Grumpy Old Sportsmen

Unlike Ozzie Smith on his visit to Springfield, Jonah didn’t fall off the face of ...

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Unlike Ozzie Smith on his visit to Springfield, Jonah didn’t fall off the face of the Earth during his northeastern excursion last week. Today, he’s back in control of The Remnant, and invites National Review’s Dan McLaughlin onto the show for a discussion of what the future holds for the Republican Party. Together, they explore the creation of the January 6 select committee, how the role of a political commentator differs from that of a political operative, and whether fusionism will survive the challenges currently facing the right. It’s an episode dedicated to the common good.

Show Notes:

–Dan’s page at National Review

–Dan’s call for Trump’s impeachment

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  1. Avatar photo
    Dusty

    I’m a few days late, but I loved this podcast. National Review gets trashed a lot in these comment sections for “losing its way” or whatever, but I still think it’s pretty great and holds a diverse set of viewpoints. Dan’s more practical approach to policy goals and coalition building is something that a lot of conservatives are aware of and that doesn’t always get acknowledged here at TD.

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    Ben Connelly

    Great episode! Thanks.

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    Israel Bigelow

    Jonah prediction at the end of the interview about getting a lot of flack for talking to Dan came true it seems judging the comments here. In any event, I think this was a great conversation between two Trump skeptic conservatives who don't want to become Red Dogs a la the Bulwark. Maybe the better term is Remnant Conservatives per the podcast? It is interesting that even amongst such a small subsection of conservatives on the ideological spectrum there could be such differences in opinion albeit friendly. Also, I had never heard Dan speak before and was shocked at how nasally his voice is. Almost as nasally as mine!

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  4. DocHeartless

    Wow, the tenor of the comment section for this remnant is quite something. C'mon, guys, to take this calm disagreement (and it was a pretty profound disagreement if you listen to it carefully) and bash it because Jonah is failing us somehow with inviting a former colleague at NR, a flagship (probably former) publication of conservatism itself? And we're going to jump right for the, "oh, he's just a fascist" attack? I hear Antifa is hiring if you're interested.

    Trying to be generous here, I liked the discussion of politicians and the difficult situation they are always in. They want to do good in the world (most of them) but they have to convince people to vote for them first. That will inevitably lead to messy compromises and betrayals of conscience. But Dan isn't a politician (but who knows, maybe he wants to be and so needs to compromise preemptively). He is an intellectual and a pundit and so I do think he has a responsibility to be honest and to educate the public.

    I think we could make a powerful argument that we are in this current cultural moment, where 10-15 percent of radicals on both sides are pushing for an anti-intellectual, anti-fact, winner-take-all approach to politics/education/culture itself. We didn't get to that mindset completely on our own, they were encouraged to think that way by unfortunate long term problems like the death of communities and institutions, and short term interests like academia, mainstream media, politicians, and pundits (here, sadly, I'll have to throw in Dan). Convincing the public of smart and honest conservative views is difficult work. Convincing the public of smart and honest liberal views is difficult work. It's much easier to infuriate people over conspiracies and dehumanizing attacks. Dan is willing to tolerate too much of the latter, and that is shameful. I am grateful for the opportunity to hear the contrast between someone like that and someone like Jonah.

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    Epl20

    Great episode, as usual. Big fan of you both. But what was with the final advertisement in the last thirty seconds?

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    AC Kansas

    Wow, lot of Dan haters here. Can't say I always agree with his stuff, but Jonah strikes me as the type of have conversations with a lot of people and give them breadth to say their peace. Not sure many commenters on here can say they would do the same.

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    Silvertide

    Jonah I'm very disappointed in this podcast. I can't believe you not only didn't push back but actually said you could see his point when he talked about following Trump because democrats are irredeemable since 1912. Then to let him spout that garbage about well eventually the person sending the GOP of the cliff will die and then we can try and go back to normal. This is a disgusting and crazy way to view things.. So, if Trump decided to go all in on his Nazi sycophants does that mean all republicans should just go along for the ride until Trumps dead and then hope what his sons and other followers don't take up the mantle. I had to turn off the podcast after that gem as I realized nothing but anger would come from listening to the rest of this podcast.

    I understand this is your friend but if you can't push back on this absurd point of view then don't bring him on a podcast.

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    Belt

    Another podcast I made a point of listening to twice. Dan is one of the sharpest guys out there, and I take his points seriously. There were times when he had the better of the argument, I think.

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  9. GregS

    Dan McLaughlin comes across as a somewhat pathetic excuse for an intellectual... his stated guiding principle here is, "the Democrats have been irredeemable since 1912, so I will always defend the GOP even when it embraces fascism."
    Bravo.
    Not to beat a dead horse Jonah, but you'd never let a liberal interlocutor get away with saying "the GOP has been irredeemable and anti-American since 1972, so I will always support Democrats even if they're openly fascist."
    Do better. Just because someone is your friend doesn't mean they're not full of feces.

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    Kevin Johnson

    A good one.

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