

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

Feb 5, 2019 • 49min
Ep. 52 | Public Schools and Monkey Gods | Guest: Jonathan Braylock
Several states are eyeballing "Bible literacy" classes as part of public school curriculum. Jonathan Braylock, a comedian and a practicing Christian, joins Heaton to discuss how blurring the separation of church and state is apt to backfire on both.

Feb 4, 2019 • 52min
Ep. 51 | The NFL Team Not Stealing from Taxpayers | Guest: Eric Boehm
Heaton unleashes a tirade about football, and what he'd do to improve it. (Hint: it involves horses.) Then he invites on Reason's Eric Boehm to discuss stadium subsidies, and the graft and incompetency which keeps taxpayers on the hook for millions. Heaton also determines which NFL team to endorse based entirely on the one not taking handouts.

Feb 1, 2019 • 51min
Ep. 50 | What Your Hunter-Gatherer Genes Really Want | Guest: Sebastian Junger
Sebastian Junger is the author of "Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging." He joins Heaton to talk about how the world we've made is ill-fitting and alienating to the hunter-gatherer genes we've inherited, and what you can do to feel less lonely in the twenty-first century.

Jan 31, 2019 • 59min
Ep. 49 | Why Does Everyone Hate Howard Schultz? | Guest: Turner Sparks
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is thinking about running for president, which has enraged the Democratic party. Comedian Turner Sparks joins to explain why, and Heaton details the single issue Schultz can push to make him relevant as an outsider. Plus, Heaton makes an impassioned speech about why he would make a fantastic ambassador.

Jan 30, 2019 • 37min
Ep. 48 | Would Norman Rockwell legalize prostitution? | Guest: Elizabeth Nolan Brown
Reason's Elizabeth Nolan Brown joins Heaton to explain why porn is legal but prostitution is not, how the Internet can replace pimps, and the general benefits of decriminalizing sex work.

Jan 29, 2019 • 1h 3min
Ep. 47 | Venezuela's Utterly Avoidable Catastrophe | Guest: Brian Brushwood
Venezuela's economy hit rock bottom, then just kept digging straight to the septic tank. Now there are rival presidents vying for power over a starving populace. Magician and deputized foreign policy expert Brian Brushwood joins Heaton to assess the once-wealthy nation's plunge into full-blown socialism and economic collapse.

Jan 28, 2019 • 51min
Ep. 46 | Media Pet Peeves | Guest: J. W. Crump
Comedy writer J. W. Crump joins Heaton to discuss irritating things the media does, the difference between diversity and tokenism in reporting, and what to do about all that bias lurking beneath the surface.

Jan 25, 2019 • 1h 11min
Ep. 45 | Why We'll Never Need a Pencil Czar | Guest: Tom Woods
Tom Woods, historian and podcaster extraordinaire, joins Heaton for a philosophical romp through the Enlightenment. By focusing on "spontaneous order" and how the concept has redefined power and civilization, you'll get ample evidence for why we'll never need a Federal Department of Shoes, a President of Physics, or a National Podcasting Commissar.

Jan 25, 2019 • 60min
Ep. 44 | Prince Philip, Volcano God | Guest: Chad Prather
Prince Philip is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II and is also worshiped as a volcano god by a small island in the Pacific. Comedian Chad Prather joins Heaton to go over his biography, and get to know everyone's favorite 97-year-old royal.

Jan 23, 2019 • 58min
Ep. 43 | The Various Species of Democrats | Guest: John DeVore
Self-described "flaming liberal writer" John DeVore joins Heaton to describe the internal makeup of the Democratic Party, and the factions within vying for power. They also get into tribalism, why markets are awesome, and why Heaton thinks socialism prolonged the Great Depression.


