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 while others become firmly partisan? And could peace and goodwill soon be restored in Congress?

Show Notes:

- The Cook Political Report

- Amy’s previous Remnant appearance

- Amy on Biden’s empathy problem

- The Democratic Party’s “new politics of evasion”

- What do the midterms hold in store for the Senate?

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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 explores the origins of rights and freedoms, Russia’s potential invasion of Ukraine, and the importance of distinguishing between “liberal” and “progressive.” Plus, stick around for a tribute to the late, great P.J. O’Rourke.

Show Notes:

- Try a free 30-day Dispatch membership

- Peggy Noonan: “Republicans, Stand Against Excess”

- “Alarmingly potent”

- Jonah: “It Takes Two Sides to Fight a War”

- The San Francisco school board recall

- Ruy Texiera’s Substack

- “Ugly freedoms”

- Jonah on the Ottawa freedom convoy

- The “Revolutions” podcast covers the English Civil War

- The Remnant with Mike Duncan

- The Remnant with Leon Aron

- Jonah on the passing of P.J. O’Rourke

- The return of Dispatch Live

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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 could ever want to know about the Durham probe. Plus, they indulge in some obligatory kvetching about media bias and share a few tears over the joys of fatherhood. The whole thing may leave you feeling just a little verklempt.

Show Notes:

- Andrew’s page at The Dispatch

- Andrew breaks down the Durham probe

- Jonah’s fondness for Sidney Blumenthal

- Furorstarter

- Philip Bump on Durham and Trump

- The return of Dispatch Live

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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? Furthermore, why have our recent presidents failed to become figures of national unity? What went wrong with the government’s COVID response? And will the American Egg Board soon seize control of The Dispatch?

Show Notes:

-Tevi’s previous Remnant appearance

-Tevi’s conference on the 21st century presidency

-Jonathan Rauch on how Trump changed government

-The Kennedy-Hatch alliance

-Kevin D. Williamson: “Against Presidential Idolatry”

-Tevi: “Barking at the Press”

-The unmockable Mr. Obama

-Jim Geraghty: “The Omicron Wave Subsides”

-The Eric Lander controversy

-Jonah on Canada’s trucker protests

-Try a free Dispatch membership for 30 days

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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 what responsibilities do prominent figures in journalism and politics have in this regard? Also, stick around until the end to hear Jonah elaborate on his departure from Fox and his new contributor agreement with CNN.

Show Notes:

- The Wednesday G-File

- The latest Dispatch Podcast

- Climate change enters the therapy room

- The Remnant with Lyman Stone

- Manhattan bird alert

- The Progress Paradox, by Gregg Easterbrook

- Jonah: “It Takes Two Sides to Fight a War”

- Turning Japanese

- Yuval Levin: “The Changing Face of Social Breakdown”

- The Remnant with Shawn Bushway

- Stacey Abrams’ mask hypocrisy

- Hugh Hewitt interview Chris Christie

- Guy Benson debates Mike Gallagher

- Edmund Burke's speech to the Electors of Bristol

- The Remnant with Hal Brands

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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 Lyman’s proposal of lowering the voting age to zero. Tune in for distinctly nerdy debate, but stick around to learn about the many varieties of natalist philosophy.

Show Notes:

- Lyman’s page at AEI

- Lyman’s previous Remnant appearance

- Lyman: “The Minimum Voting Age Should Be Zero”

- Ben Sasse’s The Vanishing American Adult

- Pro-natal pontification

- Marriage and childbearing in the time of COVID

- Jonah on how we’re turning Japanese

- The Remnant with Edward Carr

- Jonah on Terry Schiavo

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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? And why can’t President Biden celebrate America’s recovering economy? Also, be sure to stick around for discussion of A.B.’s two favorite topics: canine companions and Nancy Pelosi’s reelection bid.

Show Notes:

- A.B.’s page at RealClearPolitics

- Jonah on the RNC’s impeccable statecraft

- Marc Short’s Meet the Press appearance

- Marc Short can’t make up his mind

- Commentary: “What Democrats Can’t Say About the Jobs Numbers”

- Jonah: “Let It Go”

- Jonah on “Sway” with Kara Swisher

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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 events while stopping occasionally to discuss Yiddish slang, extreme skiing, and whether all animals really do taste like chicken. When should you give up on a political party? What would a film adaptation of Trump’s attempted election theft look like? And should Mel Brooks do us all a favor and run for president in 2024? 

Show Notes:

- China’s continued respect for human rights 

- The New York Post’s unapologetically craven news item

- The Wednesday G-File, released to the masses

- John Podhoretz blasts Whoopi Goldberg

- Trump doubles down on January 6 

- Mel Brooks’ bad drive

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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 conflicts. Hal and Jonah also take a deep, extra-nerdy dive into Cold War history and the nature of American foreign policy during that strange era. Was the Cold War just about economics? Should Joe Biden pursue a modern version of Harry Truman’s containment strategy? And was China’s authoritarian turn inevitable?

Show Notes:

- Hal’s page at AEI

- Hal’s new book, The Twilight Struggle

- Hal Brands and John Lewis Gaddis: “The New Cold War”

- Charles Krauthammer: “The Greatest Cold War Myth of All”

- The Truman Doctrine speech

- Henry Wallace’s divided mind

- Jonah on the perils of our virtual reality

- The Remnant with Leon Aron

- The Remnant with Edward Carr

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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 what is Joe Biden’s biggest weakness? There’s also a lengthy aside about what life in America was like when Jonah and Chris were young and horse drawn carriages had yet to be replaced by cars, but you’ll need to stick around until the end.

Show Notes:

- Chris’ page at The Dispatch

- Chris’ newsletter, Stirewaltisms

- Last weekend’s Ruminant

- Michael Moore on the “SmartLess” podcast

- Could the GOP expel Cheney and Kinzinger?

- The Remnant with Leon Aron

- The latest Gallup poll on shifting political party preferences

- The poll discussed on the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast

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