podcast. Pixabay
When Jack Butler ’15 splices together the audio that makes up the ‘Remnant’ podcast by Jonah Goldberg, he brings together some of the most varied content in podcasting. The first 17 episodes have featured Senator Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, talking about what it’s like to watch a bullfight; Ramesh Ponnuru, a senior editor of National Review, on tax reform; and a reading of Bigfoot erotica. Binding together this diverse content and making it a pleasure to listen to is Goldberg’s geeky sense of humor and endless supply of funny anecdotes.
Jonah Goldberg is a conservative columnist, author, and 2014 Pulliam Fellow at Hillsdale College. Sponsored by National Review, the ‘Remnant’ began in September, and new episodes come out every week or so for download on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and the National Review website.
Butler both produces and contributes to the podcast.
“The first time we recorded the podcast neither Jonah nor I knew what we were doing,” Butler said. “The weird thing is that now the ‘Remnant’ is a real podcast that people actually listen to. Most people who listen don’t know I mix the audio on my laptop.”
Before the podcast’s creation, Butler was Goldberg’s research assistant at the American Enterprise Institute. Goldberg praised Butler’s ability to quickly learn the skills he needed to produce the show.
“I have zero time to do or even understand the technical stuff,” Goldberg said. “He literally produces the thing, from sacrificing the chickens to Baal to plugging the watchamacallit into the thingamabob.”
The name “the Remnant” references a concept developed by Albert Jay Nock, who believed there was a group of people called “the Remnant,” who have the intellect and character to understand and embrace the right principles The goal of the podcast is to reach this Remnant, who Goldberg believes are uncomfortable with the direction the country is moving.
While this makes the podcast inherently political, Goldberg makes a conscious effort to avoid being merely a pundit offering his take on recent political developments.
“I have zero interest in doing a punditry podcast,” Goldberg said. “I fled to podcasting to get away from that, and I’d like the ‘Remnant’ to move even further away from news-of-the-week stuff.”
The show mainly consists of conversations between Goldberg and prominent conservative intellectuals, such as Arthur Brooks, the president of the American Enterprise Institute. These conversations focus on issues such as partisan bias in education, the history of conservatism, and free trade.
Despite the podcast being a part of the family of conservative National Review podcasts, Goldberg said it is for people of varying political persuasions.
“I would love to have as many liberal listeners as possible,” Goldberg said. “The conservative movement is supposed to be about persuading people to be more conservative, not to sit around in a clubhouse and violently agree with each other.”
It is easy to find something to like about the “Remnant.” It has wit, great discussions, and a Hillsdale connection. One online commenter summed up my thoughts on the podcast well: “You should subscribe, because it’s good.”
