The Political Orphanage

Politicians fear their base, so they play to their base--and disregard moderates, independents, and members of the rival party. Elected leaders can store up campaign war chests, but they can't net excess votes or store them for the next election. What are the bad structural elements we've built into our system, and how do we rearrange them? Katherine Gehl is the author of "The Politics Industry: H...

We're gamifying funny headlines! Everyone on the show gets a funny headline, but some are real and some are fake news. Each team hears the headlines, asks probing questions, then guesses which is real and which is fictitious.  Host: Andrew Heaton Team Captains: Andrew Young and Jeremey Kareken Guests: Nicholas Sperdute, Brian Sack, Jack Helmuth, Andrea Jones-Rooy

I swear I'm not evil. I have good reasons for believing we shouldn't spike the national minimum wage to $15 per hour. I'll explain why, as the U.S. Senate deliberates on whether or not to double it.

Justin Robert Young returns to go over the week's best, underserved headlines, including an octogenarian newspaper boy, the cannabis lounge which saves the day, and ridiculous French labor laws.

Economist Steve Horwitz joins the program to talk about the limits of markets and the state: what problems can they solve and what are they ill suited for? When do either go off the rails? Steve Horwitz is the Distinguished Professor of Free Enterprise at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana; Senior Scholar at the Mercatus Center, Senior Fellow at the Fraser Institute, and Economics Editor at...

Turner Sparks and Michael Ira Kaplan rejoin the show to discuss the world's best, underserved headlines--a surprising amount of which originate in Belgium this week. Including: a giggly way to endanger lives on the road, a disgraced Hungarian politico, and felons with strong opinions on parenting.

Hello orphans! Today we're doing a deep dive into gun crime statistics: where homicides are concentrated, what kind of guns are used, how we stack up to other countries, and so forth. The goal here is to puncture through pro gun and pro gun control rhetoric to glimpse the real landscape of weapons and death in America. So that we can skip bumper sticker aphorisms and have smart policy conversation...

Nick Sperdute and Andrew Young return to discuss the week's best, underserved headlines. Including stories about Scottish stamp lickers, why a man lived in an airport for three months, and the button Joe Biden just removed from the desk in the Oval Office. You can hang out on the Discord server by going to mightyheaton.com/discord

Last week Robinhood suspended trades on volatile Gamestop stocks, halting Reddit gadflies from utterly destroying a hedge fund which had shorted it. Why'd they cap things off when so many regular folk were poised to make millions? A Wall Street conspiracy? Regulatory hurdles? Jen Briney of The Congressional Dish joins the show to discuss. YOU CAN DONATE TO THE SHOW: patreon.com/andrewheaton Venmo:...

Negin Farsad of "Fake the Nation" and Cheddar's Congressional Correspondent JD Durkin join the show to kick around the week's best, funniest headlines. Including: rave in the bathroom, stripper mishaps, chastity belts gone awry, and ugly crocs.

Should the state interpolate itself into online QAnon conspiracy boards? Who gets the first vaccines? Are pardons a net benefit or vestigial monarchism? The World's Smartest Podcast Network reconvenes to discuss! Turner Sparks, Michael Ira Kaplan, Andrea Jones-Rooy, and Andrew Heaton. PLEASE DONATE TO THE SHOW Patreon.com/andrewheaton Paypal: andrew@mightyheaton.com Venmo: Andrew-Heaton-1

Comedian Gianmarco Soresi joins the show to dive into the week's best, underserved headlines, including: Mexican love tunnels, aggressive squirrels, bed bugs, aggressive Facebook invites, and Viagra mixups.   Gianmarco's new comedy album is "Shelf Life", available here: https://www.amazon.com/Shelf-Life-Gianmarco-Soresi/dp/B08M5PHDMN

In 1989 East Germans punctured through the Berlin Wall, reuniting the country after decades of bitter separation. In this episode we follow the creation and and destruction of the Berlin Wall--and look for its meaning in our own era. DONATIONS WELCOME! Patreon.com/andrewheaton Paypal: andrew@mightyheaton.com Venmo: Andrew-Heaton-1

Alice Vaughn and Yvette d'Entremont return to explore the week's best, underserved headlines, including stuff about cannons, 90s video games, and pregnancy tests. You can watch this on YouTube! Head to:  https://youtu.be/U3TKyZKoZzM "Inspired by Kevin MacLeod" Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3918-inspired License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license   

Yuval Levin thinks our sclerotic government and alienated culture trace back to anemic, declining institutions. As Congress, the press, and think tanks all lose esprit de corps, and turn into platforms for individual self promotion, gridlock and disgust ensue. He's the author of "A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive...

Jeremey Kareken and Andrew Young join the program to make sense of the week's greatest, underserved headlines. From a Scotsman who tries to cross the Irish Sea on a jet ski, to Adolf Hitler's alias, to an Austrian town sick of their inappropriate name.   "Del Rio Bravo" by Kevin MacLeod, Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5706-del-rio-bravo, License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license...

Trump protestors stormed the U.S. Capitol today! Jen Briney of "Congressional Dish" and Justin Robert Young of "Politics Politics Politics" plus yours truly convene to try to inject some meaning into the landscape.

Larry Sharpe joins the program to talk about how the Covid pandemic will affect and depopulate major cities, why urban life naturally leads to a preference for strong government, and how a potential demographic reversal could result in a rural renaissance. Also: a good rant about the Federal Reserve!

American public schooling came into its own during the Industrial Revolution, with standardized age cohorts, bells signifying start and stop times, and predictable timelines. What models are apt to apply to our current era in the Digital Revolution?   Lisa Snell is Director of K-12 Education Policy Partnerships at Stand Together. She comes on to discuss how technology is leading away from standard...

Gather round for the 2020 Third Annual Snuffy's Christmas Special! Brought to you by your friends at Snuffy's, Off Route 44, who both sponsored and insisted on writing this episode. Not suitable for emotionally well-adjusted children.   Cast: Andrew Heaton Josh Jennings Austin Bragg Justin Robert Young Ashley Paramour Brian Sack Jack Helmuth Kourtni Beebe Andrew Young

An all new Christmas special airs this Wednesday, Dec 23, 2020! Until then, enjoy the second Snuffy's Annual Christmas Special: "The Political Orphanage's oldest and most enthusiastic show sponsor, Snuffy's Off Route 44, has kindly offered to pay for this year's Christmas special. On the condition that the staff of Snuffy's write it in its entirety. Merry Christmas!" Featuring: Josh Jennings, Aust...

An all new Christmas special airs this Wednesday, Dec 23, 2020.  Until then, enjoy the first Snuffy's Annual Christmas Special: The show's principle sponsor funds an entire holiday special, in exchange for allowing its waitstaff to write the entire script. Original air date: Dec 2018

Turner Sparks and Mike Kaplan, hosts of "Lost in America" rejoin the program to explore the week's funniest, underserved headlines. Including: the world's more efficient criminal, why Thai protests are aesthetically superior to all other protests, and novel ways to cook chicken and get arrested for it.

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.

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...