

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

Apr 9, 2019 • 46min
Ep 97 | Is Batman Libertarian? — Alienating the Audience | Guest: Megan Sass
Comedian and comic book guru Megan Sass joins Heaton on “Alienating the Audience” to talk about superhero politics. How do Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman play out ideologically?

Apr 8, 2019 • 39min
Ep 96 | How to Make Partisan Hacks Nervous | Guest: Dan Fishman
Every election, we’re told we can either vote for the lesser of two besuited sociopaths or throw our vote away on a doomed third-party candidate. (At which point, you may well spoil the election for everyone.) Dan Fishman is the incoming executive director of the Libertarian Party, and he has a solution for shifting our elections away from exercises in fear and hate toward logic and values.

Apr 5, 2019 • 37min
Ep 95 | Improve CNN by Adding Bears | Guest: Jimmy Failla
Comedian Jimmy Failla returns to help sort out the week’s more obscure headlines: from marathon endurance singing, to football skulls, to why Uri Geller is a threat to us all!

Apr 4, 2019 • 1h 9min
Ep 94 | The Politics of Dune: Alienating the Audience | Guest: Ben Brockschmidt
Heaton goes on a melange-fueled sci-fi plunge in this special installment of “Alienating the Audience” about the politics and economics of Frank Herbert’s “Dune.” He’s joined by fellow nerd and possible mentat Benjamin Brockschmidt to discuss feudalism in space, the future of humanity, technology, and the nature of power.

Apr 3, 2019 • 40min
Ep 93 | Where Can We Touch Joe Biden? | Guest: Negin Farsad
Can Uncle Joe climb out of the vat of #MeToo he seems to have fallen into? What are his policy priorities, and can he win the Democratic nomination despite being an old white guy? Comedian Negin Farsad of “Fake the Nation" joins Heaton to get the rundown on Uncle Joe.

Apr 2, 2019 • 36min
Ep 92 | Jesus, Sex, and Reality TV | Guest: Phil Robertson
Heaton invites on BlazeTV's Phil Robertson, of “Duck Dynasty” fame, to talk about how secular and spiritual people can get along and, to a lesser extent, to run Heaton’s reality TV show ideas by him.

Apr 1, 2019 • 46min
Ep 91 | Something Polish This Way Comes | Guest: Brian Sack
Poland is part of NATO and an EU member state, but it’s veering towards nationalism and populism and some other unsavory developments. Brian Sack, comedian and Polish expert, joins to discuss.

Mar 29, 2019 • 40min
Ep 90 | Donkeyball and Competitive Russian Slapfighting—Friday Release Valve / Guest: Turner Sparks
Comedian Turner Sparks climbs aboard the podcast to discuss the week’s more obscure headlines, from calls in Ireland to use the army to fight deer overpopulation, to a Supreme Court decision over hoverboard moose hunting, to Siberan slap fights.

Mar 28, 2019 • 1h 3min
Ep 89 | Adam Smith & The Wealth of Nations | Guest: P.J. O’Rourke
Adam Smith got the party started, alternately lambasting feudalists and mercantilists and paving the way for a more free and prosperous world. Legendary humorist and author of “On The Wealth of Nations” P.J. O’Rourke joins Heaton to discuss the plucky Scotsman’s contributions to society.

Mar 27, 2019 • 34min
Ep 88 | 'Pervert Capitalism' | Guest: Rick Ungar
When do corporations go from valid money-making operations to amoral schemers living off the public dole? What obligations do companies have to their employees? Rick Ungar joins Heaton to discuss the proper role of capitalism and what solutions can and should be attempted by government. PLUS: Introducing Fr. Michael O’Grimsly, vicar at the Church of Woke.