Shows / The Political Orphanage
The Political Orphanage
Politics minus bile plus jokes. Comedian and avowed independent Andrew Heaton interviews authors and thought leaders about policy and big thinky stuff.
Episodes
The Political OrphanageJudge Andrew Napolitano on Natural Law
Judge Andrew Napolitano is a former Judge of the New Jersey Superior Court, a law professor, and prolific author. He's the Senior Judicial Analyst at Fox News…
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The Role of Judges
It's Judge Week on The Political Orphanage! Where we learn the actual fault lines between judicial theories, and possibly even what "jurisprudence" means. This…
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Glorious Asbestos, Quebec (Friday Release Valve)
Andrew Young and John Devore join Heaton to sort out the week's best, underserved headlines, including stories about: Quebec, exhuming a dead president to…
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The Presidential Debate Was Mostly Heckling
You can't truly understand last night's Trump vs. Biden debate without hearing from comedians, because so much of the train wreck was performative or outright…
The Political OrphanageWe Support Getting Elephants High (Friday Release Valve)
Comedian Darryl Charles and sex expert Dr. Timaree Leigh, hosts of DTF: Darryl & Timaree Fun Hour, join the program to sort out the week's underserved…
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The Neurochemicals of Politics
Dr. Loretta Breuning of the Inner Mammal Institute joins the show to discuss how status and neurochemicals prompt us to fight in politics, and the evolutionary…
The Political OrphanageArmed Monkey Scarecrows (Friday Release Valve)
Jeremy Kareken and Joe Terwilliger join Heaton to sort out the week's best, under served headlines, including stories about: * Dennis Rodman * Bear bone vodka…
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PJ O'Rourke On The Deep Middle (Corrected)
Political satirist and personal hero P.J. O'Rourke triumphantly returns to discuss his latest book, "A Cry From the Far Middle: Dispatches from a Divided…
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Like the Paris Review (For Porn) - Friday Release Valve
(Definitely Not Safe for Kids) Yvette d'Entremont and Alice Vaughn are the hosts of Two Girls One Mic, a podcast that reviews the plots of porn films. They…
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Thomas Frank Is Sick of Anti-Populists
What is populism and where did it come from? Thomas Frank is the author of "The People, No: A Brief History of Anti-Populism". He joins the show to discuss…
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Murder in a Safe in a Field (Friday Release Valve)
An abandoned tank! A guy with an axe on a horse! Faulty psychics! Andrew Young joins Heaton to sort out the week's best, underserved headlines, and their…
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Why UFOs Are in the News
The New York Times is running stories about recovered extraterrestrial spaceships, the Navy has confirmed UFOs are real, and the Pentagon says it's preparing…
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Mississippi Alternate Flag Ideas (FRV)
Comedians Turner Sparks and Mike Kaplan return to discuss the week's best, under served headlines, including: Hookers for Jesus, capturing George R. R. Martin…
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Do Political Parties Threaten the Constitution?
Political parties aren't written into the Constitution, but they definitely effect it. How do parties alter the balance of power in American politics? Do they…
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The Guns for Trumpets Buyback Program (Friday Release Valve)
Comedians Brian Sack and Jack Helmuth of the podcast Questionable Material join Heaton to sort out the week's underserved headlines, including a goose who runs…
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The Postal Service Isn't Rigging The Election And We Should Privatize It Anyway
Sparks fly as pundits debate whether or not the US Postmaster General is rigging the election on behalf of Trump! Meanwhile, the USPS asks Congress for a…
The Political OrphanagePaul McCartney for Chief of Walpole! (Friday Release Valve)
Travis Irvine joins Heaton to sort out the week's best, underserved headlines, including musical bratwurst, robot dolphins, and the greatest film you will…
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Brace Yourself for Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris just won the veepstakes to become Joe Biden's running mate. How's she going to shake up the election? Where does she stand ideologically and on…
The Political OrphanageThe English Are Arming Baboons (Friday Release Valve)
(NSFK) Matt Donnelly and Paul Mattingly of "Matt and Mattingly's Ice Cream Social" join Heaton to unpack the best headlines of the week, including a goat that…
The Political OrphanageCass Sunstein on Smarter Regulations and Less Conformity
Cass Sunstein gained international notoriety for his book "Nudge," about habits and choice architecture. He then worked as the regulatory czar for the Obama…
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Joaquin Phoenix Hostage Scenario (Friday Release Valve)
(NSKF) Comedians Turner Sparks and Andrea Jones-Rooy return to make sense of the week's best, funniest, underserved headlines, from solving neighbor disputes…
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America Had a Coup in 2010
Gerrymandering is a fun, time-honored way to rig elections on behalf of incumbents and political parties over irritants like competitive democracy. In 2010 it…
The Political OrphanageI AM RUNNING IN 2020!
After much personal thought and rank media speculation, I have at last decided to run in 2020. This episode includes: -My campaign kickoff -One of the finest…
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You're Doing the Culture War Wrong
The Culture War isn't between the Left and the Right--it's just portrayed that way because most people have been taught to understand all conflicts as Red Team…
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The Outer Limits of Hot Dog-Eating Contests (Friday Release Valve)
(SNFK) Comedian Mahesh Kotagi and playwright Jeremy Kareken join Friday Release Valve to sort out the week's funnier headlines, including a scientific report…
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Rutger Bregman: "Lord of the Flies" Got Things Wrong
Rutger Bregman is the author of "Humankind: A Hopeful History," which refutes the central premise of Thomas Hobbes and countless pessimistic legislative…
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Brilliant Solutions for Pesky Statues (Friday Release Valve)
(NSFK) Comedians Brian Brushwood and Justin Robert Young join the show to go over the week's funniest, least-scrutinized headlines, including: *A Jeffrey…
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Daryl Davis Attends Klan Rallies
Daryl Davis is an African American musician responsible for de-radicalizing over 200 Klansmen and Neo-Nazis in his attempts to understand racism. He joins…
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Italian Death Penalty Bear Courts (Friday Release Valve)
(NSFK) Who steals an 800 pound Canadian radar camera? How can we combine foliage with opera? Comedians Turner Sparks and Mike Kaplan of the Lost in America…
The Political OrphanageHow To Not Think Religiously About Climate Change
How often do climate change discussions get sidetracked by doomsday porn or hoax talk? Sheril Kirshenbaum is the host of "Serving Up Science" at PBS Digital…
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Don't Use Artillery Shells as Doorstops (Friday Release Valve)
(NSFK) Leo Kearse, Scottish Comedian of the Year 2018, rejoins the program to suss out the week's better underserved headlines, from British citizens asking…
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So What Would Happen if We Legalized Heroin?
Jeffrey Miron is an economist at Harvard University, and joins Heaton to discuss the Drug War. If we legalized the hard stuff, would usage spike? Would…
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Pneumatic Parrot Tubes & German Trains (Friday Release Valve)
(NSKF) Brian Sack and Jack Helmuth of the Questionable Material podcast join Heaton to go through the week's underserved headlines, from funeral planning…
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Universal Basic Income vs. Sprawling Bureaucracy
Universal Basic Income (UBI) has been advocated in various forms by Thomas Paine, Andrew Yang, Milton Friedman, and Richard Nixon: a minimum income floor…
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Bidding on Souls, and Australian Sex Mishaps (Friday Release Valve)
NSFK - Comedian Myq Kaplan and professor/humor scholar Dannagal Goldthwaite Young join the show to plumb the week's underserved headlines, from flying turtles…
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What's all this "Defund the Police" stuff about?
"Defund the Police" is the rallying cry of protestors and social media this week. Does it mean abolishing the police, replacing them, or reforming them? Scott…
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What the Hell Is Happening, and How Can We Help?
Riots! Looting! The National Guard! Black Lives Matter! In the first half of a special two-part episode we explore: What's happening? What are the problems…
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Lockdown is Awkward for Polygamists (Friday Release Valve)
Comedians Marie Connor and Kevin Seefried join the show to discuss the week's underserved headlines, from jury selections on Zoom to night clubs that prohibit…
The Political OrphanageHow Money Actually Works in Congress
Dan Boren is a former member of Congress--as well as Heaton's old boss. He joins the program to talk about what life is like as a representative, pressures…
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French Serial Killers, Prince Harry, and Strip Club Law (Friday Comedy Headlines)
NSFK - Joe DeVito and Lou Perez join Heaton to sort out the week's underserved headlines, including the horrifying way a South Carolina restaurant has decided…
The Political OrphanageHow Innovation Works - Featuring: Matt Ridley
Why do some places pump out inventions and progress, while innovation lags elsewhere? Science writer Matt Ridley has surveyed the history of innovation, from…
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Emu Wars and Pirate Jet Skis (NSFK) - Week's Underserved Headlines
Today we explore the week's most awesome yet under-reported headlines, from a wine heist, to multiple dangerous bird encounters, to an American hero and…
The Political OrphanageCagematch: Locke vs. Hobbes vs. Rousseau
John Locke is the nerd at the bar. Jean-Jacques Rousseau is the guy in a leather jacket on a motorcycle. Hobbes is the grizzled cynic. What worldview did these…
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Wild Boars on Cocaine - The Week's Underserved Headlines
Jack Helmuth and Brian Sack of the Questionable Material podcast join Heaton to sort out the week's best and least discussed headlines, from boars on cocaine…
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How Captain Kirk Would Solve the Lockdown (Bonus)
Much of the discussion about the pandemic centers around the lockdown as the exclusive or main policy tool to use against the pandemic: a giant On or Off…
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Justin Amash: Spoiler Candidate or Sane Alternative?
Katherine Mangu-Ward is the editor-in-chief of Reason Magazine, the nation's foremost libertarian publication. She joins Heaton to weigh in on Justin Amash's…
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When a Government Accidentally Declares You Dead (Friday Release Valve)
(NSKF) As part of my ongoing commitment to providing levity and sanity during quarantine, I am for some length of time resurrecting an old segment: Friday…
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How Vladimir Putin Thinks
How does Russian propaganda work now, compared to the Soviet era? What power structures have kept Putin in place for decades? And what does Putin think about…
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Desperately Needed Optimism from Matt Ridley
Matt Ridley is a science writer, member of the House of Lords, and author of the amazing book, "The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves." He joins Heaton…
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Bernie Sanders is the Ron Paul of Socialism
Last week Bernie Sanders dropped out, ending the closest bid to an outright socialist presidency in American history. Brian Brushwood and Justin Robert Young…
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What the Hell is Happening with the Economy?
Are we sliding into a Great Depression, or just a quarantine-induced slump? What did the stimulus bill do, how big was it, and might it capsize the national…
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PSA: What To Expect the Next Two Weeks
I want to share a resource that will help frame what to expect in your state as April unfolds: Covid19.healthdata.org . This website will tell you when to…
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Three Ways to Stop Corrupt Congressmen
Senator Richard Burr is catching fire (and possible prosecution) about selling $1.7 million of stock days before the market tumbled. How do members of Congress…
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What Your Life Costs, According to Uncle Sam (Bonus)
At the request of Patreon listeners, I'm releasing this bonus episode to the main feed--go to Patreon.com/andrewheaton if you want a weekly bonus episode like…
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Politicians Make Poor Superheroes
Should people wielding the levers of power be pragmatists who get things done, or idealists with firm convictions and boundaries? Which political opinions…
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Live from Snuffy's Fallout Shelter: The Corona Episode
In which Heaton speaks with: Tom Snuffhauser, local business owner, about the impact of the Corona Virus on the consumer economy; U.S. Horse Surgeon General…
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We're Against Abolishing the Electoral College, Apparently
Brian Brushwood and Justin Robert Young join Heaton to discuss attempts to abolish the Electoral College. What are the upshots and downsides to a national…
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Late Night Comedy vs. the Outrage Industry
Why do socially liberal comedians clean up in late night television, while social conservatives dominate talk radio? Dannagal Goldthwaite Young is the author…
The Political OrphanageYou're Doing Prison Wrong
The Criminal Justice episode! What to do about private prisons, the Death Penalty, the Drug War, mental health, prostitution, Norway vs. Joe Arpaio, and bail…
The Political OrphanageMeet the Libertarian Candidates
It's a scrum for the Libertarian Party's 2020 presidential nomination, and the party won't select a nominee until its national convention in May. Heaton…