Podcast Summary: After Party with Emily Jashinsky – “Thanksgiving Tips, Why America is Good, and the Gift of Friendship”

Episode Date: November 27, 2025
Guests: Rachel Bovard (Conservative Partnership Institute), Inez Stepman (Independent Women’s Forum)
Host: Emily Jashinsky (MK Media)

Episode Overview

In this special Thanksgiving edition of After Party, host Emily Jashinsky hosts a lively, insightful, and often humorous conversation with friends and fellow commentators Rachel Bovard and Inez Stepman. The episode weaves together big-picture reflections on American gratitude, the meaning of Thanksgiving for immigrants and conservatives, the health of our institutions, and practical tips for making the holiday delicious. The conversation is marked by warmth, genuine affection, and a willingness to engage in meaningful disagreement—with plenty of candid advice about wine pairings and sustaining friendships across ideological divides.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. American Gratitude: Is It Still Okay To Be Thankful?

[07:06–20:34]

• Emily introduces polling data that shows many young women would like to leave the U.S. She frames Thanksgiving as a time to reconsider gratitude for living in America, despite its flaws.
• Inez Stepman underscores the psychological and practical necessity of gratitude:

  "It's not just. It's good, it's necessary if you're going to enjoy anything in life. I think gratitude, I mean, people have had gratitude in far worse circumstances also, frankly." (08:43)

• Inez and Rachel both reflect on a recent “slide” in American well-being and the challenges facing the country politically and culturally.
• Despite existential challenges and historic moments (referencing the “Rubicon” before the 2024 election and the difficulties under Biden), Inez maintains hope for the future and credits Americans for "pulling the yoke out of a dive." (19:37)
• Rachel points to a new vibrancy of debate on the right, emphasizing that the ability to discuss ideas openly is itself something to be thankful for.

  "When I came to D.C. it was a very like narrow, windowless room. And now I just feel like oxygen is being let in." (11:35)

• Both agree that, for all of America’s problems, the options elsewhere are not better:

  "There is nowhere else to go. I think that was, that's something...when I looked at that poll, that really jumped out at me. Oh, all these people want to leave. Okay, where?" (Rachel, 12:52)

2. Immigrant Perspectives on Thanksgiving

[13:23–17:53]

• Emily asks Inez about Thanksgiving's unique resonance for immigrant families given her Polish roots.
• Inez describes how her family quickly "grabbed onto" the holiday as "a tradition that we've joined and have been able to join wholeheartedly as Americans." (15:42)
• She contrasts historical waves of highly individualistic immigrants with more recent, economically motivated migration, suggesting that attitudes toward gratitude—and assimilation—have changed.
• Soviet immigrant backgrounds create a particular sensitivity to American freedoms:

  “There is a frustrating piece of that experience which is certain elements that you recognize in common. I know my parents, especially my father has had this over the years. You know, certain elements that you recognize...you know the tune and you know the direction of the tune.” (17:03)

• Inez further elaborates how “soft totalitarianism” (career threats, informal controls) can be as insidious as hard oppression, drawing analogies to recent American political culture.

3. Trust in Institutions & The Challenge of Rebuilding

[22:07–33:41]

• Discussion centered on Gallup polling showing younger American women’s plummeting trust in institutions.
• Rachel expresses deep concern about this trust gap:

  “That is what I worry most about recovery. Because you cannot, you know, going back to sort of the philosophical roots of conservatism, which are rooted in gratitude for the traditions that have gone before, for the people that have gone before, for how far we've come. Part of that is a respect for the mediating institutions…” (22:50)

• She argues the right abandoned cultural and educational institutions, making them vulnerable.
• Inez suggests that knee-jerk skepticism, though once necessary, may now inhibit actual reform and governance.

  “I think now we've probably become on the right so reflexively contrarian that that in itself is becoming a little bit stupid in all honesty...” (28:05)

• Both agree that the restoration of humility and accountability in institutions is essential to regaining trust.

  "What's lacking in so much of this and why I think we're struggling to find to any sort of kernel to rebuild on for institutional trust is the lack of humility or just an acknowledgement that you have to have it at all because it's the corollary to gratitude." (Rachel, 29:59)

4. Thanksgiving Food & Drink: Tips and Traditions

[36:25–54:45]

Wine, Cocktails, and Pairings

• Rachel, a certified sommelier, offers a practical Thanksgiving wine guide:

  • Start with champagne (“Start everything with champagne.” 38:42)
  • Serve both white and red wine:
    • Red: Pinot Noir or Burgundy, Beaujolais/Beaujolais Nouveau (“It's a very like young, sort of fruity tasting wine, not sweet... goes really well, pairs across the table.” 39:37)
    • White: White Burgundy or a slightly off-dry Riesling, which stands up to various flavors.
  • Dessert: Tawny Port for pumpkin desserts, or Sauternes.

• Inez’s family also starts with champagne, then offers both red (Pinot) and white wine for dinner guests.

• Cocktail Recommendations:

  • Inez shares punch and batch cocktail ideas for gatherings, including a “flannel shirt” punch:
    • Ingredients: Scotch, apple cider, Averna amaro, lemon juice, brown sugar syrup, allspice dram, bitters. (45:55)
  • For something smaller, Inez likes a banana liqueur twist on the Old Fashioned.

Memorable moment:
Emily and Rachel joke about “white wine moms” and “champagne moms,” while recalling how Boomer/Millennial drinking habits contrast with Zoomers’ relative sobriety.

Food Traditions & Leftover Tips

• Inez’s Family: Keeps to pilgrim-era recipes and tradition; strict about repeating dishes from a historic recipe book. She suggests a leftovers tip: top reheated turkey with cranberries, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, thyme, honey, and crumbled goat cheese. (50:01)

• Rachel’s Family: Her Sicilian-American family eschewed turkey for Italian staples like eggplant parm and ziti. Now, married to a Thanksgiving traditionalist, she makes American and Italian feasts side-by-side.

  • “Dang, I really hate turkey.” (52:37)
  • Rachel plugs caponata (Sicilian eggplant dish) as a worthy alternative to stuffing.

• Cute moment: Inez shares excitement about her baby having Thanksgiving food for the first time, showing the personal resonance of family traditions.

5. Politics, Religion, and the Art of Civil Disagreement

[54:45–66:08]

• Emily pitches against the common wisdom not to talk about politics or religion at Thanksgiving—"as these topics occur naturally...if you are around people you love and trust, you should be able to have these conversations." (56:09)

• Rachel stresses the danger when “contempt replaces curiosity,” warning of the dangers of bringing social media combativeness into family life.

  "What fails us is when we allow contempt to come in...it replaces curiosity about why they believe what they believe. It replaces the enjoyment that you have of the many other things that define people other than their politics." (57:28)

• Inez agrees:

  “I think that politics and faith are probably some of the only interesting topics.” (59:21)

  • She cautions that not everyone truly wants to confront real disagreement, and reminds that the stakes—ideology vs. personal loyalty—are significant in an age of political polarization.

• Both suggest that addressing these topics with “humility, empathy, and respect” is good for personal relationships and civic health.

6. The Gift of Friendship and Thanksgiving Reflections

[64:57–68:30]

• Emily closes by sharing gratitude for friendship, especially with Rachel and Inez during a turbulent time for the conservative movement.
• She references the assassination of Charlie Kirk, expressing empathy for those affected and the importance of humility, asking questions, and not taking oneself too seriously.
  • Advice for difficult conversations: "Come at every conversation with abject humility...ask questions, questions, questions. So thankful to all of you." (68:30)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Inez Stepman: “It's not just. It's good, it's necessary if you're going to enjoy anything in life. I think gratitude, I mean, people have had gratitude in far worse circumstances also, frankly.” (08:43)
• Rachel Bovard: “When I came to D.C. it was a very like narrow, windowless room. And now I just feel like oxygen is being let in.” (11:35)
• Rachel Bovard: “There is nowhere else to go...where do you want to go?” (12:52)
• Emily Jashinsky: “If you are around the people who you love and respect and trust...and you can't power through a conversation...about the things that matter most...then the relationship is not what it would be.” (56:09)
• Rachel Bovard: “It's when you start to revile the other person and you have contempt for them, and that replaces curiosity about why they believe what they believe.” (57:28)
• Inez Stepman: “Politics and faith are probably some of the only interesting topics.” (59:21)

Timestamps for Noteworthy Segments

• Gratitude & American Identity Discussion: 07:06–20:34
• Immigrant Experience of Thanksgiving: 13:23–17:53
• Trust in Institutions & Rebuilding: 22:07–33:41
• Thanksgiving Wine, Cocktails & Food Tips: 36:25–54:45
• Handling Politics & Conflict at Thanksgiving: 54:45–66:08
• Friendship, Humility & Closing Reflections: 66:08–68:30

Tone & Atmosphere

The conversation is warm, self-deprecating, occasionally irreverent (“white wine mom, but no kids”), but always thoughtful. All three participants balance seriousness about culture and politics with gratitude, affection, and a generous sense of humor.

Summary Takeaway

This episode reminds listeners that Thanksgiving offers a chance to reflect on gratitude—in life, in friendships, and even in politics. While the United States is experiencing significant challenges, the hosts and guests argue that meaningful debate, civic humility, and familial bonds are worth celebrating. They deliver concrete (and delicious) advice for the holiday table, and reaffirm the necessity—and the joy—of connecting with loved ones, even (or especially) across different views.