Ross Douthat takes his place in the Remnant five-timers club today, joining Jonah for a discussion of (what else?) the dysfunctional state of American politics. Unlike last time, however, the nudity is tasteful, the Exorcist references are sparse, and the tone is (slightly) more optimistic. Is the United States on the cusp of a new civil war, and what would that look like in practice? For that matter, why is Biden a less effective president than Bill Clinton? Can a case be made for mandatory voting? And is there anything worthwhile about Don’t Look Up?

Cato Institute economist Ryan Bourne joins The Remnant for the first time to discuss his new book, Economics in One Virus, which offers a crash course in economics using the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study. Over the last two years, many questions have been raised about America’s preparedness (or lack thereof) for the pandemic, and Ryan has answers. Did any country get COVID right? Why is testing still a mess? And is the libertarian movement as divided as the conservative movement?

A still Covid-brained Jonah does his first Ruminant of the new year today. Assuming most listeners are over the January 6th coverage, a brief point on the politics of that day leads the pod. Then, let’s talk about Fascism, baby. Then a potpourri of topics for you to enjoy this weekend. Why is the GOP so uncomfortable with January 6? What’s the deal with Fascism? How accurate was Ted Cruz’s impression from John Belushi in The Blues Brothers? What do pizza and sushi have to do with the role of the federal government?

Liquor connoisseur and noted Wisconsinite Christian Schneider joins The Remnant for the first time to discuss America’s strange plague of misinformation. In an age where politicians are incentivized to embrace ludicrous positions and all facts are negotiable, how can sanity be restored? For that matter, what’s wrong with modern political campaigns? Did God create Listerine? And what does the future hold for college education?

On 2022’s first Remnant, a COVID-addled Jonah is joined by fan-favorite guest Yuval Levin for a discussion of voting rights in America. Voting, Yuval argues, has never been easier, despite claims to the contrary made by progressive and conservative commentators alike. The real problem is that both parties are fueling a loss of public confidence in elections, and trust must be restored for American democracy to continue to function. Jonah also quizzes Yuval on his case for expanding the House of Representatives and what it means to be a “recovering political scientist.” Grab your bingo cards for a thoroughly wonky beginning to the year.

With 2021 drawing to a close, Jonah invites his vocal doppelganger, Chris Stirewalt, back to The Remnant for a recap of this bizarre year. The show begins with a small but satisfying amount of rank punditry on the fate of Build Back Better and the state of voting rights in America. After that, Jonah and Chris look back at the last 12 months by conducting a mock award ceremony, naming winners in various categories. Who was 2021’s biggest loser? What was the year’s most delightful pop culture surprise? And in which category will Chris select “America” as a surprise answer? Tune in for all of this and more, and remember: There’s no harm in revisiting and sharing some of your favorite Remnant episodes from earlier this year over the holiday season. See you in 2022!

Today’s Ruminant is all about privilege, and Jonah has many nerdy thoughts on the subject. He also offers plenty of anecdotes about day drinking, a few meditations on Build Back Better hitting a brick wall, and a disquisition on the nature of consumerism. How many varieties of privilege are there in America today? Why do certain people tend toward conservatism? And why has Jonah finally decided to open up about Fox News? Brace your bingo cards, too, because Jonah still can’t stop complaining about Theodor Adorno and his mythical authoritarian personality.

Sally Satel, a psychiatrist and lecturer at Yale, makes a long-awaited return to the Remnant to discuss the influence of woke culture on medical science. In our woke moment, Sally argues, doctors are at the mercy of “indoctrinologists” who want them to become more concerned with social activism than healing the sick. What’s driving this trend, and should we fear for the future of science? Furthermore, how has psychotherapy changed over the years? What can be done to address the opioid epidemic? And will people only get crazier as the COVID-19 pandemic refuses to end?

Brush up on your legalese, because Keith Whittington is back on the Remnant to poke plenty of fun at Advisory Opinions. Over the course of an exceptionally nerdy hour, he and Jonah explore the pros and cons of court packing and judicial term limits, occasionally stopping to discuss what would happen if the world were taken over by giant, hyper-intelligent ants. Are Supreme Court justices all partisan hacks? Why did Joe Biden establish the Supreme Court reform commission? And is there any real difference between lawyers and vampires?

Broadcasting live from Fargo (the movie is still better than the TV series), Jonah can’t help but spend most of today’s Ruminant gloating about how he’s been correct on recent issues ranging from the silliness of “Latinx” to the craziness of Tucker Carlson. Political demographics, the Omicron variant, and the future of conservatism are also discussed, but at the end of it all, one question remains: Is “I informed you thusly” a more satisfying phrase than “I told you so?”

Jonah reopens the emergency punditry supply on today’s Remnant, recorded live from the Bozeman Public Library. His guest is A.B. Stoddard, who believes the Democratic Party is poised to implode thanks to poor governance and the strange influence of wokeism. Together, they explore why both parties have alienated ordinary voters, why Nancy Pelosi stepping down could send the legislative branch into further disarray, and why Trump could win re-election in 2024 if Biden’s poll numbers don’t improve. Optimism, who needs it!

Michael Strain, economist at the American Enterprise Institute, returns to the Remnant today to explore the strange state of the American economy. Consumer demand for goods has skyrocketed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and supply chain chaos is dominating the headlines. In these unusual times, should conservatives embrace common good capitalism, or does zombie Reaganism still have plenty to offer? For that matter, which industries have been permanently changed by the pandemic? Have our lives actually improved since March 2020? And can even the most devoted Remnant listener tolerate more than 30 minutes of Jonah and Michael rambling about Battlestar Galactica?

The Remnant returns to the drive-time format to end the week, and the results are predictably unusual. Feast your ears on the eighth installment of this curio, in which Guy discusses the end of America’s “Remain in England” policy, Jonah ponders the appeal of cow brains and potted meat, and Ryan recounts his time as a Celtic warrior in the Irish mountains. Plenty of serious punditry is also included on the state of the COVID-19 pandemic, the appeal of right-wing grifters, and the rise of victimhood culture on college campuses. Tune in for a celebration of the legendary Tom Wolfe, but stick around to learn about some of the most depressing movies ever made.

Isolated and sleep-deprived in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest, Jonah once again attempts to fuse the classic Ruminant format with that of a supplemental episode. With the possibility that Supreme Court could overturn Roe v. Wade, a sea change could soon occur in American politics. Using an extract from The Tyranny of Clichés (still available wherever books are sold!), Jonah explores some of the most challenging questions surrounding the jurisprudence of abortion. When does life truly begin? Why are taboos so important? And are dogmas, religious and otherwise, fundamental to the health of a civilized society?

After a Thanksgiving hiatus, Jonah is back and ready to break open the strategic rank punditry reserve. His guest today is Chris Stirewalt, who’s concerned with only the most important questions of the political moment: Why are Americans terrified of clowns? Is there a better parent than television? And was Pete Buttigieg raised in a refrigerator box? Serious discussion is also mixed in on what we can expect in 2024 and why Build Back Better is the “kitchen junk drawer” of policy proposals. Recent events surrounding a certain cable news network might even be mentioned.

David Bahnsen, managing partner and chief investment officer at the Bahnsen Group, is back on The Remnant to explain why there really is no such thing as a free lunch, and to explore why some on the right now think we’d all be better off as serfs. With shameless book-plugging, David and Jonah also discuss the moral case for capitalism, the differences between cost-push and demand-pull inflation, and why the Japanification of the American economy won’t bode well for anyone. Zombie Reagan urges you to tune in!

Today’s Ruminant finds Jonah preparing for an epic journey to the Pacific Northwest, and he’d appreciate podcast recommendations for the long and lonely trip. With Thanksgiving approaching, he’s feeling grateful, but he’s also concerned about the conservative movement’s gradual shift away from the classical liberalism embedded in American culture. How do societies emerge? Will mankind ever learn not to immanentize the eschaton? And has American life officially become crazier than a late night Japanese game show?

In preparation for Thanksgiving, Jonah invites the latest gold jacket-wearer Will Saletan back on The Remnant to consider what, if anything, is so uniquely great about America. Their conversation quickly develops into a discussion of nationalism, universal principles, and whether America is simply an idea, with a generous amount of rank punditry mixed in for good measure. Is the COVID-19 pandemic over? What does the Virginia result mean for both parties? And can Biden’s presidency recover after a disastrous few months?

Remnant regular Matt Ridley is back to discuss the origins of COVID-19. Did the virus emerge from a lab? What would that mean for virological research? And how can we prepare ourselves for future pandemic? Broader scientific discussion is also mixed in on subjects ranging from climate change to mask-wearing. Lukewarm listeners are in for a treat.

On today’s Ruminant, Jonah is back in good health and high spirits, so much so that he can’t resist boasting about a meeting he enjoyed this week with former President Bush. He’s also concerned about the prospect of a second Trump presidency, intrigued by the debate over whether America was right to bomb Hiroshima, and fixated on George Will’s idea that history is shaped by “small, compact, idea-driven minorities.” Members of the ambivalent right will find much to appreciate. Show Notes: - The Remnant with George Will - Jonah on elites and Pareto distribution - The Remnant with Steve Teles - Shor thing - The Remnant with Jay Cost - The Remnant with Brian Riedl - Frankenstein revisited - American prohibition, colorized - Pew’s political typology test - Nikole Hannah-Jones on Hiroshima - Dan McLaughlin on the Meuse-Argonne Offensive - Trump sours on DeSantis - The Remnant with David Drucker - Cognitive limitations

Historian and AEI fellow Jay Cost is back on The Remnant to discuss his new biography of James Madison, which focuses on the political theory of Jonah’s favorite Founding Father. Jay and Jonah fuse rank punditry with historical nerdery to explore how a little Madisonian wisdom could go a long way toward solving our most pressing institutional challenges. What are the greatest misconceptions about Madison and the founding? How should the Declaration of Independence be understood? And could American politics use more smoke-filled rooms?   Show Notes: -Jay’s page at AEI -Jay’s previous Remnant appearance -Jonah and Jay on AEI’s Viewpoint -James Madison: America’s First Politician -Jay previews the book in the Wall Street Journal -Jay’s previous book, The Price of Greatness -Federalist 10 -Polybius (the historian, not the mythical video game) -Jefferson and Madison on Malthus -Why Nations Fail -Inventing Freedom, by Daniel Hannan -The Remnant with Steve Teles -Jonah: “That Shor Sounds Good” -The Remnant with Mike Duncan -The Webster-Hayne debate

David French takes control of The Remnant once again while Jonah is off to the long prairies of Texas. His guest is Curtis Chang, a theologian at Duke Divinity School and former Evangelical pastor. Together, David and Curtis explore the nature of vaccine skepticism among Evangelicals and the compatibility of Christianity and classical liberalism. They also preview a new podcast focused on the challenges facing American Christianity, Good Faith, which will premiere on The Dispatch later this month. Despite Jonah’s absence, make sure you tune in with bingo cards at the ready!   Show Notes: -Christians and the Vaccine -Curtis: “Our Fellow Evangelicals Need to Get Vaccinated” -David on Evangelical vaccine rejection -Curtis and David’s previous vaccine discussion -David Leonhardt on COVID’s partisan death toll -Classical liberalism and Christianity -David’s recent book, Divided We Fall -The conflict between Evangelical elites

The drive-time Remnant format returns today for a deep dive into the horrors of social media and book promotion. Though Jonah is on the mend after yesterday’s brush with an unfortunate stomach ailment, he still isn’t back to 100 percent. Thankfully, Guy and Ryan have been prepared to provide him with medical assistance and ensure his rants remain coherent. Will the Lincoln Project ever cease to irritate? Is Blade still the best comic book movie? And will Jonah soon follow his secret dream of becoming a bestselling sci-fi author? Tune in to hear these vital questions answered, and to learn why Spider-Man was the world’s first neoconservative.  Show Notes: - The Remnant with Matt Continetti - Dog whistling - The Lincoln Project’s tiki torch hoax - Jonah on “let’s go Brandon” - Online discourse - Facebook’s timely rebrand - The Remnant with Paul Bloom - “I just feel lost” - Eyes wide open - Heretics of Dune - Jonah debates Cenk Uygur - Jonah on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah

Glenn Youngkin’s victory in Virginia has raised plenty of questions: Will Republican candidates in 2022 emulate his style? Has Trump’s grip on the GOP loosened? And where exactly did Terry McAuliffe go wrong? Remnant stalwart Matt Continetti returns today to provide answers and engage in punditry so rank your head may spin. Tune in also for discussion of critical race theory, the future of the conservative movement, and Biden’s faltering presidency. And make sure you have your bingo cards on hand. Show Notes: - Matt’s page at the Washington Free Beacon - Matt’s previous Remnant appearance - Matt’s upcoming book, The Right - The Morning Dispatch breaks down Youngkin’s win - Frederick Hess: “The Right Way to Reject Critical Race Theory” - A smile and a fleece vest - The Wall Street Journal’s editorial on Youngkin’s victory - The Sean Parnell scandal - The Remnant with George Will - Jonah on the right’s Hungary obsession - “Nobody elected him to be FDR” - Democrats want another candidate on the ballot in 2024

Ross Douthat is back on The Remnant to discuss his new book, The Deep Places, a memoir of his six-year struggle with chronic illness. With numerous references to The Exorcist, Jonah and Ross take a deep dive into his ordeal, and even manage to mix in a generous amount of rank punditry on political tribalism and the conservative movement in the COVID era. Did Ross’ sickness cause him to reconsider his views on health care policy? How did he cope while enduring a period of prolonged suffering and isolation? And how has Donald Trump changed Republican politics? Show Notes: - Ross’ new book, The Deep Places - Ross’ page at National Review - Ross’ page at the New York Times - Ross is profiled in The Dispatch - Ross: “How I became a sick person” - The Invisible Kingdom, by Meghan O’Rourke - The Remnant with Paul Bloom - Mom Genes, by Abigail Tucker - John Tooby on coalitional instincts - R.R. Reno: “Say ‘No’ to Death’s Dominion” - Jonah: “The Treason of Epidemiologists”  - The Capitol rioters running for office