The Political Orphanage

Affirmative Action is potentially one Supreme Court case away from going extinct. When is racial prioritizing constitutional? Is it ever a good policy idea? Anastasia Boden is a senior attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation, and the co-host of "Dissed," a podcast focused on important Supreme Court dissents.

Dan Kovalik is the author of "Cancel This Book: The Progressive Case Against Cancel Culture." Kovalik, a long-time labor activist, union attorney, and human rights lawyer, joins the show to talk about the classist and elitist elements of Woke excess, and why it's a dismal long-term strategy for the Democratic Party.   "Cancel This Book" https://www.amazon.com/dp/1510764984?tag=mightyheaton-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1   This episode is sponsored by Ground News - The world's first news comparison platform. Download Ground News for free here: https://ground.news/orphanage

Over a hundred thousand people signed a petition calling to ban the world's richest man from returning to Earth: "billionaires shouldn't exist." In this episode we explore the difference between relative growth and actual growth. And determine if liquidating the rich would solve the world's economic problems.

Are late night comedy and political satire as free wheeling and funny as they used to be? Or has comedy become simultaneously tame yet partisan?   Jeff Maurer is former senior writer for "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver." He joins to discuss how fear and groupthink have defanged comedy, and why nuance is always a harder prospect than reflexive teamsiness.   Jeff's newsletter can be found at https://imightbewrong.substack.com/

I have a new book out! Los Angeles is Hideous: Poems About An Ugly City. Arguably the funniest book ever written about the horribleness which is LA. Here are two quick readings from what is about to become your new favorite coffee table book. You can find "Los Angeles is Hideous: Poems About An Ugly City" at www.LAisUgly.com

Michael Malice is the best-selling author of "The Anarchist Handbook". He joins to discuss the legitimacy of government action, and what society might look like in the absence of a state. "The Anarchist Handbook" by Michael Malice https://amzn.to/3dS402h On North Korea https://apple.co/36iKQi8 On the New Right https://bit.ly/2Utllb0

Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Anne Applebaum is the author of "Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism." She joins the show to discuss the rise of authoritarianism around the world, and the origins of the impulse. Related episode: “You’re Doing the Culture War Wrong” https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/youre-doing-the-culture-war-wrong/id1439837349?i=1000485699778

Brian Brushwood joins the show to discuss why people get their jollies from political bullying, and how to sidestep fruitless fights instead of getting drawn into them.  Past bonus episodes: "How to Avoid Awkward Political Conversations" "Advice from Brian Brushwood and Me"

What if instead of one vote per person, you had a whole bag of votes to distribute however you liked along the ballot? What if all property was up for auction, permanently? Glen Weyl is the author of "Radical Markets: Uprooting Capitalism and Democracy for A Just Society." He joins the show to discuss where markets work well and where they do not, and how we could rethink society from the ground up to better utilize them.

Adam Gopnik is the author of "A Thousand Points of Sanity: The Moral Adventure of Liberalism" and joins the show to discuss what constitutes the temperament and foundations of liberalism.  Want to discuss the episode with fellow orphans? Head to www.mightyheaton.com/discord This episode is sponsored by Ground News - The world's first news comparison platform. Download Ground News for free here: https://ground.news/orphanage