? And what does the futur...

On 2022’s first Remnant, a COVID-addled Jonah is joined by fan-favorite guest Yuval Levin for a discussion of voting rights in America. Voting, Yuval argues, has never been easier, despite claims to the contrary made by progressive and conservative commentators alike. The real problem is that both parties are fueling a loss of public confidence in elections, and trust must be restored for American...

With 2021 drawing to a close, Jonah invites his vocal doppelganger, Chris Stirewalt, back to The Remnant for a recap of this bizarre year. The show begins with a small but satisfying amount of rank punditry on the fate of Build Back Better and the state of voting rights in America. After that, Jonah and Chris look back at the last 12 months by conducting a mock award ceremony, naming winners in va...

Today’s Ruminant is all about privilege, and Jonah has many nerdy thoughts on the subject. He also offers plenty of anecdotes about day drinking, a few meditations on Build Back Better hitting a brick wall, and a disquisition on the nature of consumerism. How many varieties of privilege are there in America today? Why do certain people tend toward conservatism? And why has Jonah finally decided to...