Power to the Pundits

There’s a lot of ruin in a nation, but there’s a limit.

By
25

As a Thanksgiving treat, Jonah invites Chris “Giblets” Stirewalt—his favorite Gen X nostalgist—back on The Remnant to dispense some ruthlessly rank punditry on the state of the 2024 election. With Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley now doing most of the fighting in the GOP primary, do either of them pose a viable threat to Donald Trump? And if the former president captures the nomination, what will that mean for an increasingly fragile-looking Joe Biden? You’ll also want to tune in to learn why men really think about the Roman Empire (yes, the issue is unresolved), and to learn some dark, turkey-related secrets.

Show Notes:

– Chris’ page at The Dispatch

– Chris interviews Mike Duncan on Ancient Rome

– Chris: “Nikki Haley’s Unproven Reserves”

– Ben Smith: “Why Nikki Haley is Ready for This Ugly Media Moment”

By
Comments (25)
Join The Dispatch to participate in the comments.
 
  1. IHfraser

    Carson Guest Hosts

    Joey Bishop (177 times, mostly in the 1960s)
    Joan Rivers (93, during the 1970s and 1980s)
    John Davidson (87)
    Bob Newhart (87)
    David Brenner (70)
    McLean Stevenson (58)
    Jerry Lewis (52, mostly in the 1960s)
    David Letterman (51, mostly between 1980 and 1981)

    Collapse
  2. Avatar photo
    Bill Dyer (aka Beldar)

    On the wall behind and above my computer monitor as I type this comment is this photo of the USS Zeilin (APA-3), streaming under the Golden Gate Bridge on June 30, 1945, after completing her permanent repairs from a kamikaze strike the previous January:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Zeilin_(APA-3)#/media/File:USS_Zeilin_APA-3.jpg

    My father was aboard as one of its junior officers, returning to the western Pacific after participating in the invasions of Guam, the Philippines, and Iwo Jima over the previous year. When the war ended in August, the Zeilin was preparing to embark troops to train for the invasion of mainland Japan.

    I put that photograph there precisely SO THAT I will think of World War 2 every single day. And I do.

    Collapse
  3. T_flight

    As a Yorkshireman now living in Texas, delighted to hear enthusiasm for Yorkshire puddings.

    Collapse
  4. Dhetzel1

    Where I think Jonah is wrong on the "how people process Trump's crazy statements" point is: the vast majority of Americans aren't processing them differently because they aren't actually hearing/reading them. Much of the worst that spews from him these days is via Truth Social, which has next to no eyes on it even amongst his diehard supporters, and major media has done an overcorrection from 2016 when they lavished free media on Trump by going out of their way to ignore what comes from him. Unless you're in a politically centered career or a diehard consumer of political media, you're probably blissfully unaware of 99% of what Trump sends out into the ether.

    Collapse
  5. Avatar photo
    Sayers

    Always enjoy Stirewalt but why haven't we had any rank punditry with Jim Geraghty in a while? Those were always some of my favorite episodes from the early Remnant.

    Collapse
  6. Avatar photo
    Ben Connelly

    Arma virumque cano!

    Translation: Of course men think about Rome every day, Mr. Stirewalt. (At least that’s what I think Virgil meant by those words…)

    Collapse
  7. Avatar photo
    Michelle O

    I was upset over Haley's anonymity comment not because I'm a huge DeSantis fan but because darn it, I thought she had less of an authoritarian tendency than DeSantis and Trump. Now I'm feeling like I'm back to square one: if both DeSantis and Haley are going to mouth right wing authoritarianism, who's left to vote for (that isn't a left wing authoritarian)?

    Collapse
  8. April

    Chris Stirewalt is always a fantastic guest! The only error I have heard him make is about stuffing. Best with pork sausage and chestnuts in it.

    Collapse
  9. Avatar photo
    Daniel.Standage

    I don’t know what to make of the immediate and effortless ease with which Jonah was able to come up with that “orifice” quip.

    Collapse
    1. Avatar photo
      John Lewis

      Right? Was that some recall to a prior or another’s joke? Or did his brain fire that off as original inspiration? Pure genius. But in a very immature way. Perfect.

      Collapse
  10. Brett F

    You should snip the Stirewalt monologue from around 45:30 to 54:15 for a Skiff episode. That might have been the most clear-eyed presentation on why Trump must be defeated that I've heard. Thanks!

    Collapse
Load More