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

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I See You

In “The Remnant," Jonah Goldberg enlists a “Cannonball Run”-style cast of stars, has-beens, and never-weres to address the most pressing issues of the day. Is America doomed? Has liberalism failed? And will mankind ever invent something better than ‘90s-era “Simpsons?” Mixing political history, pop culture, rank punditry, and shameless book-plugging, Goldberg and guests will have the kinds of conversations we wish they featured on TV. And the nudity will (almost) always be tasteful. Brace your bingo cards.

News

Politics

Audio doppelgänger Chris Stirewalt joins Jonah on today’s episode of The Remnant to venture through the polluted backwaters of media conglomerates and uncover a whole host of “whataboutism” garbage: the rise of antisemitism on campuses, the media bias in covering these protests, and the terrorist chants coming from the mouths of these students. The two also opine on the faces adorning a far-right fecal Mt. Rushmore, including the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar. They discuss more serious matters as well, such as the current snapshot of poll numbers and whether or not Stormy Daniels is a porn “star” or just an actress.
Show notes:
—What's the Matter with Kansas? by Thomas Frank
—"What's the Matter with Kansas?" by William Allen White
—Chris Stirewalt's Remnant episode with Tyler Austin Harper
—Bloomberg: Biden Trails Trumps
—Chris' piece for The Dispatch on Nevada's poll numbers
—The Hill's election center
—Nikki Haley voters in Pennsylvania
—Gallup: Americans showing average enthusiasm for voting in 2024
—Jonah’s appearance on a CNN panel with Lulu Garcia-Navarro
—Students chant "Go back to Poland!"
—Piece on Mike Johnson in The Atlantic
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Hillbilly Übermensch

Jesse Singal makes his Remnant debut to discuss his piece for The Dispatch on the Cass Review and the problem with the current consensus about gender transition treatments for children. The two debate the question of social contagion and the difficulties in reporting on "The Science."
Show Notes:
—Jesse Singal's piece for The Dispatch
—Hannah Barnes on Blocked and Reported
—Galileo's Middle Finger: Heretics, Activists, and One Scholar's Search for Justice Middle finger to Galileo
—Tics and TikTok
—Steven Pinker's Enlightenment Now
—Coverage on the shooting of Jacob Blake
—Will Saletan's piece for Slate on GMOs
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Trust the Scientism

After fending off the voices coming from inside his walls, Jonah begins today’s Ruminant by discussing the latest entry in the House Speakership saga and Marjorie Taylor Greene’s incoherent foreign policy. He then turns to the recent pro-Palestinian protests and how their facing consequences is a sign of nature healing. Stick around for the usual intellectual history nerdery.
Show Notes:
—Boiling Frogs on Mike Johnson
—Dispatch Politics on Mike Johnson
—Wanderland on MTG’s appeasement and Neville Chamberlain
—Boiling Frogs on Joe Biden’s “Sister Souljah moment”
—Friday’s Dispatch Podcast
—Activist threatening Bakersfield city council
—The Remnant with Nancy French
—Ukraine: The Latest
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Losing Patience With Dumbassery

Eli Lake, The Remnant’s resident bloodthirsty war hawk, returns to the pod to break down the situation with Israel and Iran. The two get into why America has no strategic vision on Iran, the growing alliance of left- and right-wing isolationists, and how Tucker Carlson has become so unhinged.
Show Notes:
—Eli’s profile at The Free Press
—Eli’s piece on Tucker Carlson and Russia
—Eli's piece on the FBI
—The Remnant with Nancy French
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Tucker Carlson, King of the Isolationists

Jonah is joined by author, speechwriter, and ghostwriter Nancy French to discuss her new book, Ghosted: An American Story. Nancy tells the tale of how she came to meet the permanent guest host of Advisory Opinions (who is now dead to Jonah), how the Republican Party’s embrace of Donald Trump left her and her family ostracized, and also gives an update on her battle with cancer.
Show Notes:
—Ghosted: An American Story
—Bristol Palin’s book, Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far
—Nancy’s investigation into abuse at a Christian camp
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I See You

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