The Ruminant

Welcome back to Jonah’s Fortress of Solitude on this latest solo episode of The Remnant. ...

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Welcome back to Jonah’s Fortress of Solitude on this latest solo episode of The Remnant. On the docket today are topics like subsidiarity in a crisis, Samuel Taylor Coleridge (which Jonah struggles to pronounce), and listener feedback from The Dispatch comments section.


Show Notes:

–The Quart of Blood Technique

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Comments (82)
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  1. Adam Wildavsky

    Thanks for a great episode, Jonah!

    I have to take issue with a couple things you mentioned in passing.

    First, you took issue with price controls but said you'd have no problem prosecuting a "bro" who stockpiled hand sanitizer before the crisis hit full-on and sold it at a good profit. This is just the market we love in action. He is helping sharpen the price signal we need, including the one that tells Gojo that they need to start making more Purell. Prohibiting these kinds of voluntary transactions can only lead to mischief, and even the threat that they might be prohibited does tremendous harm.

    Second, you mentioned the so-called precautionary principle as something which ought to be followed. Alas, it is a poor principle indeed. As Michael Crichton noted:

    "The precautionary principle, properly applied, forbids the precautionary principle. It is self-contradictory. The precautionary principle therefore cannot be spoken of in terms that are too harsh."

    And my dad wrote:

    "The precautionary principle is a marvelous piece of rhetoric. It places the speaker on the side of the citizen—I am acting for your health—and portrays the opponents of the contemplated ban or regulation as indifferent or hostile to the public’s health. The rhetoric works in part because it assumes what actually should be proved, namely that the health effects of the regulation will be superior to the alternative. This comparison is made possible in the only possible way—by assuming that there are no health detriments from the proposed regulation.

    If one is concerned primarily with health, then the question for any regulation ought to be whether the health gains associated will outweigh the health costs. This is precisely the calculation the precautionary principle says we need not make."

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  2. David Murphey

    Some thoughts about Trump's Federalistic response to the pandemic.
    All have to do with his character.
    First point: Trump is a bully. Most bullies are actually cowards who hide behind a facade of bravado.
    This crisis has revealed his cowardice. It's a cop out to defer to the governors.
    Second point: He's intellectually lazy. To really take on this crisis would require him to use his brain in ways that he is either unequipped or unwilling.
    Third point: There's no populistic position to take. His whole political persona has been us against them. There's no one for him to demonize.
    Last point: There's no way to really make this about him. As a narcissist, he has no real interest in this because, ultimately, he sees so self-interest in it. The virus has taken the focus off of him. So why should he care?

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      Man-Eating Cow

      It may well suit Trump to be able to defer to the governors for ignoble reasons, but there is actually a constitutional case that that's the right thing to do.

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      1. David Murphey

        Of course, but if he is truly making a Constitutional consideration, it would be the first time. He doesn't think that way. I'm just doing what Jonah doesn't like for people to do to him - trying to understand Trump's motives.

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          Man-Eating Cow

          I think it's a mistake to try to understand what Trump is thinking, since he so seldom does.

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    Shawn Gallagher

    Jonah,

    I finally listened to this podcast this morning. I don't want to give you a comment about complaining how The Dispatch has operated. I have been very happy with the content so far, especially the daily email. It's very insightful and fair.

    I feel like the people that are complaining about The Dispatch are the ones confusing it with The Bulwark. I get the Bulwark emails and subscribe to their podcasts (I am not a paid member). There are people I like and have corresponded with over there (especially JVL), but some days I feel like they just won't say something nice about Trump (on the occasion he made the right decision). The Dispatch has been very fair in it's coverage of the president and that is what I appreciate. It's exactly what I signed up for.

    Back when you were starting out with The Remnant you made the suggestion to support the media you appreciate by subscribing. I thought that was a very thoughtful and correct way to repay their efforts, because of this I became an NRPlus member and Commentary subscriber (Don't tell Rob, but I haven't signed up for Ricochet yet). I have added The Dispatch to my subscriptions and a couple of Patreon memberships for The Fifth Column (Welch, Moynihan, Foster) and VS Media (Stephen Miller)(not that Stephen Miller!!!) Supporting these organizations with my $$$ gives me satisfaction that I am engaged in their success and I feel grateful for the opportunity to support people I respect who keep me informed and especially entertained.

    Thanks again for what you are doing. An informed electorate is always searching for the truth; not just what they want to hear. I know that the integrity of the people involved in this venture will present items in a fair way. That is worth the $$$.

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      C C Writer

      I, too, believe in the paid media model. Overall it is the best deal. When you pay someone, they owe you something, and regular payment gives them the resources to deliver it consistently. Subscribers are treated as key stakeholders, not as tangental, and feedback is more possible. And the amount of money per subscriber for these effects to be felt is generally a reasonable one.

      I might add that it's important to subscribe to local media, too, because the local level is where we can act, and where we can cooperate with our neighbors regardless of national politics and devise workable solutions because we have practical common interests and human sympathies. And it is through paid local media that I learn about these issues and opportunities.

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        C C Writer

        tangential

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  4. Nathan Shiba

    "You might as well have said, You're angry at Trump because vests have no sleeves. . . "

    The Dispatch owes me a new keyboard because I spit coffee across mine when i heard that line! Just so friggin funny!

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    Bart Hickman

    I want to clarify that the transporter on Star Trek does in fact perform a “copy-murder-paste” operation. There have been episodes that even clarified this fact (malfunction causes original copy to not be destroyed and then you have two copies.)

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      Man-Eating Cow

      Star Trek jumped the shark for me on the episode where Tuvac and Neelix got merged by a transporter accident into a single character that was far more interesting than either. Then Janeway killed this character to get the other two back. Y'know? Janeway, Tuvac, and Neelix are the only characters from Voyager whose names I could immediately remember. Well, and "The Doctor", who come to think of it was a more interesting character than the flesh and blood ones. When the holographic projection is the most interesting character in your television series, you're just going through the motions.

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    Andrew

    I am really enjoying these audio g-files. keep them coming :)

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  7. GusABQ

    I think that bad reviews are like 1-3 stars on Amazon. There may be good information, but if not, you might as well ignore them. I listen because I'm looking for an intelligent informed opinion. Cheerleading for the Republican party isn't of much use, since you don't learn anything that way

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    Daniel Vaughan

    Just chiming in to say I love these new "rumination" podcasts and hope they stay. If you don't like that name, go with "Captain's Log" with JG, since its kind of like listening to the beginning of a Star Trek episode.

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    Collin

    I like what The Dispatch has done so far. Its work provides information filtered through an openly acknowledged perspective rather than PR-statements/political spin masquerading as journalism. That data is helpful, even in a time where discussion of elections have receded into background, due to Covid-19. However, the conversations about the virus still follow a similar pattern to the period before the pandemic. Some people insisted that the disease would kill 1-2 million Americans, while others insisted that it was a hoax or bio-weapon designed to harm the Trump presidency. Both claims struck me as flawed. When I voiced those opinions, I found myself attacked from both sides. Covid-19 has led to a tendency to hide my true opinions, when anything remotely political comes up to avoid difficult and unnecessary arguments, just as I did before the virus reared its head. The Dispatch provides content, even when I disagree with some of it, that doesn’t make me feel like I’m reading someone’s fever dream or trying find my bearings in a partisan hall of mirrors. That makes me feel less like I’m taking crazy pills. I’ll admit to being outside the political mainstream. I’m also honestly confused as to why people are offended about having to provide arguments for their claims. At least the Dispatch provides evidence and arguments for a point, even if I disagree with some of its conclusions.

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    Doug Palzer

    Hi Jonah, I’ve been listening to you for about a year now after discovering both you and David French as the most thoughtful NRO contributors. I sincerely enjoy your podcasts, and as a young person, I was thrilled to hear you were forming The Dispatch to provide thorough, honest coverage of today’s political and ideological landscape. I was so excited, in fact, that I became a member despite the charge leaving my bank account in double digits. There’s much too much party-activism and frankly, flat out yellow journalism for my taste, and I commend you for remaining “The Remnant.”

    The solo “Ruminant” experiment is a success in my opinion. I really appreciate your addressing of comments directly, and while I’ve yet to disagree forcefully enough to put pen to paper, it’s reassuring to know when the time comes, I may just get a thoughtful, peaceable rebuke. Your stand on being true to your principles and refusing to act as an organ for a political party is one any honest writer should at least strongly consider.

    Thank you and the rest of The Dispatch team!

    (My one critique is The Remnant intro music. I’m sorry if I’m offending anyone, but it’s awful! Perhaps it’s a reference my swinely youth obscures for me, but it’s gotta go!)

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