Last Man Standing

Jonah continues to swelter in Maine on today’s Ruminant, as he examines the aftermath of ...

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Jonah continues to swelter in Maine on today’s Ruminant, as he examines the aftermath of the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago and how we should interpret Merrick Garland’s response. There’s also an extended discussion of Trump’s psychology, the allure of conspiracy theories, and the nature of American exceptionalism, as Jonah explains how he made peace with being part of the Remnant. 

Show Notes:

– The latest Dispatch Podcast

– Jonah: “Did the GOP Peak Too Soon?”

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  1. Joe1776

    I don't understand why more reasonable conservatives don't bring up the argument you mention. Namely that Trump failed to do anything to the alleged deep state. He had 4 years where he was complaining about it. Yet he didn't seem to realize it was *his* department. He runs the executive branch so if it remained corrupt it was his fault.

    This is one reason why I can't read or listen to much conservative media. They don't seem to understand that all these deep state guys were all people Trump chose to keep working for him. Trump could declassify documents all that time. If our FBI and DOJ is full of deep state rot Trump is to blame. He had his chance to clean up these departments and he blew it. Time to give someone else a chance.

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    CP

    "Invest in frozen orange juice futures"? Did I miss that movie? It sounds riveting.

    "This may look like an ordinary pen, Mr. Bond, but it allows you to invest in frozen orange juice futures. Use it only in the moment of your direst need."

    "Marty, we've got to stop Biff from investing in frozen orange juice futures! (Also, your kids are screwed up!)"

    "You gotta ask yourself one question: 'Will I invest in frozen orange juice futures?' Well, will ya, punk?"

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  3. Jim L

    Jonah,
    The point you are missing with Republicans IMO is that they don’t have to wait to get the facts. They can get their political points now by criticizing the DOJ and if they are found to be in the wrong later they will switch to whataboutism. There is no other play in the playbook. We are Rome in its decline.

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    Eric

    Overall, this is a great episode and I want to repeat what has been said multiple times by others; the Dispatch’s coverage of this whole ordeal has been second to none. However, I have one gripe with a comment Jonah made. He mentioned (something to effect of) that the FBI deserves criticism for not doing more of the Hunter Biden corruption. To which I would says: yes Hunter Biden is obviously as corrupt or more so than the Trumps, but just because he hasn’t been hauled off in handcuffs doesn’t mean the FBI hasn’t or isn’t actively investigating him. Maybe they are investigating him, or maybe they did an investigation but found nothing that warranted an indictment. As Sarah has pointed out many many times, the DOJ does not and should not comment on active investigations or past investigations that do not lead to indictments. Bottom line, Hunter Biden is innocent until proven guilty (just like Trump, etc). Jonah should know better. None of us like Hunter Biden, but that doesn’t excuse delving into partisan talking points.

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    John Murdock

    Huckabee has been a great disappointment. He was falling in my eyes even before he noted his Trump tie in one of Huck's last visits to the debate stage in 2016. The ingratiation probably helped to get his daughter a gig as a Trumpian mouthpiece. And now the Huckster will anoint Trump king to help her follow in Daddy's footsteps and become the Governor of Arkansas. His story is a reminder of how far the GOP has fallen down the rabbit hole. https://www.frontporchrepublic.com/2015/02/huckabees-shifting-shades-green/

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  6. R. James

    So why is a FBI/DOJ source telling a journalist what's in a TS/SCI document?

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      Kenton A. Hoover

      So much material around the EOP is going to be considered secret, and so much over-classification is done, saying “classified material” isn’t saying much. And while most especially in the case of Newsweek, almost all outlets have been creating stories that later don’t seem to hold up. What we do know is that a warrant was signed off on and served, and materials were removed. We don’t know if these were the same boxes earlier discussed (“sources say”, but they said ‘nuclear information’ too, not necessarily the same sources but “sources”), nor if the materials were really classified materials or just in boxes that were supposedly such.

      All of this is because of this culture of spin and righteousness that makes it quite difficult to tell what actually happened, is happening, or if what occurred will ever be accounted for. Haven’t we had a whole set of “big, unprecedented” things that just evaporate or turn out to be little and quite common things once the smoke settles?

      The common theme is that people are ruining institutions for their on benefit. I think that might not be the real problem after all. Rather, no accounting ever seems to take place anymore. Obama et al say “I’m responsible” but they don’t resign or even fire anyone. Instead the current model is entirely “Mistakes were made” and HEY SQUIRREL.

      Things can only get better, if only because there is so much better to get.

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      1. R. James

        According to the property receipts signed by the FBI, the documents were TS/SCI. And the whole point of the warrant according to the AG was to recover improperly stored classified material. Given that, my question is why did an FBI/DOJ source tell journalist that the classified document contained "nuclear information"? Isn't that in itself a violation of the Espionage Act?

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    NashLives

    This isn't the kind of comment I'd normally write, but the Dispatch's coverage of, and commentary on, the Mar-a-Lago affair has really been a cut above the rest. This podcast is just one example among many. The NR/Commentary crowd (with the exception of Kevin Williamson, who ya'll should snatch from NR) has really gone overboard with the speculation, even to the point of outright conspiratorial rhetoric. Some of the stuff they've published on this whole thing is just embarrassing.

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  8. Dicklowery

    Both sides are playing with fire with their constant hyperbolic nonsense. The spittle flying overreaction to the Dobbs decision by the left and the servile Trumpian claptrap flatulated out by the right over the recent search of Mr. Trump’s estate are only the most recent examples.

    Much like a delicious creme brulee, there is a thin veneer to civilization and once cracked open, things can get gelatinous and mushingly unstable. Irresponsible elites who play act to their respective mobs assume that the guard rails that they weaken with their balderdash will hold. In the case of the US the societal bulwarks typically do hold and they probably will, but we cannot be certain. Senator Hawley prancing through the capital building hallways on Jan 6 on his way to a secure location just minutes ahead of the mob is just one close call example.

    At the risk of getting melodramatic most of the smart money in 1788 would have not bet that in a few short years the French monarchy would fall and the guillotine crews would be busily working away in the streets of Paris on their ghoulish craft. The American situation does not have to deteriorate to that degree for us to still have a mess on our hands.

    We find ourselves in an unvirtuous cycle with the respective mobs on both ends of the spectrum clamoring to be spoon fed over wrought populist gibberish by our chattering class anger merchants and feckless politicos. It’s an undesirable symbiotic relationship that drowns out reasoned discourse.

    To quote an over quoted quote, “In a democracy people get the leaders they deserve.” (1) And as much I like to rail against my intellectual and social betters for their pandering to the lowest common denominator, it is the populace at large that bears the ultimate responsibility.

    I have no answer to this problem other than possibly a wide spread program of electro shock therapy to calm everyone down.

    (1) Joseph de Maistre

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      Pastorfbt

      D*mn... but tell us how you really feel.👍

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    Kenton A. Hoover

    Clearly this week’s events show us that we must immediately just make Ron DeSantis the Republican nominee in 2024 because only he has shown he is actually able to reform problem bureaucracies …

    (Note: I am not saying one should do this, just that one can come to different conclusions for the facts presented.)

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    Marc Frischhertz

    The commentary on patriotism is why I listen.

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