Season’s Groanings

More satire, less journalism.

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As 2022 winds down, Kevin Williamson returns to the Remnant for some wide-ranging sociopolitical nerdery. He and Jonah explore what characterizes effective social policy, why it pays to be skeptical of new ideas, and what makes no sense about the American tax system. They also provide a modicum of more lighthearted punditry on the George Santos debacle and indulge in a lengthy discussion of the gun debate. Tune in for explanation, but stick around for obfuscation.

Show Notes:

– Kevin’s page at The Dispatch

– Kevin: “A Guide to Guns”

– Nick Catoggio: “The Talented Mr. Santos”

– Jonah: “Something Short of Tragic”

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Comments (50)
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  1. Jamesfrey2001

    According to Jonah, only 0.01% of the population likes words? The fact that he's probably right just depressses me.

    Otherwise, this was a great podcast -- and I need a new podcast now that Mad Dogs & Englishmen has come to an end.

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    Antebellum Whig

    Jonah has groused about this enough that I want to share the following apt observation from our friend Nietzsche:

    "Only as creators! -- This has given me the greatest trouble and still does: to realize that what things are called is incomparably more important than what they are. The reputation, name, and appearance, the usual measure and weight of a thing, what it counts for -- originally almost always wrong and arbitrary, thrown over things like a dress and altogether foreign to their nature and even to their skin -- all this grows from generation to generation, merely because people believe in it, until it gradually grows to be part of the thing and turns into its very body. What at first was appearance becomes in the end, almost invariably, the essence and is effective as such. How foolish it would be to suppose that one only needs to point out this origin and misty shroud of delusion in order to destroy the world that counts for real, so-called 'reality.' We can destroy only as creators. --- But let us not forget this either: it is enough to create new names and estimations and probabilities in order to create in the long run new 'things.'"

    F. Nietzsche, The Gay Science (1882), Book II, Sec. 58.

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  3. Charley

    On the Trump tax returns: The reason it's good (though I agree, also pointless) to release them, is that we have a long standing social contract that presidents release their taxes publicly. Trump failed to voluntarily uphold that contract, but it's fine that he was instead forced to uphold it (super belatedly). I think it would be a heck of a lot better to pass a law about this instead of this ad hoc action, but this is fine too. It isn't comparable to releasing a private citizen's taxes; the comparison point is other presidents. He was the outlier in that group and no longer is.

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  4. Meg E

    Thank you for podcasting this week! I’m missing all the regular dispatch podcasts, and it was so nice to have this one. I hope that next year there are some prerecorded podcasts to listen to over the holiday. Looks like we know who has the real flagship podcast.

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  5. Genxinc

    Thanks for developing new content to post this week. Much appreciated!

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    Ben Connelly

    Yes! One last Mad Dogs and Englishmen from the bar! I can’t wait.

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    Ben Connelly

    I’ve got to get one of those EconTalk beanies!

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  8. Tedsisson

    Can this become a regularly scheduled episode? Maybe once a month? Excellent conversation. I think it was KW who made a passing reference to Murray Rothbard. I know neither of you think much of Rothbard, but would you consider having someone from the Mises Institute on to discuss anything? Maybe Bob Murphy? You could bond over your mutual distain for Paul Krugman.

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    Mkapnick

    I always enjoy hearing/reading what is going on in Jonah's misshapen noggin. And, I always enjoy hearing/reading what is inside KDW’s more well-rounded noggin.

    Having them together is always like a recess peanut butter cup surprise with the chocolate and peanut butter mixed together (I guess that was redundant. Of course the peanut butter and chocolate are mixed together if it is a recess peanut butter cup surprise).

    I still would like to promote the idea of a Jonah/KDW/Stirewalt road show on motorcycles crisscrossing the country, though to the extent the logistics of that are difficult (and in the likely case that Jonah does not know how to ride a motorcycle) maybe just a Remnant extravaganza with all three or said gents on Dispatch Live some Tuesday. I don’t know why, I just think it would be fun and interesting (and funny).

    PS: Of course, Jonah could not leave the double entendre untouched!

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  10. Michael.Mcchesney

    I really enjoyed this podcast, right up until the end when Jonah bad mouthed the most important holiday of the year. But he went on to make clear he was talking about New Years Eve. Actually, I kind of agree with him about Times Square. I used to work in an office overlooking Times Square and I never even bothered watching the ball drop from my office window. I usually don't even stay up on New Year's Eve till midnight. But New Years Day aka my birthday is an extremely important holiday. I will be 55 on the first day of 2023. The old double nickel. Steve told me recently that when the Dispatch hosts a meetup in NYC he will toast that I am older than he is. I'm older than Jonah too. He should be grateful New Year's exists or he would quickly pass me age wise. That math works, right? If not I blame my advanced age. I may only be 55, but I have the health and vigor of a man twice my age.

    I hope that everyone that works at or subscribes to the Dispatch had a Merry Christmas/preferred holiday and has a very Happy My Birthday.

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