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:

Ep 81 | Is 'The Orville' More 'Star Trek' than 'Star Trek'? | Guest: Dan Maffei Mar 18, 2019

Show notes

"Alienating the Audience" returns for a deep dive on science fiction, this time with former congressman and current commissioner of the the Federal Maritime Commission Dan Maffei. Heaton and the commissioner discuss "Majority Rule," from Season 1 of "The Orville," regarding absolute democracy, freedom of speech, and social media mobs. Plus how "The Orville" stacks up to Star Trek and hopes for the forthcoming series "Picard."

Ep 80 | Whales on Ambien—Friday Release Valve | Guest: Chad Prather Mar 15, 2019

Show notes

Comedian and BlazeTV host Chad Prather joins Heaton to make sense of the week's better headlines, from a goat mayor in Vermont, to whales, ambien, and conspiracy theories about marketing.

Ep 79 | Donald Trump's Social Media Sledgehammer | Guest: Dr. Brian Ott Mar 14, 2019

Show notes

Twitter nabbed Trump an eager pool of followers in 2016, and millions of unearned media attention from his detractors. How is Twitter uniquely suited to his temperament, and how does a 280-character limit shape discourse? Dr. Brian L. Ott is the author of "The Twitter Presidency: Donald J. Trump and the Politics of White Rage." He joins Heaton to discuss.

Ep 78 | You Can't Undo a Hanging | Guest: Jason Buttrill Mar 13, 2019

Show notes

California's death row inmates got a reprieve this week from Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom, who issued a moratorium on executions. It's kicked the issue of the death penalty back into the national spotlight, so Heaton brings on Jason Buttrill to discuss its efficacy and morality.

Ep 77 | The Least and Most Partisan Counties in America | Guest: Andrea Jones-Rooy Mar 12, 2019

Show notes

Where do non-partisan people tend to live? What factors are most associated with political prejudice? Comedian and political scientist Dr. Andrea Jones-Rooy joins Heaton to a discuss a recent PredictWise survey trying to quantify each of America's 3,000 counties according to partisanship. (Plus, Heaton ranks world leaders according to who he would want to vacation with).

Ep 76 | The FDA Mirage | Guest: Stu Burguiere Mar 11, 2019

Show notes

The head of the Food & Drug Administration, Scott Gottlieb, is leaving, so Heaton is officially nominating Stu Burguiere to be its new commissioner. He talks with Heaton about the false sense of security the FDA brings the public, and the ways it can be counterproductive for life-saving pharmaceuticals.

Ep 75 | Who Has the Biggest Moose? | Guest: Kevin Seefried Mar 09, 2019

Show notes

Why we should rename Mt. Everest, what hipsters are and aren't, when cemeteries become yoga studios, and the best legislation to come out of Utah—all this on another installment of Friday Release Valve.

Ep 74 | The Government's Nuclear Doomsday Plans | Guest: Garrett M. Graff Mar 07, 2019

Show notes

Garrett Graff, author of Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government's Secret Plan to Save ItselfÑWhile the Rest of Us Die joins Heaton to discuss the presidential succession, secret military bunkers, and the history of the cold warÑfrom the perspective of doomsday plans.

Ep 73 | Who's The Next Jeb? | Guests: Justin Robert Young & Brian Brushwood Mar 06, 2019

Show notes

Bernie Sanders John Hickenlooper and (probably soon) Beto O'Rourke have jumped into the already crowded Democratic 2020 primary. Meanwhile Donald Trump has his own challenger in the GOP. Will Weld help or hobble the Donald? Who's the Democrat's Jeb of the 2020 election well-positioned but destined to flame out? Justin Robert Young and Brian Brushwood join Heaton for industrial-strength rampant political speculation.

Ep 72 | The Engorged Presidency | Senator Mike Lee Mar 05, 2019

Show notes

Senator Mike Lee of Utah joins Heaton to talk about how federalism has become out of whack, and ways to restore balance to the Force.

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