Podcasts

Brian Riedl, the Remnant’s “unofficial budget guy,” returns to discuss our economic woes. After kvetching about inflation, the deficit, and supply chains, he and Jonah dig into the mistaken idea that the president can control every needle of the economy. Brian has noticed an interesting trend: Since Reagan, we’ve consistently elected Republican presidents during booms and Democratic presidents during recessions. But what are the implications of that for the economy? Furthermore, did the New Deal make the Great Depression worse? Is Build Back Better dead? And should anyone take Rick Scott seriously?

Show Notes:

– Brian’s webpage

– Brian: “Presidents as Economic Managers”

– Jonah: “The Raw Deal”

– The forgotten depression of 1920

– Scott Lincicome on fixing our supply chains

– Velocity of Bahnsen

– Rick Scott’s “Rescue America” plan

– Last Friday’s G-File

After plotting world domination at AEI’s World Forum, Jonah is back in the D.C. swampland for today’s Ruminant. He begins by elaborating on the strange metaphysical ideas discussed in last week’s episode before turning to the war in Ukraine, and the baffling idea peddled by some on the right that Zelensky is trying to incite a global thermonuclear war. From there, things get nerdy, as Jonah explores whether populism may be falling out of style and indulges in a lengthy rant on Woodrow Wilson. Tune in for the cherished sound effects, but stick around to hear a few ideas for the Remnant’s 500th episode.

Show Notes: 

– Last weekend’s bizarre Ruminant

– Metaxy

– The Wednesday G-File

– The Remnant with Shadi Hamid

– Ross Douthat: “Will the Ukraine War End the Age of Populism?”

– Michael Brendan Dougherty: “Wartime’s Macabre Predictions of a Populist Defeat”

– The Remnant with Vin Cannato

– The hater’s guide to Woodrow Wilson

Vincent Cannato, noted historian and Jonah’s fellow deracinated New Yorker, returns to the Remnant for a nerdily random discussion of cops, neoliberalism, and latent Russophobia. With tensions rising between East and West, Vin believes we are in the midst of an “ideological Cold War,” but Jonah (whose pronunciation of “Pokémon” may distract from any serious points he raises) is less convinced. How will America’s conflict with Russia and China unfold, and what strategy should the United States pursue? For that matter, is New York heading back to the ‘70s? What’s fueling America’s crime wave? And will safetyism soon destroy Vin’s university from within?

Show Notes:

– Vin’s webpage

– “The Editors” podcast on Russophobia

– Jonah: “A Tale of Two Cold Wars”

– Elliott Abrams: “The New Cold War”

– The Wild Man of 96th St.

– Biden’s New York crime speech

– Jonah: “The Problem With Claiming That Policing Evolved From Slave Patrols”

– Amazon’s Seattle relocation

– Jeff Jacoby: “Pushing Back Against Indoctrination at UMass Boston”

Shadi Hamid returns to the Remnant to discuss America’s role in maintaining a safe global order. For years, many on the far left and isolationist right alike have argued that the United States should withdraw from the world stage and take a self-limiting approach to foreign policy. But Shadi believes Russia’s aggression has proved that Western power is essential. Will we soon see renewed support for Pax Americana? Should a no-fly zone be imposed over Ukraine? And how many bingo card items can Jonah insert into such an inappropriate conversation?

Show Notes:

– Shadi’s page at The Atlantic

– Wisdom of Crowds

– Shadi: “There Are Many Things Worse Than American Power”

– Jeane Kirkpatrick: “Dictatorships and Double Standards”

– Jonah on the idea of a new Cold War

– Lindsey Graham calls for Putin’s assassination

– Is the Muslim world ignoring the plight of the Uyghurs?

Jonah gets metaphysical on today’s mumbly Ruminant, recorded live in a chaotic hotel room not far from Stonecutter world headquarters. Unsurprisingly, his under-caffeinated mind is awash with thoughts on conservative intellectual history. Be prepared for an exceedingly nerdy disquisition on the philosophical differences between left and right and the importance of understanding that life is about trade offs. Plus, tune in to permanently change your perception of the theme from Jeopardy!

Show Notes:

– The Right, Matt Continetti’s upcoming book

– Jonah on the cult of unity

– Jonah on the complexities of life and conservatism

– Alan Wolfe’s The Future of Liberalism

John Podhoretz, the Remnant’s self-professed Paul Lynde, returns to the program to play a game of “Name that Crank.” Throughout history, many brilliant people have also been extremely bizarre. Murray Rothbard hated elevators, Arthur Conan Doyle believed in fairies, and Gandhi was obsessed with bowel movements. John and Jonah dedicate today’s episode to exploring the harmless and not-so-harmless quirks of such figures, before turning to rank punditry on American power, Biden’s floundering presidency, and the awfulness of the ‘70s. Tune in for shameless GLoP-plugging, but stick around to find out which Academy Award nominees are actually worth watching.

Show Notes:

– GLoP, America’s favorite pop culture podcast

– The Commentary Podcast: Live in Palm Beach

– Pythagoreanism

– Shakespeare conspiracy theories

– Jonah: “Karl Marx’s Jew-Hating Conspiracy”

– Pure reason

– Thomas Edison’s spirit phone

– Chris Stirewalt on misplaced ‘90s nostalgia

– Only Yesterday, by Frederick Lewis Allen

– The return of Dispatch Live