The Lobster Effect

We all need that sweet, sweet pillow money.

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Today’s dyspeptic Ruminant finds Jonah wading through the swampy wreckage of the Republican intellectual movement in an attempt to give new meaning to the phrase “crushing morosity.” From the GOP’s weakness in the face of populism to the loss of objective standards, Jonah tackles all the most important questions facing the right. Why do Fox viewers need safe spaces? What made Trump’s ineffectual trollishness so appealing to so many? And how much screaming of “I told you so” is too much?

Show Notes:

– Jonah: “Donald Trump’s Megaphone”

– Jonah: “In a Slow-Motion Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Media Figures Embrace Trump One by One”

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  1. Avatar photo
    PC Albright

    Love the Remnant and been a listener for years now. But...you need to stop trying to do math😁. Fibonacci numbers have nothing to do with fractals.

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  2. Avatar photo
    KLeeC

    I just want to say thank you, Jonah. I've now listened three times, and it is all so well said. The two people I have shared it with agree as well.

    The last few podcasts have been spectacular.

    ... And when people are flailing in a river after throwing deadly rocks at you for warning them the bridge is out, you have every right to rise up and say they should have listened.

    You actually have a, responsibility, so people learn to listen.

    Of course they will pretend not to be flailing, or distract from their failures by accusing you of being haughty, but that's because they are the type of people who ignore warnings and crash into rivers... And deflect guilt instead of owning and fixing even their destructive failures.

    Bless you for all you do.

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  3. Joe1776

    I am sure sometime decades ago I said something like "There are many dishonest smarmy people in politics and news." So can I now say "I told you so!"? I think most of the world knew Tucker Carlson lacks principles.

    I don't really care about the dominion and Tucker Carlson suit. I read some of the brief from dominion because someone from the dispatch recommended it. It was what I would expect in a legal brief but nothing surprising at all. They use a variety quotes that make Fox look bad and they may ultimately win their suit. Many of the quotes are vague and hard to place in context, and some look more damaging than others. But News organizations, left and right, often defame people/companies. Dominion just has the funding to pursue it. If there is something in there that is so earth shattering then you will have to explain what it is because I don't follow the news on that claim.

    You seem to be suggesting that Republicans should have impeached Trump to save the party or something. I don't think political considerations should come into play. I think at the very least the president should be guilty of a "high crime or misdemeanor." If he is not then you shouldn't impeach. 3 years later and no one in the DOJ or any States attorney's office has brought any criminal charges relating to the impeachment claims. I'm not sure how it is "obvious" that he should have been impeached.

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  4. Avatar photo
    Bill Dyer (aka Beldar)

    If there are two things we know that Tucker Carlson truly believes, they are: (1) The election was stolen from Trump; and (2) MyPillow cures "not only insomnia but also such ailments as sleep apnea, fibromyalgia, and even multiple sclerosis." Link: https://www.consumerreports.org/my-pillow/my-pillow-health-claims-lawsuit-settlement/

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    Michael Garrett

    I have found that once I am in a position to say “I told you so!” voicing it is far less gratifying, far less useful than I had previously fantasized about. Granted, these situations are not as public and consequential as Jonah’s.

    It seems like there should be a German word for the kind of evaporation of satisfaction for being right. If there were, we could count on Jonah to know it.

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  6. Jamesmullen

    Please, I’m begging you. Your podcasts are full of incite and verve, but enough of the conservative bashing however well deserved.

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    1. Avatar photo
      KLeeC

      Not that Jonah needs me to point this out, but serious conservatives with vision don't stop criticizing wrong turns.

      Caving in to calls like yours is exactly what *predictably* got us in the horrible mess we are in.

      If all conservatives had held Trump's and others' feet to the fire and insisted we all stand with reality and ethics instead of selling our souls to cheer our emperor's clothes, we would have a GOP of serious people who make the country better. Instead, most did sell out (in public).. So we have a clown car GOP that serious people want no part of.

      This is The Remnant. AKA those who have not sold our souls and minds to tribalism.

      Bless Jonah, Steve, and all here who have sacrificed so much to stand strong for truth and reason.

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      1. Jamesmullen

        KLee - You may want to re-read my comment. I was commenting on recidivistic bashing, not the content. I have heard Jonah say on previous Remnant podcasts as well as a recent Dispatch Podcast that he did not want to become a professional Fox News basher...and yet, lately he seems to. I expect more of his sagacity and delightful whimsy...with David French gone, and Steve Hayes having Trump live rent-free in his head, there's just Sarah and Jonah left. Sorry if my comment offended you...I thought my $100 paid subscription gave me the ability to comment. I want the Dispatch to be better than what passes for commentary on Fox, CNN, and MSNBC. Sorry, you took offense.

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        1. Mwupton

          I think context is important here. After having to give testimony as a third party in a multi-billion dollar civil suit, and then seeing quotes come out from written communications that the opinion superstars at FoxNews were feckless, lying, and irresponsible which support exactly what you have been saying about them for years, I'd be taking a week to talk about it.

          The problem with the cable news channels is that they often omit context or exaggerate their positions for fan service or party hackery. In context, and without exaggeration, FoxNews deserves the scorn heaped upon them in this moment.

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          1. Jamesmullen

            Mwupton, hello. Scorn is not worth anyone’s time when the scorn applies to the obvious. I think I will see if I can recoup some of my paid subscription.

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  7. Avatar photo
    Ben Connelly

    I, for one, would love to hear that Scent of a Woman rant. Really enjoyed that movie, especially the speech, but I also had problems with it. I don’t like the implication that the honorable thing to do is not to be a snitch (the honorable thing to do is not tolerate cheating or stealing). Technically, you can make an argument that it isn’t a “don’t rat your classmates” message, because Charlie’s integrity is implicated not by his refusal to snitch but by his refusal to give in to extortion. Thus, at first the honorable thing to do is probably to tell the truth about what happened, and then when he is pressured in corrupt ways the honorable thing to do is to refuse to cooperate.

    Still, I want to hear the rant. There’s definitely good criticism to be leveled at that movie.

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  8. Shbier

    Definitely enjoyed the “Jonah Goldberg Revenge Tour” Good stuff. I’d buy the concert tee!

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  9. The.Cullens

    I have a question. Did you leave NR because they wold not let you do what you wished to do, or did you leave because it was not the proper platform to do it from. If you could expand on it for someone who doesn’t know how media works I’d appreciate that.

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  10. Avatar photo
    Tracie

    Glad to hear you're changing up the ad service. It pops in at weird times and can't decide if I'm a Hispanic woman interested in very emotional appeals to protect my family, a man who really wants a better shave, or a career changer who wants an MBA.

    Would much rather be sold whiskey and cigars.

    Since I almost always listen on Spotify, have to tolerate ads. Even though I pay TD $100/year and Spotify $10/month. At least it's less ads. How annoying they are matters a lot.

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