Jonathan Last Online

New Substandard Podcast

Jonathan V. Last — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 16:58:18 +0000

Episode 1.3 features G.I. Joe #21, an ode to Zima, and the great Marvel vs. DC movies debate.

Evangelicals and Catholics for Trump

Jonathan V. Last — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 15:45:16 +0000

Let the Truth and Reconciliation Show Trials begin!

The Weekly Substandard

Jonathan V. Last — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 13:30:59 +0000

So I’m doing a podcast now with Vic Matus and Santino. It’s about movies, allegedly. Though I suspect we’ll wind up spinning off into lots of different topics. As the Czabe always said, it’s not really a “movie” show, it’s an “us” show.

Anyway, you can listen to it here or over at the iTunes store, if that’s the way you consume your podcast material.

This week’s episode is about film adaptations, starting with Jack Reacher and riffing through the Tom Clancy movies, Goodfellas, The Godfather, Layer Cake, and much else. Don’t miss the Elvish.

Clinton-Trump 3: Dark Side of the Moon

Jonathan V. Last — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 13:14:39 +0000

Third debates usually don’t matter. But if this one turns out to matter, bye-bye House and Senate.

This Is As Good As It Gets

Jonathan V. Last — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 13:55:21 +0000

Three quick items:

1: The election is over.

2: What comes next?

3: A parable of late-stage Trumpism.

We’ve reached the stage of Trump where the only question is how big the rout will be. My own sense is that we’re heading toward a Cat-5 superstorm where the House is gone and Paul Ryan steps down before Christmas. But maybe not.

I’m not pretending to have precognition here, mind you. This outcome was always a very real possibility with Trump. As soon as he clinched the nomination in May the chance of a Democratic wave election was at least as good as a chance of a narrow Trump victory.

But since August Trump’s loss has been nearly inevitable. (Evitable?) One of the great miscalculations of 2016 has been the continued denial of this reality by elected Republicans trying to save their seats. It was a failure of imagination that has only compounded the catastrophe for the party.

2016 Debate #2 wrap-up

Jonathan V. Last — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 12:25:55 +0000

Verdict: Trump did just well enough in St. Louis to keep Pence, Ryan, and Priebus from hitting the self-destruct button.

Clinton Is Strategy, Trump Is Tactics

Jonathan V. Last — Thu, 06 Oct 2016 16:25:53 +0000

You’ll never guess which skill set wins that fight.

Also: VP debates don’t matter.

Trump-Clinton First Debate

Jonathan V. Last — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 15:18:35 +0000

It was the go-away debate. Clinton didn’t win, but Trump lost. And it probably won’t matter except to bring wandering D’s back onto the reservation.

Evan McMullin’s Grand New Party

Jonathan V. Last — Fri, 23 Sep 2016 13:29:32 +0000

I spent some time with the only conservative in the 2016 race.

Meanwhile, over at the model home . . .

Jonathan V. Last — Mon, 19 Sep 2016 15:47:06 +0000

A look at how my inadvertent attempt to institute a regime of gender-neutral toys went over with the kids.

JVL on Roids

Jonathan V. Last — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 13:59:30 +0000

Well, almost.

The great Vic Matus gave this essay the best headline I’ve ever been gifted by an editor: “The Action is the Juice.”

It nudges into second place the fantastic “Malaise Forever” header that John Kienker gave me many years ago for a review of a Jimmy Carter biography.

Trumpism Corrupts, Newtonian Edition

Jonathan V. Last — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 17:13:50 +0000

Boy, howdy, did Brit Hume turn Newt Gingrich inside out last night.