On today’s podcast, Sarah and David talk with Ian Prior, executive director of Fight for Schools, to discuss what exactly is happening in Loudoun County, Virginia. Critical race theory in schools? A sexual assault controversy? And how will this all affect the race for governor in Virginia?
Show Notes:
–Prior “More Va. Public Schools Using Kids As Guinea Pigs For Critical Race Theory”
–French Press “When the State Kinda Sorta Parents Your Child”
About Sarah Isgur
About David French
On today’s show, it’s a battle of Generation X versus millennials versus Generation Z as Sarah and David shout, “You kids get off my lawn!” But before the cultural rant, they explore parental rights in public schools, discuss the mixture of church and politics, and talk about the Kyle Rittenhouse case and the law of self-defense. Then, and only then, does Sarah lament “kids these days.”
Show Notes:
–TMD on ‘gain of function’ research
–NPR “The Johnson Amendment In 5 Questions And Answers”
–French Press “When the State Kinda Sorta Parents Your Child”
–Andrew Fleischman Twitter thread on the Rittenhouse case
–New York Times “The 37-Year-Olds Are Afraid of the 23-Year-Olds Who Work for Them”
About David French
About Sarah Isgur
Steve Teles joins The Remnant for a second time to explore what can be done to fix our dysfunctional parties. Like many of Jonah’s closest friends, Steve disagrees with his idea that a third party could cure what ails the GOP, and instead argues that we should build moderate factions within it. Brace yourself for an exceptionally wonky discussion, which covers Jonah’s distaste for primaries, why we need a better class of political moderate, and whether Joe Biden should be considered a centrist. There’s also plenty of gratuitous complaining about Congress and the Clintons, so prepare your bingo cards.
Show Notes:
– Steve’s page at the Niskanen Center
– Never Trump, Steve and Rob Saldin’s latest book
– The Captured Economy, Steve’s previous book with Brink Lindsey
– Steve’s previous Remnant appearance
– Jonah: “A Third Party Could Cure What Ails the GOP”
– Steve and Rob: “The Future is Faction”
– Matt Yglesias: “Congressional Moderates Could Make a Party of Their Own”
About Jonah Goldberg
On today’s episode, our hosts discuss a new proposal from Democrats to tax the unrealized capital gains of billionaires. Is it constitutional? Plus, Taiwan and “strategic ambiguity,” the Facebook files, and who will Virginia elect as governor next week?
Show Notes:
–The Dispatch: “Washington Should Deter an Attack on Taiwan”
–Wall Street Journal “The Facebook Files”
About Sarah Isgur
If you thought Jonah turned into an excited fanboy when he interviewed Mike Duncan, just wait until you hear today’s Remnant, in which acclaimed psychologist Dr. Paul Bloom joins the program for the first time to discuss man’s search for meaning. Human beings are strange creatures: We often deliberately seek out things that cause us pain or discomfort, like horror movies and spicy foods. What is the cause of this “benign masochism,” and what does it really mean to be happy? Additionally, how should human nature be defined? Could video games and virtual reality destroy the world as we know it? And how can Jonah tie all of this in with neoconservatism?
Show Notes:
–The Sweet Spot, Dr. Bloom’s new book
–Jonah: “Democracy in the Tobacconist’s”
–Dr. Bloom’s Google Scholar archive
–Conservatives are more easily disgusted than liberals
–Arthur Brooks on earned success
–Jonah: “Fear and Loathing in the Time of COVID”
–Ezra Klein interviews Noam Chomsky
–“We actually compete with sleep”
–Dr. Bloom: “Is God an Accident?”
–How You Say It, by Katherine Kinzler
About Jonah Goldberg
On today’s episode, David and Sarah celebrate the Supreme Court finally bending to their will and then preview the upcoming oral arguments regarding SB 8, the Texas abortion law. They then move on to a discussion of a wild case involving videotaping police, highlight Liberty University’s problems with sexual assault, and then wonder whether an important free speech case is dead or just “mostly dead.”
Show Notes:
–SCOTUSblog on oral arguments in the Texas abortion law case
About David French
About Sarah Isgur
Today’s Ruminant finds Jonah irritated by back pain, enamored with California roller coasters, and concerned for the health of his loyal spaniel (send her your love!). It also features a lengthy exploration of whether China can still be politically liberalized, why the terms and conditions of Trump’s new social media network are so funny, and how executive privilege actually functions. Stick around until the end for updates about new features on The Dispatch, and a preview of upcoming guests.
Show Notes:
– The House votes to hold Steve Bannon in contempt
– Advisory Opinions explores January 6
– Jonah’s brief history of executive privilege
– Fresh craziness from J.D. Vance
– Klon Kitchen on the dangers of China’s missile tests
– Lipset’s modernization theory
– Mike Pompeo on Special Report
– “We welcome stiff competition”
About Jonah Goldberg
On today’s episode, Sarah and Steve talk with Klon Kitchen, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and veteran of the intelligence community to discuss the latest news out of China. What do China’s hypersonic missile tests mean for the balance of power between the United States and China? Are we at the start of a new “cold war?” Kitchen answers these questions and more.
Show Notes:
–“Why China’s Hypersonic Missile Tests Are So Concerning” by Klon Kitchen
About Sarah Isgur
It’s weeping and gnashing of teeth for David in today’s podcast as the Supreme Court deals a devastating blow to his dreams of abolishing qualified immunity. But Sarah saves the AO crew from despair by conducting another Supreme Court symphony regarding the Biden commission. Come for the despair, stay for the analysis, and relish a deep dive into Supreme Court reform.
Show Notes:
About David French
About Sarah Isgur
Presidential historian and Remnant fan-favorite Tevi Troy returns today for more seriously rank punditry. As you may have noticed, we’re living through a strange moment in which it’s becoming shocking to suggest that saying things people want to hear is an effective political strategy. How did we get here, and how can we prevent our institutions from succumbing to the cult of wokeness? For that matter, how can ordinary Americans resist cancel culture? Should conservatives build alternative institutions? And has Joe Biden replaced Jimmy Carter as history’s greatest monster?
Show Notes:
– Tevi’s page at National Affairs
– Tevi’s previous Remnant appearance
– Tevi on the Commentary podcast
– The GLoP podcast, for all your pop culture needs
– Tevi: “How to Defend Free Speech”
– Bob Woodward pays tribute to Colin Powell
– Michael Powell on Dorian Abbot’s cancelation
– The Morning Dispatch breaks down the Netflix protests
– Bari Weiss on cancel culture
– Jonah on policing and slave patrols
About Jonah Goldberg
On today’s podcast, our hosts tackle a wide range of topics. From China’s hypersonic missiles to the ongoing situation in Loudoun County, Steve, Sarah, Jonah, and David grapple with what those issues mean for the country with heavy doses of concern and skepticism. Plus, some good old-fashioned rank punditry. Sarah asks whether political operatives are responsible for ruining our politics? And some level-setting on Jonah’s third party idea that has caused a stir on the right.
Show Notes:
–“The Greatest Cold War Myth of All” – Charles Krauthammer
About Sarah Isgur
David Drucker, senior political correspondent at the Washington Examiner, joins The Remnant for the first time to discuss the state of the Republican Party post-Trump and what the 2024 election cycle will bring. Why do so many Republicans choose to minimize Trump’s destructive tendencies? What can we expect from Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, and other major players going forward? And will the next presidential candidate redefine the GOP’s image?
Show Notes:
–David’s new book, In Trump’s Shadow
–David’s page at the Washington Examiner
–David previews his new book in Vanity Fair
–Nikki Haley and the confederate flag
–John Eastman’s plan for Pence to overturn the election
–Peril, by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa
–David: “Mike Pence’s Moment of Truth”
About Jonah Goldberg
What do court packers have in common with Hugo Chavez? Take a listen to this action-packed pod to find out. Sarah conducts a symphony of Supreme Court commission analysis, including guiding a walk through American legal history to explain the commission’s surprisingly conservative comments. David discusses the legal issues roiling the nation’s most controversial school district.
Show Notes:
About David French
About Sarah Isgur
On today’s Ruminant, a predictably sleep-deprived Jonah is haunted by distant memories of his time in Prague and the alluring restaurants that refused his custom. Thankfully, he’s able to process the pain by embarking on a lengthy rant about democracy, capitalism, and the charming brilliance of Irving Kristol. There’s also a disquisition on the philosophy of hit TV shows and the legacy of The Wire, which will delight Breaking Bad partisans. Tune in to find out if Jonah has adjusted to life as an empty nester, but stick around to see if he can get through the whole episode without mentioning third parties.
Show Notes:
– The Remnant with Michael Brendan Dougherty
– Jonah and Steve Hayes on The Dispatch’s two-year anniversary
– Jonah’s love of Breaking Bad
– Scott Lincicome on America’s ports problem
– James Q. Wilson: “Capitalism and Morality”
– The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism
– The Remnant with Graeme Wood
– Irving Kristol: “When Virtue Loses All Her Loveliness”
– The Remnant with George Will
About Jonah Goldberg
Former Rep. Dan Lipinski, Democrat from the Chicago area, and Reid Ribble, Republican from Wisconsin, join Sarah and Steve about how Congress works or doesn’t work, rather. The two former elected officials highlight the failures of the House of Representatives with troubling personal stories and insights. Fair warning, this conversation is as distressing as it is informative. Plus, stick around to hear what the Wisconsinite and Illinoisian think about this weekend’s Packers vs. Bears game.
Show Notes:
About Sarah Isgur
On today’s episode, we get a Supreme Court update from Sarah and not one but two entire Ted Talks from David. They cover a very obscure (yet interesting!) constitutional case, and then discuss two viral stories–one involving an elementary school and juvenile justice system in Tennessee, the other involving an absurd act of unfairness at Yale Law School. Our hosts talk poverty and privilege in the same pod. Oh, and Sarah winds it all up with a discussion of laches and estoppel that you don’t want to miss.
Show Notes:
–ProPublica “Black Children Were Jailed for a Crime That Doesn’t Exist. Almost Nothing Happened to the Adults in Charge.”
About David French
About Sarah Isgur
