Dialing in from the mystical land of Indiana, Jonah Goldberg ruminates upon Lord Acton’s parable of absolute power and abject corruption, the distinction between good manners and draconian DEI policies, the distinction between market signaling and sound business decisions, and the vice signaling dominating the right in anticipation of Trump’s ascension.

Show Notes:

—The Arms of Krupp

—A 2002 vintage Goldberg from the cellar

—Further rumination on Trumpian corruption

The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here.

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Dr. Hal Brands joins Jonah to discuss the future of global alliance blocs, China and Russia’s material interests, and how to cut a nuclear deal with Iran. Stay tuned for a reality check on the Greenland acquisition plan. Brands is a professor of global affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, a senior fellow at AEI, and most recently author of The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern Century.

Show Notes:

—Purchase Brand’s book, The Eurasian Century, here

—Brand’s AEI Page

The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here.

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Dispatch in-house California expert James P. Sutton joins Jonah Goldberg to provide a sober, conspiracy-free evaluation of the catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles County. James and Jonah weigh the extent of human error versus political error, disastrous insurance policy failures, and how public officials can best ensure that something like this never happens again. Plus: the role of climate change and what makes for a fair accusation of blame.

Show Notes:

—CalFire Dashboard

—Best Friend’s Foundation

—LA Times: How To Help

The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here.

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Sir Jonah Goldberg, the earl of The Dispatch, uses his teatime to discuss his preference for the Dutch masters, the Stranger Things play, and Henry VIII’s array of underwear models. Somehow, he ties it all back to personal pluralism, forestry management, the abject failures of democratic city governance, and Donald Trump's new imperial ambitions.

Show Notes:

—Cross & Country with Jonathan Rauch

—The firefighter X discourse

—Jonah’s appearance on The Charles C.W. Cooke Podcast

—Catoggio on Greenland

The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here.

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Jonah Goldberg had an insatiable hankering for beans on toast and has thus opted to abandon ye loyal listeners for an English vacation. To fill the Jonah-shaped vacuum, Sarah Isgur and Michael Warren of Dispatch fame have revived The Collisionto talk all things legal and presidential one last time.

They cover the latest developments in Donald Trump’s New York criminal case and classified documents case before turning to the question of January 6 pardons. Say what you will about the president-elect, he sure does give our hosts a plethora of material to work with.

Show Notes:

—Read The Collision archives

The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here.

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Brookings Institution senior fellow and best-selling author Jonathan Rauch has returned to The Remnant once more to subject his latest book to Jonah Goldberg’s barrage of inquiry. The book in question, Cross Purposes: Christianity’s Broken Bargain with Democracy, seeks to remind Americans that liberalism cannot function without strong Christian institutions and argues that living the Christian doctrine could help fix our democracy.

Jonah and Jonathan discuss new ways to protect American pluralism, spiritual formation in the civic realm, and the admirable strategies of the Church of Latter-day Saints.

Show Notes:

—Buy Cross Purposes here

—G-File: Slog and Sacrifice

The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here.

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After attending to the various and sundry, Jonah Goldberg explains why you should read George Orwell's Politics and the English Language, why the conflation between "the swamp" and "the deep state" irritates him so much, and the issue with saying "Trump is Hitler."

Show Notes:

—Jonah's debate with Charles Kesler

—Liberal Fascism

—Kevin Williamson on the Deep State and Vikings

—Kevin Williamson on Jimmy Carter

The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here.

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On the first Remnant episode of 2025, Jonah Goldberg is joined by Chris Stirewalt to discuss the ethical implications of doing something “country style,” debate who made the biggest political mistake of 2024, and dive into the strategic value of “popularism.” Few are more qualified than Chris to kick off another year of punditry, eggheadery, rabbit holes, and rumination.

Show Notes:

—Jonah’s LA Times Column

The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here.

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Jonah Goldberg is joined by Virginia Postrel, the former editor of Reason magazine, best-selling author, and contributing editor for Works In Progress to discuss technocrat schadenfreude, selective dynamism, and Jonah’s Burkean sympathies. Plus: a discussion on the right-wing version of utopia and the myths of American nostalgia.

Show Notes:

—Virginia’s latest book, Fabric of Civilization

—Virginia’s Substack

—A Video Introduction to Dynamism

The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here.

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Jonah Goldberg jubilantly welcomes the new year with a responsible intake of schadenfreude, as MAGAworld tumbles into disarray over immigration. Will the unprecedented wisdom of tech bros solve all the intractable problems that have plagued our country for years or just most of them? Tune in to this Ruminant for a tour of the race-baiting and loathing on the far right.

Warning: Please consult a doctor if your schadenfreude lasts longer than four hours.

Show Notes:

-Elon's God Complex, per Mr. Goldberg

-Nick Catoggio on the Elon/MAGA break up

The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here.

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Once again, Jonah Goldberg has received countless requests from the children of the world for some serious conservative eggheadery for Christmas. Ever benevolent, Jonah has obliged by hosting Richard Reinsch, the Editor in Chief of the Civitas Outlook at the University of Texas to discuss how conservatives can reform existing institutions from the inside out. Jonah and Richard also cover the legitimacy of Trump’s perceived mandate, the merits of competitive federalism, the storied history of conservative doomcasting, and the future of the Republican party.

Show Notes:

—Tevi’s Commentary piece on the Obama fallout

—Learn more about Civitas

The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here.

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