

The Political Orphanage
Andrew Heaton
Politics minus bile plus jokes. Comedian and avowed independent Andrew Heaton interviews authors and thought leaders about policy and big thinky stuff.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 16, 2020 • 28min
Dana Perino On Being a White House Press Secretary
Dana Perino was the White House Press Secretary for George W. Bush, and is presently a co-host on the Fox News panel show "The Five" and the host of "The Daily Briefing." She joins the program to talk about what it's like to be a press secretary, representing both the president and the press corps, and what the job entails.

Dec 15, 2020 • 1h 18min
Capitalist Vaccines, Pardons, and American Hegemony - Roundtable
The WSPN roundtable--Andrea Jones-Rooy, Turner Sparks, Mike Kaplan, and yours truly--reassembles to discuss: * The Decline of American Hegemony * North Korean vaccine hacking efforts * What exactly is Rudy Giuliani up to? * Geothermal Power Turner and Mike's podcast is "Lost in America" https://www.turnersparks.com/lost-in-america-podcast Andrea Jones-Rooy's podcast is "Ask a Political Scientist" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-a-political-scientist/id1534440528

Dec 11, 2020 • 22min
The Labor-Inducing Hamburger (Friday Release Valve)
Matt Donnelly and Paul Mattingly return! The hilarious/reprobate hosts of Matt & Mattingly's Ice Cream Social join to discuss the week's funniest, underserved headlines. Including: the winner of the national mullet competition, nukes on the Moon, and bovine facial recognition software. Youtube Version: https://youtu.be/VB2Qp6NINXw SUPPORT THE PROGRAM Patreon - patreon.com/andrewheaton PayPal andrew@mightyheaton Venmo @andrew-heaton-1 PO BOX - Andrew Heaton, 1401 Lavaca Street #594, Austin TX, 78701

Dec 11, 2020 • 1h 30min
Antifa! Proud Boys! Oath Keepers!
What's the landscape of political violence in the United States, and does that stack up against the groups we hear about in the news? Today we're going to explore Antifa, Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and also crunch the numbers on which groups in America are -actually- the most violent and deadly. SUPPORT THE PROGRAM Patreon - patreon.com/andrewheaton PayPal andrew@mightyheaton Venmo @andrew-heaton-1 PO BOX - Andrew Heaton, 1401 Lavaca Street #594, Austin TX, 78701

Dec 4, 2020 • 38min
Don't Feed Your Friend to Bears (Friday Release Valve)
Scottish Comedian of the Year Leo Kearse triumphantly returns to the program to discuss the week's underserved headlines, including: Burning crematoriums, Hugh Jackman's flawed worldview of the animal kingdom, the oldest pregnant woman in America, and Bud Lite's new gaming venture.

Dec 2, 2020 • 39min
Calculating Existential Threat - Lord Martin Rees
Which is scarier: nuclear war or robots? Asteroid impact or climate change? Martin Rees is the founder of The Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at Cambridge University. He joins the program to talk about how to calculate the probability of threats to humanity, and what we should be sweating. He's also the Astronomer Royal of the United Kingdom, the country's foremost mathematician, and the author of "On The Future: Prospects for Humanity." Here's a link to his book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/069118044X?tag=mightyheaton-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1

Nov 27, 2020 • 24min
Viagra, the Musical - Friday Release Valve
Andrea Jones-Rooy and Kevin Seefried return to the program to discuss the week's underserved headlines, including: Spike Lee's next big film, a giant raccoon on the loose, Donkey Kong defamation lawsuits, and the Irish government. You can watch this episode on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/o9A_G8LpIPc

Nov 25, 2020 • 1h 10min
Machiavelli vs. John Stuart Mill
Niccolò Machiavelli and John Stuart Mill are two deeply impactful political thinkers on modern civilization. The former is the patron saint of ruthless realpolitik; the latter the godfather of classical liberalism. Classicist and lauded madman Brian Wilson rejoins the program to compare the two political philosophers and draw lessons for modern society.

Nov 20, 2020 • 35min
Literal Underwater Ponzi Schemes (Friday Release Valve)
Andrew Young and Nick Sperdute join the show to discuss the week's most under reported headlines: underwater scooter chases, the time a school of herring almost started a war with Russia, and Canadian pizza indulgences.

Nov 18, 2020 • 46min
The Election Wasn't Rigged
Let's investigate Trump's voter fraud allegations and his ensuing courtroom battles to flip swing states. Plus the danger to democracy imposed by the president undermining it, and the many points in American history when rule of law could have gone off the rails.