Comedy

The Political Orphanage

Politics minus bile plus jokes. Comedian and avowed independent Andrew Heaton interviews authors and thought leaders about policy and big thinky stuff.

Latest Episodes:

Working with Commies and Frenchmen Feb 14, 2024

Show notes

Alain Bertaud is a feted urbanist, who before becoming a professor at NYU, worked in city planning in communist China, as well as on projects in Algeria, Cuba, and his native France. He joins to discuss what work and results look like in top-down command economies.

Alan Bertaud from City Week:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/sim-city-was-79663680?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

The Politics of Artificial Intelligence Feb 07, 2024

Show notes

Is AI biased towards a particular viewpoint, and if so, how does it affect national sentiment and elections? Maxim Lott has built an AI tracking website that charts the political orientation of Large Language Models, and watches their development in real time. He joins to discuss.

Maxim's Website: trackingai.org

Maxim's Substack: https://maximumtruth.substack.com/

Political Compass Quiz: https://www.politicalcompass.org/test

The Two Kinds of Independents Feb 01, 2024

Show notes

I flew to New Hampshire to check out the primaries, and to visit this historically independent-minded state to see how independents think. In this episode we see a Nikki Haley concert, and get invited to a Libertarian Clubhouse.

TPO: Don't Screw This Up, New Hampshire (Feb, 2020) https://five.libsyn.com/show/episodes/view/13086767

Knocking Trump Off the Ballot Jan 26, 2024

Show notes

Donald Trump has been removed from the ballot in Colorado and in Maine, on the grounds that he is an insurrectionist ineligible to hold office under the U.S. Constitution. The Supreme Court will hear an appeal from the Trump campaign in the following weeks.

Anna Gorisch comes to discuss the specifics and impacts of this case, and what will be of issue to the highest court in the land.

Iowa, Ancient Greece, and Rome Jan 17, 2024

Show notes

Live from Des Moines, Iowa, Heaton transforms into a 'thinky travelogue' guide, unraveling the mysteries of state-by-state primaries, and the often confusing blend of direct democracy and representative democracy that characterizes American politics.

This episode isn't just about the mechanics of the caucus; it's an exploration of the philosophical underpinnings of the American political system, drawing parallels between ancient Greece and Rome, and our modern-day practices.

TPO: Glen Weyl on How Weighted Voting Could Actually Work https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/glen-weyl

Announcement: Live Show in New Hampshire! Saturday, January 20th Jan 16, 2024

Show notes

Hey gang, I will be joining Jen Briney and Justin Robert Young for a live show of our podcast "We're Not Wrong" at 7:00 PM at the Share Brewing Company in Manchester, NH, this Saturday, January 20th. If you're in the area, this is a great alibi--come on out!

Moon Base Economics Jan 12, 2024

Show notes

Zach Weinersmith is the author of "A City on Mars: Can we settle space, should we settle space, and have we really thought this through?"

He joins to discuss the legal and economic feasibility of building settlements on Mars or the Moon

SUPPORT THE SHOW! www.patreon.com.andrewheaton

Robert Zubrin: Want to Build a Moon Base

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-98-i-want-to-build-a-moon-base-guest-robert-zubrin/id1439837349?i=1000434628317

Robert Zubrin on Mars

https://alienating.libsyn.com/turns-out-were-all-probably-martians

How to Make Money on Mars

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alienating-the-audience/id1488171922?i=1000470956981

Lori Garber: Space Billionaires vs Space Bureucrats

https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/space-bureaucrats-vs-space-billionaires

The Cancelling of the American Mind Jan 03, 2024

Show notes

Greg Lukianoff is the President of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, and along with Rikki Schlott, is the author of "The Cancelling of the American Mind: Cancel Culture Undermines Trust, Destroys Institutions, and Threatens Us All--But There Is a Solution."

Get the the book: www.mightyheaton.com/featured

TPO: Greg Lukianoff discussing his last book, "The Coddling of the American Mind." https://omny.fm/shows/something-s-off-with-andrew-heaton/ep-19-the-coddling-of-the-american-mind-guest-greg?in_playlist=something-s-off-with-andrew-heaton!podcast

TPO: "The Enemies of How We Know Stuff" with Jonathan Rauch

https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/the-enemies-of-how-we-know-stuff

TPO: "This Comedy Club Owner Un-Canceled Louis C. K."

https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/getting-canceled-diet-death-penalty

TPO: "How to Be A Better Vulcan" (Logical Fallacies)

https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/logical-fallacies-main-feed

David Brooks Wants To Know You Better Dec 28, 2023

Show notes

New York Times columnist David Brooks believes a basic breakdown in interpersonal skills is the origin of our current political rancor. His new book, "How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply And Being Deeply Seen" aims to fix that. He joins to discuss how to better connect with people, and its implications.

Support the show! www.patreon.com/andrewheaton

Buy the book: www.mightyheaton.com/featured

A Very Snuffy's Rerun Dec 23, 2023

Show notes

Highlights from Christmas comedy specials of years gone by. Enjoy!