The Remnant kicks off 2023 in appropriately rank fashion today, as Megan McArdle returns to the program for some eggheady musings on what the new year could bring for our legislative branch, parties, and broader political culture. She and Jonah begin by examining the state of Congress and what we can do to fix it, before turning to some pressing questions. Will cryptocurrency conquer the world? How does transparency harm institutions? And will the Republican Party start inching back toward sanity anytime soon?

Jonah brings 2022 to a close in typically freewheeling fashion on today’s Ruminant, which aims to provide a minimal amount of crushing morosity. He kicks things off by exploring the Southwest Airlines meltdown and why airline disasters are uniquely infuriating, before turning to the inefficiency of big government, how pandemics and other crises can affect economies, and what can go wrong when we mix up our gemeinschafts. Plus, stick around for a discussion of how fusion power could solve our environmental problems, some obligatory Marx bashing, and a few words about the state of The Dispatch. Happy New Year!

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.

It’s Christmas Eve, and what’s more germane to the holiday season than some lengthy rambling about authoritarianism? Of course, today’s Ruminant is a little more nuanced than that. It also digs into how political states emerge in the first place, why Russia is becoming a “really crappy” country, and how to distinguish between valid criticism of American foreign policy toward Ukraine and toadying to Vladimir Putin. On the lighter side, Jonah also answers a few questions that arose after the week’s earlier episode with the Fair Jessica. We wish you all a wonderful holiday!

On today’s Remnant, Jonah’s esteemed wife and bear skeptic, Jessica Gavora (aka the Fair Jessica), makes her highly anticipated return. The two JGs explore some more nerdish topics than last time, including what it takes to be a successful ghostwriter, how the right changed during the Trump years, and what it’s like writing speeches for prominent politicians. They also touch on a few personal subjects, including memories of Jonah’s mom, the recent trip to Istanbul, and Jessica’s current book project (she needs your help!). Plus, stick around until the end to hear Jessica make her best case against human-bear interaction.

During his wild European vacation last week, Jonah didn’t follow the news too closely. To catch himself up, he invites The Dispatch’s own Andrew Egger back to the Remnant for some intensely rank punditry. Together, they explore the biggest and strangest stories currently unfolding in politics, including Kevin McCarthy’s bid for House speaker, Ron DeSantis’ attack on vaccines, and Donald Trump’s criminal referral. Plus, they offer some musings on the 2024 election and the horrors of Trump trading cards.

With Jonah off on a clandestine mission to Turkey, Chris Stirewalt takes his place in the Remnant captain’s chair for a wonktastic dive into American demography. His guest is Dr. Richard Alba, a sociologist and the author of The Great Demographic Illusion: Majority, Minority, and the Expanding American Mainstream, which explores America’s changing racial makeup and the increasing prevalence of Americans born from mixed families. Their discussion touches on a number of pressing questions. Can we rely on Census data? What does assimilation mean in America today? And how can we create more opportunities for young Americans to move into?

Dedicated Remnant listeners may recall that in 2019, Jonah stopped by the headquarters of the Illinois Policy Institute to record a special, Chicago-centric episode. On his recent voyage to the Windy City, Jonah returned to the institute to record a follow-up with its president, Matt Paprocki. Together, they discuss the challenges facing Chicago, how conservatives can win Illinois, and what policies should be pursued to lift people out of poverty. Tune in for the wonkery, but stick around to find out how many obscure nicknames for Chicago are lodged in Jonah’s brain.

Today’s Ruminant, recorded live from an undisclosed hotel in the depths of Chicago, finds Jonah even more scatterbrained than usual. Although he begins by discussing the nature of the First Amendment and why Twitter isn’t at the heart and soul of American democracy, he quickly abandons rank punditry and veers in a radically different direction. With a vacation in Istanbul coming up, Jonah tells the long, strange tale of his first visit to the city, which may or may not evoke comparisons to Midnight Express. It’s an unconventional episode, but don’t say you weren’t warned.

Jonathan Rauch, beloved scholar at the otherwise hated Brookings Institution, returns to the Remnant for some spirited kvetching about primaries, polarization, and the state of democracy. He and Jonah also mix in some ruminations on the Republican Party’s dysfunction, the nature of racism in contemporary American society, and how identity politics radicalizes people. Be ready with your bingo cards.

Heroic wonksplainer Scott Lincicome is back on the Remnant to discuss his new book, Empowering the American Worker: Market‐​Based Solutions for Today’s Workforce, which examines what effective pro-worker policies should look like in today’s political climate. Predictably, things get nerdy, as the conversation explores education policy, the demands of urban living, and the great vampire-werewolf debate (tune in for clarification). Where is the government going wrong in its approach to the workforce? Can relying on the free market ever create problems? And how bullish should we be about remote work?

Finally on the verge of overcoming his lingering COVID symptoms, Jonah approaches today’s rambly Ruminant with renewed verve. After tackling the strangeness of Elon Musk’s Twitter reign and the freakishness of Kanye West, he explores how Trumpification has changed the right and what sane Republicans can do to move forward. From there, things get philosophical, as Jonah examines the nature of ethical universals and what specifically is immoral about authoritarian regimes. Finally, things conclude with some sweet, nourishing dog content.

It’s been a while since the Remnant featured a dog expert, but today, Dr. Alexandra Horowitz—a professor at Barnard College of Columbia University—joins the program to fill that void. Some seriously rank cynology ensues, as Jonah and Alexandra explore everything you could ever want to know about canine cognition. Do dogs have a unique friendship with humans, or are they just social parasites? Why do dogs react in different ways to different people? And are dog shows a stain on mankind?

Revitalized after his latest struggle with COVID, Jonah invites AEI senior fellow and foreign policy expert Michael Rubin back to the Remnant to discuss how America should respond to challenges posed by China, Russia, and the Middle East. Should the U.S. government embrace regime change? What’s at stake for the West in Taiwan and Ukraine? And should we be optimistic about liberalism in China and Iran?

Last year, Remnant regular Matt Ridley published Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19, which explored the theory that the virus leaked from a laboratory. Today, he’s back on the program to discuss how things have changed since the book’s publication with a suitably COVID-addled Jonah. Has the lab-leak theory become more persuasive? Did the pandemic fuel a backslide in vaccinations? And can Britons and Americans ever resolve their linguistic differences?

After a long and draining week of speeches, fancy dinners, and finally acknowledging the existence of his intern, Jonah phones in the beginning of today’s Ruminant by simply reading through the stories in Friday’s Morning Dispatch. Luckily, things quickly pick up speed when Jonah turns to a wacky article by the mother of the recently disgraced CEO of FTX on why we should abandon the concept of personal responsibility. A lengthy philosophical discussion follows on the problems inherent in critical analysis, the necessity of pricing signals, and why bad ideas must be taken seriously. Following some thoughts on judicial activism and the future of the Federalist Society, Jonah wraps things up by discussing hope, optimism, and the nature of despair.

In recovery mode from a hectic period of midterm punditry, Jonah invites his immigrant amanuensis Guy back to the Remnant to spend some time answering listener questions. A strange and broad conversation ensues, as Jonah provides some rank predictions for the 2024 election cycle, reflects on his career in blogging, and indulges in a few fiendishly nerdy asides about Marvel and Star Trek. And of course, he can’t resist interrogating Guy about his recent voyage on a Kiss-themed cruise.

With demand for rank election punditry at historically high levels, Chris Stirewalt captains today’s Remnant voyage through the convoluted current of midterm results. He’s joined by trusted wonk Ruy Teixeira to discuss the 2022 turnout numbers, the nature of “normie” voters, and the inevitable overinterpreting of Democrats’ success in grasping only a small defeat out of the jaws of a much larger one. Demography-galore abounds in the second half of the show, as Chris and Ruy analyze future trends, crackpot electoral theories, and how Democrats should approach the Lovecraftian maw of the 2024 election.

Trapped in the urban prison popularly referred to as Manhattan, Jonah surrenders to the call of rank punditry and discusses the midterm results on today’s Ruminant. How did the Republicans squander such an obviously winnable election, and what role did Trump play in the disaster? Furthermore, could Biden really win again in 2024? Have Jonah’s views on Ron DeSantis shifted? And should these results inspire hope that conservatism can right itself?

AEI Senior Fellow Ken Pollack returns to the Remnant for a wonktastic discussion of the Middle East. With continued Iranian protests dominating international headlines, the conversation centers on the stability of the Iranian regime, the goals of the Iranian people, and how the United States should respond. Why do continued mass demonstrations in Iran seem to be an intellectual afterthought in the West? What will happen to Iran’s nuclear program if its government collapses? And what are the best things the Biden administration could do to help the Iranian people?

Shadi Hamid of the hated Brookings Institution returns to the Remnant to discuss his new book, The Problem of Democracy: America, the Middle East, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea. He and Jonah engage in a nerdtastic exploration of democracy—its strengths, its weaknesses, and how it should be understood in the American context. What is “democratic minimalism,” and should we embrace it? Why is democracy particularly well suited to a society as large and diverse as the United States? And what should primary elections be replaced with?

Jonah finds himself unable to resist the allure of rank punditry on today’s Ruminant. He begins by describing how little he cares about the upcoming midterms before diving into a lengthy rant on that very matter. Next, he tackles the state of Trump’s continued influence on the Republican Party, the ills of the modern legislative process, and the undermining of confidence in elections by both parties. After a brief foray into John Dewey’s “screwed up” view of democracy, Jonah finishes the show with commentary on Putin’s rejection of liberal democratic capitalism, the hypocrisy of his attacks on America, and why Francis Fukuyama was right all along (again).

Addicted to the sensation of power that the Remnant command chair provides, Sarah Isgur takes control of the program once again. She’s joined by famed pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson to discuss the reliability of polls and the future of the polling industry, as well as the midterms and the 2024 presidential election. Tune in also to learn about Sarah’s spindrift habit, Kristen’s exceptional canine companion, and what really appeals to young voters.

The Remnant returns to normalcy today as Chris Stirewalt joins Jonah to provide a preview of the midterms. With only a week remaining until election day, what level of turnout should we expect? For that matter, will the Republicans enjoy a red tsunami? How will Dobbs influence the results? And what does the attack on Paul Pelosi reveal about our political climate?

Join Jonah on today’s solo episode as he remembers his mother, Lucianne Goldberg, who died peacefully this week surrounded by her people –– and pets! –– who loved her.