Going Full Columbo

In this weekend’s Ruminant, Jonah figures that it is his duty to do what he ...

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In this weekend’s Ruminant, Jonah figures that it is his duty to do what he can to clean the gigantic metaphorical Augean Stable that is Washington D.C. as recompense for missing a G-File. Thus, this is an episode filled with only the rankest of punditry: Grifters abound, both within Congress and in the fundraising and activism apparatchiks of both the right and the left. Not only is it the case that the grift was getting more intense on its own, but impeachment has just made it all the more self-aggrandizing. Listen as Jonah takes aim at the nepotistic relationship between conservative boosters and lobbyists, The Lincoln Project, and Congress itself for consistently living down to Americans’ expectations.

Show Notes:

–Frigid Austin

–The inklings of an Ivanka Trump campaign in Florida against Rubio

–Demosclerosis by Jonathan Rauch

–Lincoln Project awfulness

–The online Roget’s Thesaurus… just in case you are curious

–Matt Schlapp and pardon foolishness

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  1. Avatar photo
    The Stray Goose

    First, NEVER do a Ruminant when you're tired. Second, ALWAYS do a Ruminant with an outline so you can stay on track. Keep up the good work. I hope you had fun with your daughter.

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  2. Avatar photo
    The Stray Goose

    There are lessons to be learned from Donald Trump. It's important that we learn the right lessons. Also. It's important that we not allow him to set up shop in our head and drive us crazy. Perhaps Mr. Goldberg needs to move on to another topic....

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  3. DocHeartless

    **Love the analogy of "if you light a match and throw it against a building, that's one thing. But if you spend hours beforehand dousing it in gasoline, that's quite another."

    Jonah makes me so sad sometimes, because I can so easily hear his passionate frustration when he rails against the state of our culture. I think it is the humanist in him that is really hurting. You remind me of Erasmus from the early 16th century. He labored under the belief that if people could only have education and a more accurate translation of the bible, then reason and learning could flourish. That growth, in turn, would improve the world! He was, to put it mildly, disappointed by everyone.

    I'm a teacher, so I have that same instinctual belief--that learning and knowledge can improve things, and they definitely can for some. But for our political class, all the learning and knowledge in the world isn't going to make them change. They are voting to acquit Trump not because they don't understand the facts or the arguments in play, but because they know too well their voters will punish them for it. The democrats are purposefully avoiding making the process more likely to succeed (i.e. by having republican lawyers make their case, make the charge dereliction of duty, speeding things along, etc...) because they understand the pressure on the republicans. They know they'll likely never convict no matter what, so they may as well please their own base by having as many republicans on records as acquitting.

    The problem is incentives. Until we can change politicians' incentives, I don't see this dynamic changing. Find a way to reward the moderates with more votes than the radicals and things will change overnight.

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  4. ReadDude

    Jonah, my pastor has said for years "Cheer up! It's only going to get worse!" It is Biblical you know. Look it up (Revelation)

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  5. david rae

    One minor point of what would hopefully be accepted as constructive criticism -- the phrase, "if I have to hear ___ one more time, I'm going to ____." Seemed like there were 3 or 4 instances of that on the podcast. I recommend identifying the source ("a lot folks, to include Tom Smith, Dick Jones and Harry Nelson" are making the point of _____,") and then addressing agreement or disagreement and playing it out from there. Part of me wants to say, if you don't want to hear it one more time, don't listen, but I realize your work involves grabbing public sentiment and then analyzing and commenting on it. I'd just recommend using the "exasperated with this thinking" technique can only work in a limited capacity for the reason stated above -- your work relies on hearing other points of view. Otherwise, I enjoy the podcasts, and the ability to tie in other conservative thinkers like Andrew McCarthy and Kevin Williamson. I thought you brought an interesting counter to Mr McCarthy's argument (that in order to "incite," one needs to prove "intent" to encourage violence) with the Frankenstein argument. Once the violence is unleashed, what steps did the President take. Believe that's Senator Ben Sasse's argument as well.

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  6. Very Old Grumpy Guy

    Jonah makes the correct assertion that those on the right who argue that the insurrection was a false flag operation or somehow the work of Antifa or BLM to make Trump "look bad" are either liars or deranged. However, the silver lining here is that these people at least recognize that the insurgency was wrong. It is those who support the insurrection that are even more dangerous.

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  7. Mary Stine

    I feel your pain, Jonah! It's hard to fully exhale when the stench of the metaphorical Augean Stable is so overwhelming!
    But the poisonous boil has been well lanced and drainage of the toxin has begun.
    While I, too, along with the majority of Democrats, would have preferred witnesses to be called, it should be obvious that too many Republicans were either against that, too terrified to respond or only available after a subpeona and an armed marshall showed up, and all their legal stalling was exhausted.
    There were already over 200 witnesses among the senators and congresspeople who WERE PRESENT ON JANUARY 6. What trial before had that many witnesses, a majority of whom heard the mob chanting for the capture/death of Mike Pence and Nancy Pelosi? What sane person could possibly doubt who sent the mob and whose directions the mob was following? If you can't connect these dots, you either need a neurologist or an exorcist. Even if live footage and audio of President Trump's reaction to this had been available, his supporters would have denied it, claiming the evidence wasn't "convincing".. This was the O.J. Simpson impeachment, except instead of a bloody glove that no longer fit we have a roaring mob, plastered with Trump signs and lethal weapons, screaming into cameras that "their" president sent them.
    That sly fox, Mitch McConnell, has thrown this hot mess back to the Democrats in the House, or possibly the court system, pronouncing the impeachment incompetent, but Trump guilty. It's all the Democrat's fault again!
    And perhaps it is. Perhaps the path that should have been pursued, duty be damned, is the 14th Amendment. Perhaps the House should set up a special commission to investigate Josh Hawley, Marjorie Taylor Green, Lauren Boebert and every other house and senate member who refused to certify the electoral votes and aided the protestors the day of and day before the insurrection.
    Most boils don't go away on the first lancing, even when expertly done. The point is to keep working at it until all the toxins are gone. It's an old, simple medical procedure, but it still works,
    it is still serious business to heal a poisoned body.
    And to my mind, that is serious business as much as tackling Covid.
    Jonah is right: Congress and the Senate need to pay more serious attention to important business and less to TV and twitter. We can't heal without that.

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  8. Avatar photo
    Anne W (Raw5254)

    My husband and I are just waiting for spring and the opportunity to get outside so we can, hopefully, take somewhat of a break from the pandemic and politics. We were both wondering how you, Jonah, and your friends who cover politics for a living, manage to stay sane and aren’t on high doses of antidepressants (or maybe you are).

    This is such a depressing time, and it feels as though every grifter out there is busy taking advantage of the country in one way or another. Thank you for hanging in there, and staying consistent. As long as someone is willing to speak the truth, and stand up to the people who are more concerned with money and power, I still feel some hope.

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  9. Avatar photo
    Kevin Lanik

    The Dispatch has moved up to Pirate Sloop... https://sidmeierspirates.fandom.com/wiki/Ship_Type

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    1. Mary Stine

      Nah, the Dispatch needs a barque, still speedy, but a lot heartier and more room!

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    Gennimarietw

    I’m down with ya, Jonah.

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