Americans: An Ungovernable People | Interview: Kevin D. Williamson

You thought it was over. After the Napoleon III Remnant ran nearly two hours, observers and pundits the world over said this had to be the end. How could anyone, even Jonah Goldberg, have an appetite for more? But wait—who’s that dark figure lurking in the wings? Oh no. It’s … Kevin D. Williamson. Apparently Jonah’s chemical addiction to 19th-century French politics stirred something in Kevin’s mind, so much so that the man began writing a book about “the sacrosanct presidency.” And they say deeply fruitful intellectual friendships are dead. But don’t worry, gentle listener—if you’re sick of Napoleon III, there’s plenty more to feast upon at this Remnant smorgasbord, including democracy, Henry VIII, anarchism, individualism, competing rights claims, Woke 1, civil rights, and the American ethos. Show Notes: The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a nonpartisan perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including the Saturday Ruminant, audio versions of all our articles and newsletters, and Jonah’s twice-weekly G-File—⁠click here⁠. Instructions on how to set up your members-only feed can be found here, and if you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Jonah Goldberg is editor-in-chief and co-founder of The Dispatch, based in Washington, D.C. Prior to that, enormous lizards roamed the Earth. More immediately prior to that, Jonah spent two decades at National Review, where he was a senior editor, among other things. He is also a bestselling author, longtime columnist for the Los Angeles Times, commentator for CNN, and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. When he is not writing the G-File or hosting The Remnant podcast, he finds real joy in family time, attending to his dogs and cat, and blaming Steve Hayes for various things. The podcast transcription below was generated using artificial intelligence and may include occasional errors or misspellings. Kevin Williamson 0:00 [instrumental music plays] [groans] Kevin Williamson 0:14 Ladies and gentlemen, uh, Kevin Williamson 0:16 could I please have your attention? Can you dig it? [crowd cheering] Jonah Goldberg 0:27 Greetings dear listeners, this is Jonah Goldberg, host of the Remnant Podcast, brought to you by Dispatch and Dispatch Media, backed by both popular and, frankly, retail demand. Uh, my friend, colleague twice over now, Kevin Williamson, is back. He is-- I think he has more recently guest hosted for me than guested. Uh, he is a national correspondent at the Dispatch. He's also a good friend. He's also a remarkably accomplished husband who married way out of his league and produced one of the most handsome broods of biblically named beings I've ever encountered in my life. Kevin Williamson 1:05 You know, everyone's, everyone's, everyone's partial to their own kids, of course, but they are awfully good-looking kids. They're- Interactive transcripts are available to Premium members. Join to follow along with the audio. Join Now More We Think You’d Like