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The Political Orphanage

The Political Orphanage

By: Andrew Heaton
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About this listen

 Politics minus bile plus jokes. Comedian and avowed independent Andrew Heaton interviews authors and thought leaders about policy and big thinky stuff.2025 Andrew Heaton Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Churchill, Non-Proliferation, and Iranian Nuclear Ambitions

    Churchill, Non-Proliferation, and Iranian Nuclear Ambitions
    Jun 19 2025

    Iran is accused by Israel of pursuing a nuclear weapons program, and President Trump is weighing US military intervention.

    In this episode we chart the history of nuclear non-proliferation, and assess Iran in light of it.
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    1 hr and 14 mins
  • Assassins Part III: An Anarchist Murders McKinley

    Assassins Part III: An Anarchist Murders McKinley
    Jun 12 2025

    A terrorist shot William McKinley at a World's Fair in Buffalo in 1901. In this episode, we go over the specter of anarchism in that era, why McKinley embodied the establishment, and how he died.
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Assassins Part I: Shooting Andrew Jackson

    Assassins Part I: Shooting Andrew Jackson
    Jun 4 2025

    Andrew Jackson was the first U. S. president who experienced an assassination attempt.

    It didn’t stick.

    In today’s episode we learn about the most grizzled executive in American history from the vantage point of his last near-brush with death.

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    28 mins
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Heaton is obviously interested in the topics and guests and does his research and homework on the issues. his humor and quick-wittedness keep the subjects lively and entertaining. I also appreciate the (political) balance and open conversations.

quick and clever

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If you enjoy thinking about political issues but hate the red team/blue team squabbling, this is the place for you. Andrew Heaton creates a place for everyone who’s more interested in solutions than scoring ideological points for a chosen dogma. And he’ll probably make you laugh along the way.

Unbiased and entertaining

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All thanks to Andrew Heaton's podcast I discovered snuffys, and my dining experiences have never been the same.

absolutely brilliant

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serious topic mingled with a touch of humor . enjoyed the content very much!

brilliant

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Heaton is hilarious and manages to tackle political topics in a way that is entertaining while still being informative. Even if you are lucky enough to feel represented by the Democrats or the Republicans, I highly recommend this program.

While he lets his policies and viewpoints known, they are rational and frequently questioned as any rational person should treat their views. Plus I don't think "free trade is good", "listen to others", and "maybe a 2 party system isn't all that great" is that controversial.

He manages to get guests from different backgrounds to speak and uses that as a chance to open the listeners eyes to diverse views rather than throw his own down our throats. For instance, during the 2024 election, he managed to get the libertarian candidate CHASE OLIVER and freaking CORNEL WEST to come on and discuss their candidacies. He also had guests representing the other parties come in and speak their peace about why you should vote for their candidates in a rational way without trying to attack them.

If I had a magic lamp, I 100% would elect Andrew Heaton to be the Vice President.

Intelligent; Funny; Informative; Not Evil

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Heaton presents complex answers to difficult policy problems. Recommended for wonks who enjoy humorous, thorough exploration modern policy.

intelligent, intellectually curious

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Every once in a while Mr. Heaton releases a deep dive episode like this. They are always worth your time; so much so that I often listen to them again after a month or two. The effort put in gathering information, facts and ideas shows as it does on the magnificent humor. He also manages to present multiple viewpoints and theories with a remarkably even hand.

Highly recommend.

One of the good ones

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from serious analytics to good faith arguments about why Supreme Court Justices should be made to ride a horse. this show has everything.

A great time

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