The Political Orphanage

Who's this Tim Walz guy? Live from the Democratic National Convention, we go into his National Guard record, his tenure in Congress and as governor of Minnesota, and explore the underpinnings of his political philosophy.

El Salvador used to be the murder capital of the world. Now it's arguably as safe as Canada. In 2019 Nayib Bukele became president, and initiated a draconian crackdown on drug cartels, suspending the Constitution and civil liberties. It knocked gangs out of neighborhoods, but flirted with tyranny to do so. Was the trade worth it? Peter Gietl of Frontier Magazine joins to discuss. Link to Chicago L...

Scott Klug is a former representative from Wisconsin, and the host of the podcast Lost in the Middle. He joins to discuss partisanship, "both sideism" and electoral solutions to America's current, horrible political quagmire.

Why is college so expensive, and also, why do rich families keep trying to bribe their ways into the most elite schools? Sahaj Sharda is the author of "The College Cartel." He joins to discuss the underlying structures ruining higher ed. His book at: www.mightyheaton.com/featured

Matt Taibbi is an independent journalist and winner of the National Magazine Award. Formerly a gonzo journalist at Rolling Stone, he now runs Racket News. He joins to discuss the relationship between power and journalism, and the role of newsmakers in a chaotic era. 

Thoughts on Donald Trump's acceptance speech at the 2024 RNC Convention. AND what happens next, at the forthcoming DNC bloodbath.

Donald Trump has tapped J. D. Vance of Ohio as his running mate, cementing the Republican Party as a populist movement--and ending the old balance between Goldwater and Rockefeller Republicans, or Reagan fusionists. In this episode we discuss the implications.

Some takes on bad takes following the assassination attempt, followed by rambling but heartfelt plea not to shoot each other.

The British Labour Party just picked up dizzying, historical amounts of seats in Parliament, at the expense of the Conservative Party. Is it just the pendulum swinging the other way around, or does it signify something more seismic? Douglas Carswell, President of the Mississippi Institute and former member of Parliament, and Lawrence Titley join to discuss. Discord Link: www.mightyheaton.com/disco...

In City of Grants Pass v. Johnson the Supreme Court rejects Martin vs. Boise, which forbade cities from dispersing homeless encampments if there weren't sufficient beds around to go to instead. Anna Gorisch joins to discuss. "Homelessness and our Stupid Solutions"  https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/homelessness-and-our-stupid-solutions "The Best Tiny House Village in America" https://www.patre...

This week the United States Supreme Court ruled on Donald Trump, and subsequently, on immunities afforded to the president and former presidents. In this episode we explore the ramifications of that decision.

On this episode of Judge Week we tackle two Supreme Court decisions pertaining to firearms: United States v. Rahimi, and Garland vs. Cargill. Anastasia Boden of the Pacific Legal Foundation and Jacob Sullum of Reason join respectively to discuss. Support the show! Patreon.com/andrewheaton

The Chevron Doctrine is the longtime bete noir of conservatives and libertarians hostile to the administrative state. Tim Sandefur of the Goldwater Institute joins to discuss the reasoning behind it, and the reasoning that smite it.  Support the show! patreon.com/andrewheaton Past Judge Weeks:  https://www.patreon.com/collection/140707?view=expanded  

Part 1: Debate: The Musical! Part 2: Andrew Heaton and Justin Robert Young give intial thoughts directly after the debate.    Tips: Paypal: andrew@mightyheaton.com Venmo: @andrew-heaton-1

Ryan Bourne is the former head of public policy at the Institute of Economic Affairs in the United Kingdom, an economist at the Cato Institute, and editor and contributing author of the new book The War on Prices.   Book at: mightyheaton.com/featured

Is Robert Kennedy, Jr. a nutbag or a truth-telling disruptor? Can he actually win the presidency, or just spoil it? In this episode we tackle RFK. Part 1: Heaton's assessment of his politics, positives, and his position on vaccines. Part 2: David Drucker of The Dispatch joins to discuss his candidacy, campaign, impact, and spoilage.

Jonathan Rauch is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a contributing writer at The Atlantic, and the author of the book "The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After Age Fifty." He joins to discuss the reality, economics, and neurology of midlife crises.   Find his book at www.mightyheaton.com/featured  

John Romulus Brinkley became wealthy, famous, and powerful as one of America's most colorful, ludicrous quacks. He made his fortune by "curing" male impotence by sewing goat testicles into clients. As well as becoming a radio tycoon, politician, and more.  Check out more on the podcast Losers, Pretenders & Scoundrels

Last week a New York court found former president Donald Trump guilty on thirty-four felony counts. Is this rule of law in action, or a corrupt judiciary undermining the law?  Paul Townsend and Anna Gorisch join to sort things out. 

What are the insecurities of the Working Class, and what policies hurt or exploit them? Batya Ungar-Sargon is an editor at Newsweek and the author of Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America's Working Men and Women. BOOK AT: www.mightyheaton.com/featured Batya's handle: @bungarsargon Heaton & Batya on Heaton's TV show:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBh3sLlgRx4 Batya on The Political Orphan...

Daniel J. Fox, Ph. D., is a licensed psychologist in Texas, international speaker, and multiple-award winning author. He has been specializing in the treatment and assessment of individuals with personality disorders for over 20 years in the state and federal prison system, universities, and in private practice.

Dr. Rainer Zitelmann is the author of "How Nations Escape Poverty: Vietnam, Poland, and the Origins of Prosperity." He joins to discuss the efficacy of international development aid, and what we can learn from the economic growth of Asia vs. that of Africa. Book at: www.mightyheaton.com/featured Dr. Zitelmann on Nazi Economics: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-nazis-thought-about-economic...

Jeffrey Rosen is a legal scholar and the President of the National Constitution Center. He's the author "the Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America." Book at www.mightyheaton.com/featured

Protests over Israel and Hamas have become so heated at Columbia that it's canceled in-person classes the rest of the semester. Anti-Israel protests are becoming not just a flashpoint in America's culture war, but within Blue Team itself. What's happening? The World's Smartest Podcast Network assembles to discuss: Andrew Heaton, Dr. Andrea Jones-Rooy, and Michael Ira Kaplan.  We're Not Wrong Live...

James Judkins started out as a circus worker, eating swords and fire, then working up to ringleader and manager. As a talent scout operating in other countries, he became professionally involved in sorting visas foreign countries, then eventually transitioned to a full-time visa agency. He joins the show to discuss 1) what it's like working at the circus, and 2) how temp visas work for seasonal wo...