The Political Orphanage

Latest Episodes:

Katie Herzog Gives Me Advice On My Drinking Problem Oct 01, 2025

Show notes

I think I probably drink too much, and I ought to curb that before I wrinkle prematurely. Fortunately, there is Katie Herzog. You may know her as the host of the Blocked & Reported podcast, but she is also the author of "Drink Yourself Sober: The Science-Based Method to Break Free from Alcohol."

LINKS: Addicted to Dopamine https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/addicted-to-dopamine/id1439837349?i=1000601229295

Daryl Davis Attends Klan Rallies (Rebroadcast) Sep 29, 2025

Show notes

Daryl Davis is an African American musician responsible for de-radicalizing over 200 Klansmen and Neo-Nazis in his attempts to understand racism. He joins Heaton to talk about his experience, contact science, and the best ways to overcome bigotry.

This episode has been corrected for an audio error which previously occurred. If you see two episodes in your player, go with this one!

Original air date: July 8, 2020

Why Europe is Poorer than America Sep 24, 2025

Show notes

Europe's GDP and purchasing power lag behind that of the United States. Why?

Sam Bowman is the Editor of Works in Progress at Stripe, and the former Executive Director of the Adam Smith Institute. He recently wrote an article for Reason Magazine entitled "The Europoors Are Choosing to Have Less Then Americans. It Doesn't Have to Be this Way."

He joins to discuss if Europe is actually poorer, and why.

Does Liberalism Eat Itself? Sep 17, 2025

Show notes

Liberalism was once thought to be triumphant and inevitable, but at the moment it's losing ground across the globe.

Cass Sunstein joins to discuss what liberalism is, why it's good, and some of the in-family debates.

LINK: Cass Sunstein on Smarter Regulations

https://www.thepoliticalorphanage.com/p/cass-sunstein-on-smarter-regulations-85e

Charlie Kirk and the Heinous "Other" Sep 12, 2025

Show notes

Well, how do we respond after assassinations and political tragedies? Let's talk about it. Ugh.

Link: Assassins Part II: A Loser Kills Garfield

https://www.patreon.com/posts/130642450

What Happens When the Ayatollah Falls? Sep 03, 2025

Show notes

If Iran's Islamic Republic collapsed—or got pushed out—who would pick up the pieces?

This week we look at the recent history of Iran, and the coup perpetrated by the CIA and MI6.

To understand Iran's broader political context, and the power players poised to seize leadership.

Linked Bonus Episode: McKinley Dies and the Empire is Born

On Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-mckinley-131344006?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

On Substack:

https://www.thepoliticalorphanage.com/p/assassins-part-iv-mckinley-dies-and?r=1moac&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

Sweden Tried Socialism So You Don't Have To Aug 28, 2025

Show notes

Is Sweden a socialist paradise? What do they do right and what have they screwed up on? Most importantly, what can Americans steal, replicate, and improve upon?

To find out, I abducted the handsome and urbane intellectual Johan Norberg.

Also I visit the ABBA Museum.

What the Hell Is Finland Smiling About? Aug 20, 2025

Show notes

Finland routinely winds up at the top of global happiness surveys. Why?

In this episode, I flew to Helsinki to wander around and chat up locals. Trying to figure out why:

Their social trust is so teeteringly high
How their social safety nets work
How this combines to result in their contentedness.

So that we can steal all that, and replicate it.

Relevant Episode: The Nordic Theory of Everything

https://www.thepoliticalorphanage.com/p/the-nordic-theory-of-everything-52a?r=1moac

To Make a Terrifying Spoiler Candidate Aug 13, 2025

Show notes

It turns out, young voters (under fifty) are openly hostile to political parties, and are most likely to flip from election to election. This means the game is about to change as Millennials displace Baby Boomers as the largest voting bloc. So what happens?

Adam Brandon is a senior advisor at The Independent Center, and the former and final president of FreedomWorks.

He joins the show to discuss how an electoral surgical strike of a few house seats could introduce seismic waves to American politics.

Greg Lukianoff is Worried About Free Speech Aug 06, 2025

Show notes

Greg Lukianoff is the President of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, and along with Nadine Strossen, is the author of "The War on Words: 10 Arguments Against Free Speech--And Why They Fail."

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