Bad Week for NatCons

Sarah was not harmed in the making of this podcast.

By and

When the crystal-worshipping lady and the anti-vax guy are getting a quarter of the democratic vote while spending no money, the possibility of a real politician rising up to challenge Biden increases. Senior editor Mike Warren debuts on the pod to help Sarah and Jonah dissect Biden’s announcement and whether the future of the GOP is more Pence or Tucker. Also, a knife-brandishing Jonah responds to critics of last week’s swiftly-chilled hot takes.

Show Notes:

Start a Free Trial
Get every newsletter and all of The Dispatch. Support quality, fact-based journalism. Get Started ALREADY HAVE AN ACCOUNT? SIGN IN
By and
Comments (63)
Join The Dispatch to participate in the comments.
 
  1. Clark.Monson

    Gum-chewer here. I've never smoked, but I am a bit fidgety, and chewing gum both calms my fidgets and helps me focus when I'm working. (I almost never chew gum when I'm not working). BUT...I 100% agree that too many people are gross about their gum habits. +1 to chewing with your mouth closed and to making sure it gets into the trash. Also, time and place. If I'm in an important meeting, no way I've got gum in my mouth. (But I probably chewed some right before for a breath freshener). If I'm on a Teams call, I minimize how ostentatiously I'm chewing, or stop chewing altogether.

    But chewing gum being a gross habit like smoking? Come on. At worst, chewing with your mouth open or chewing loudly is like chewing food with your mouth open--rude and low-class, but hardly on par with smoking.

    I'm completely on board with Jonah about that scene from Elf, though. I literally can't watch it.

    Collapse
  2. Evw

    My college roommate, a gum chewer, taught me this catchy little gem, which I happily shared with my kids:
    The gum-chewing kid and the cud-chewing cow
    Both are the same and yet different somehow
    The difference? Ah yes, I remember it now
    The intelligent look on the face of the cow.

    Collapse
  3. Apasquini68

    Perhaps I am missing something. I only watch Special Report with Brett Baier on Fox. I have never watched O'Reilly or Tucker or any of the opinion shows. I am also not a Trump supporter.
    I understood why Jonah and Steven left Fox. I just don't understand how Jonah goes on CNN. I have yet to see him on there. Unlike what's implied in the podcast, I know how to find CNN on my TV. But when I watch CNN I don't see how their (CNN) blatant lying is any different that the reasons Jonah and Steve gave for leaving Fox (except the obvious, the name "Trump"). I am not trying to be rude, but I can't square this circle.

    Collapse
  4. Avatar photo
    KP

    I’m an occasional gum chewer, but after reading this article, I’m probably gonna quit. https://makechange.aspiration.com/how-long-does-it-take-for-gum-to-decompose/

    Collapse
  5. Avatar photo
    Seth B

    If you must chew gum, dispose of it properly. Gum's externalities are nasty - for human shoes and for animals, too.

    Jonah, I fear for your high chair. Put down that spoon (and knife) and hearken unto me. I will lean over the aisle to tell you a secret:

    Few Democrats want Trump to be the Republican nominee in '24 because they think he'd be easier to beat.

    This is a weird bugaboo of yours that doesn't match reality.

    Of course Biden emphasizes the threat of Trump above all else. A second Trump presidency would be a catastrophe. If Biden loses to Haley, I'll shrug my shoulders. If Biden loses to DeSantis, I'll be deeply concerned - particularly when it comes to foreign policy. If Biden loses to Trump, however, I will truly fear for the continued existence of the United States.

    I suspect Biden feels similarly. I suspect Biden also knows that if Trump is, against all odds, defeated in the Republican primaries, then he will actively campaign in the general election against whichever Republican beats him, thus ensuring Biden's re-election.

    I just pray that Biden, like Trump, gets a new running mate in 2024.

    Collapse
  6. Echack

    "Elf" as a horror movie?

    Here it is as a thriller, Mike.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkwdYSn3Uws

    Collapse
  7. Avatar photo
    Ben Connelly

    I don’t think it’s terrible to chew gum in public but it’s not shall we say entirely becoming of a gentleman or a lady…

    That said, it’s disgusting and low class to put a wad of chewed gum anywhere other than in the trash can. Nobody wants to see or touch or step on that.

    I used to never chew gum and then my parents gave me a couple packs of it and I got hooked and gradually chewed gum more and more until it was every day, then multiple pieces a day, then multiple pieces at a time for long periods of time… I’ve weaned myself from that addiction but when I have a chance I will still chew it (usually multiple pieces). Multiple dentists telling me it’s good for my teeth convinced me to keep doing it. I’ve always been the kind of person to chew it for a really long time (hours). It’s like fidgeting or tapping my foot more than anything else - compulsive movement of my jaw.

    Collapse
  8. Avatar photo
    Jordan Caruso

    I need to chime in on the gum conversation. Sarah and Mike hit on the insight about smokers. I never cared for gum until a couple years ago when I quit smoking. I still see no point in chewing gum, maybe unless there is a severe problem with oral fixation. But with regard to public health and nuisance, nicotine gum is a huge improvement on smoking and, for the former smokers like me, it is a lifesaver. Nicotine gum comes in individual packs, so I chew it and it goes back into the little plastic wrap and closed with paper and foil until I get a chance to throw it in the trash.

    So for those who are incredibly annoyed by gum chewers, please remember us former smokers who are trying to no longer fill the public space with that smoke.

    Collapse
  9. Adam J Schmidt

    Gum is certainly more acceptable than chewing tobacco. That said, I occasionally chew gum to equalize the pressure in my ears due to congestion from allergies. It's just the jaw movement I guess that helps relieve the ear pressure.

    Collapse
    1. Clark.Monson

      Exactly. Nobody has a spit bottle for gum chewing.

      Collapse
  10. Avatar photo
    DougAz

    President Biden has take Mount Patriotism from the Republicans. He stands on the high ground of military might vs the Russians and Chinese.

    Yea he can do more.. blah blah blah.

    Trump would have let Ukraine slide into Russian mud, because Putin would have paid him (or did) better ---

    Collapse
Load More