Jim Geraghty, COVID Watchman

In this episode, Jonah continues the great Remnant tradition of allowing senior National Review political ...

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In this episode, Jonah continues the great Remnant tradition of allowing senior National Review political correspondent Jim Geraghty to dispense genuinely unique and fascinating observations about current global issues. And what better time could there be for that than right now? During a moment in which even Americans’ feelings about a global health crisis break down along partisan lines rather than facts on the ground, Geraghty’s brand of succinct investigative reporting is a breath of fresh air.


Show Notes:

–Jim’s newsletter, The Morning Jolt

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  1. WinterMute

    Just listened to this episode today, so I apologize for the late comment. As someone with a ton of respect for both you and Richard Epstein, I really bristled at you tossing him in with the "true crazy, Trumposphere, corona-truthers". Disagree with Professor Epstein's argument about what we should take into account in the balancing test if you want, but I don't think you should dismiss him out of hand like that. He's at least making a good faith argument based on a lot of experience (which is more than can be said for the other denizens of that sphere).

    Also you mentioned clam chowder as a possible shibboleth for the Rhode Island state troopers to weed out visitors. There is in fact a Rhode Island-specific clam chowder variant: "Another tradition has a clam chowder made with clear broth which is common along the New England coast from eastern Connecticut to southwestern Rhode Island. In southwestern Rhode Island, it is sometimes called "South County Style" referring to the colloquial name of Washington County, Rhode Island, where it allegedly originated. In other parts of New England, it contains quahogs, broth, potatoes, onions, and bacon." We served New England, Manhattan, and Rhode Island style chowder at the seafood place where I washed dishes for a summer back in the day.

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    Theirn Scott

    While listening to this podcast I had an idea for a essay. You've expressed concern about what comes after this pandemic. I share your concern and fear what comes next is MMT, which while it will provide a short-term fix will be a long-term disaster. I can expand on this but not sure this is the proper forum to communicate an idea to you.

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  3. Sam

    I would like to request that you have on the podcast Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks to discuss Faith during these trying times, for those interested here"s a Ted Talk of Rabbi Sacks him discussing the Coronavirus.
    https://www.ted.com/talks/rabbi_lord_jonathan_sacks_how_we_can_navigate_the_coronavirus_pandemic_with_courage_and_hope

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    Kevin Johnson

    Jonah, I think you are totally right if you restrict yourself to what Trump says. I tried to signal that what others have said and done, especially doctors Birx and Fauci, explains plausibly why we didn’t lock down the economy sooner, or ramp up producing ventilators, etc. The initial data didn’t show that we needed an emergency response right away. That is how they answered the question you put to Jim about not using the time after banning flights from China to go into emergency mode. My second point was that what Birx and Fauci say won’t get significant coverage if it isn’t on tv at the briefings. I agree that Trump is behaving shamelessly. I just thought you were missing something else which is simultaneously true, and important. Thanks for taking the time!

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    JDW

    I really enjoy Jim as a guest. Good podcast!

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  6. Daveafellows

    I try to catch every pod, Jonah. One thing the country did get out of a crisis (World War II) is a standing army.

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    Kevin Johnson

    Great pod, Jonah. Thanks. However, a humble remnanter’s sense that you may be growing a particular, Twitter-fed blind spot. I am with your outrage that the clown is clowishly beclowning himself in clownish press conferences. That is bad and to be condemned. However, you either aren’t noticing or aren’t appreciating what else is happening at the clown shows. For example, yesterday both doctors Birx and Fauci specifically answered your question to Jim implying that time gained by Trump’s China travel ban was wasted by not doing hard mitigation thereafter. The doctors plausibly (if not definitively until more data emerge) said 1) initial Chinese data on 50,000 cases in region of 80,000,000 (backed by WHO) made Birx think this was similar to MERS or SARS and not something worse; 2) they didn’t have data on cases in US showing a problem severe enough to justify tough mitigation (Fauci said there was “ nothing in the data to mitigate against.” Now, lack of data partly due to bad testing situation, which is not really attributable to Trump, but to our government health bureaucrats, but these experts have good, plausible, non-Trumpy, answers to your important question about early USG response. American public won’t see these explanations very much in mainstream press unless they are given on TV. We won’t see them much on Twitter. Perhaps trump did the right thing on travel bans for wrong reasons, as you say. But if you disregard Birx and Fauci on specific issues, such as why we didn’t close the country sooner, just because they work for Trump, many will take your entirely correct criticism of Trump less seriously. I’ve argued that David’s exaggerated claims that 1) Trump was planning to unconstitutionally force States to open up before data supported it; and 2) Trump expressing hope for malaria drugs was outrageous,were misguided and counter-productive for holding Trump to account. If you join the chorus of “Trump is an unfit clown (true) therefore the left’s charge that actions after travel bans were outrageous wastes of time (not true according to Birx and Fauci, although subject to after action review) then the voice of the Dispatch is weakened, I think. Thanks much.

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    1. Photo of Jonah Goldbergcircle-angle-nib
      Jonah Goldberg vertical-nib Author

      I'm not sure I buy all of this Kevin (and I'll let David speak for himself). I didn't criticize Trump for not closing the country sooner (but if I sounded like I did, I misspoke). As I explain on the just recorded Dispatch podcast, if you're going to constantly point at the wisdom of your decision to (only partially) block travel from China, then you need to hear why it was wise. If it was wise, as he suggests, because it bought us time then what did you do with that time? He now says -- unpersuasively -- that he always considered Covid to be a major threat. His messaging for Feb and much of March suggests that's not true. But, again, if he believed in January that this was a major problem, why not make progress on the mask and ventilator supply chain? All of that stuff began very recently. That's fine if you only became persuaded that this was a big deal, I guess. But that's not what he's claiming.

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    Charlie M.

    Just to be clear, many hospitals are empty - not only because COVID hasn't hit yet, but b/c they cancelled all their elective surgeries and purposely decreased their census to get ready for a potential COVID rush.

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    Pastorfbt

    When the DJT era is over, I so do not want to hear from all the 'Pubs who'll say - we wanted to do something, we knew he wasn't fit, but but but...

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  10. Collin Saunders

    Jim Geraghty, what a guy.

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