Why Postliberalism Failed | Interview: James M. Patterson and Thomas D. Howes

Why Postliberalism Failed | Interview: James M. Patterson and Thomas D. Howes

From The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg by The Dispatch

May 27, 2026 · 1h 15m

About this episode

Jonah Goldberg discusses the complexities and failures of postliberalism with authors James M. Patterson and Thomas D. Howes.

Jonah Goldberg is infamous for muttering venomous curses against postliberalism at odd moments, such as while flossing or playing backgammon with Steve Hayes. Recognizing that to the layman this might seem rabid or antisocial, Jonah has invited two authors of a recent book on postliberalism to give some background on this puzzling phenomenon. The trio discusses postliberalism vs. anti-liberalism, integralism, Adrian Vermeule, elite capture, national conservatism, Viktor Orbán, ISI, the Heritage Foundation, subsidiarity, the wish to political violence, postliberalism's institutional future, ground-level antisemitism, right-wing Hegelianism, and Peter Thiel. Show Notes: —Why Postliberalism Failed —Jonah on the Reagan Caucus Action —Vermeule in The Atlantic: “Beyond Originalism” —Vermeule: “Ralliement: Two Distinctions” —Vermeule: “‘It Can’t Happen’; Or, the Poverty of Political Imagination —Patrick Deneen: Why Liberalism Failed —Vermeule’s review of Why Liberalism Failed —Integralism book —The Atlantic: “The MAGA Intellectual Who Prophesied a Queen Melania” —Patrick Deneen: Regime Change —Michael Bonner Remnant The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company…

People in this episode

Host: Jonah Goldberg

Guests: James M. Patterson, Thomas D. Howes

Topics covered

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Dispatch, Heritage Foundation, ISI

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