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:

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."

But Gene Epstein Hates the Fed Jul 31, 2025

Show notes

Does the Fed achieve its own stated goals? What are underlying ethical or practical issues with it? Soho Forum founder and economist Gene Epstein joins to make the case against the Federal Reserve.

The SoHo Forum: https://www.thesohoforum.org/

Uncut Gene Epstein interview on the Federal Reserve: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h_8wTj-0VrlMWsrtI6iIsewKvjZworu_/view?usp=sharing

What the Hell Does the Federal Reserve Do? Jul 30, 2025

Show notes

What is the purported aim of the Federal Reserve? Why is it independent, or shoot for 2% targeted inflation? In part one of our series on the Fed, Jeremiah Johnson of the New Liberal podcast joins to explain, discuss, and field objections.

How to Become Rich Serving in Congress Jul 23, 2025

Show notes

How can an unscrupulous person get elected to high office and make a buck by abusing public trust? To look into this matter we speak with former congressman (and former lobbyist) Scott Klug.

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