Jonah Goldberg never leaves you wondering what he thinks. Clear, bold, and exciting, Goldberg makes politics more fun than should be allowed. Goldberg has been a keen observer of conservative politics for nearly four decades. You might say he was the voice of Republicanism in America before President Donald Trump. He thinks deeply, reads widely, and is willing to change his mind. Don't miss this episode withJonah Goldberg, witty, thoughtful, and entertaining as always. From his website: "Jonah Goldberg is a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute where he holds the Asness Chair in Applied Liberty. In 2019, he left National Review magazine after a 21-year stint to cofound The Dispatch, where he is Editor-in-Chief. He has been a weekly columnist for the Los Angeles Times since 2005 and a nationally syndicated columnist since 2000. He hosts the popular podcast The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg. His syndicated column appears regularly in many of America’s leading newspapers. His first book, Liberal Fascism, was a #1 New York Times and Amazon bestseller and was selected as the #1 history book of 2008 by Amazon readers. His second book, The Tyranny of Clichés, was also an instant bestseller and hailed as perhaps “the best and most fun-to-read primer on the tenets of conservative politics since P. J. O’Rourke’s Parliament of Whores.” His most recent book, Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics Is Destroying American Democracy, was also a New York Times bestseller in 2018." Thanks for checking this out! Shawn Chapters and AI summary: Jonah Goldberg clarifies his consistent dislike of populism while distinguishing between necessary elites and irresponsible or hypocritical ones. He argues conservatism is rooted in prudence, trade-offs, and Burkean skepticism of one-size-fits-all principles, warning that ideologies claiming all good things align invite authoritarianism. Goldberg critiques technocracy and “value-neutral” pragmatism as rhetorical games used to short-circuit debate, linking moral-equivalent-of-war politics from Wilson through the New Deal to modern progressivism. He explains his idea that “complexity is a subsidy,” rewarding those with cognitive, financial, and social capital and fueling resentment. In discussing Suicide of the West, he argues capitalism, democracy, and rights are “unnatural” historical achievements deserving gratitude. He condemns Trump-era right-wing dishonesty, audience capture, and the erosion of character standards, and briefly addresses Canada’s politics and Trump’s treatment of Canada. 00:00 Populism and Elites 00:58 Poverty Wealth and Complexity 02:52 Trump and Character Test 03:21 Conservatism and Contradiction 05:42 Fusionism Tradeoffs and Prudence 08:51 One Thingism and Triage 13:46 Liberal Fascism Cover Controversy 16:42 New Right and Illiberal Turn 23:10 State Cannot Love You 23:45 Microcosm vs Macrocosm 32:42 Complexity as Subsidy Revisited 36:54 Tyranny of Cliches and Values 38:18 Values in Government 39:05 Liberal vs Progressive Labels 41:30 Word Games and Cliches 43:57 Pragmatism and Technocracy 48:47 Crisis Politics and War 51:12 New Deal as Mobilization 53:09 Elitism vs Populism 56:26 Tea Party Lessons 58:47 Defining Elite and Oligarchy 01:04:34 Institutions and Staying Lanes 01:06:21 Unnatural Miracle of Modernity 01:12:05 Hockey Stick Prosperity 01:14:49 French vs English State 01:15:32 Straussian Theology Questions 01:16:29 God And Rights 01:18:29 Locke And Liberal Origins 01:22:59 Culture Over Intellectuals 01:24:41 Ideas Lag Reality 01:28:44 Trump And Right Wing Capture 01:38:00 Power Corrupts Intellectuals 01:42:47 Canada And Trump Fallout 01:46:13 Closing Thanks
