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Artwork for The Political Orphanage

The Political Orphanage

Andrew Heaton
Donald Trump
China
Tariffs
Christmas
Supreme Court
Foreign Policy
Inflation
Comedy
Racism
Artificial Intelligence
Democracy
2024 Election
Politics
Kamala Harris
United States
Liberalism
Criminal Justice Reform
Andrew Jackson
Pregnancy
Tribalism

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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes658Founded8 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
PoliticsComedyNews

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Artwork for The Political Orphanage

Latest Episodes

The Neoliberal in your life cares enough about you to ask you to listen to this audio cassette.

After completing this course, you will understand the basics of neoliberal psychology.

And be able to engage in productive conversations about politi... more

YouTube

Why did America close its psychiatric hospitals, and what happened to the people who needed them? Writer and cultural critic Freddie deBoer, author of All in Your Head: Illness as Identity, Trauma as Fashion, and the Desire to Be Disordered, explores... more

YouTube

Corporate personhood is one of the most misunderstood concepts in American law. From ancient Rome and medieval universities to William Blackstone and the modern Supreme Court, this episode explores why corporations have legal identities, how limited ... more

YouTube

Why is Germany's anti-immigration AfD surging in popularity? And why does immigration seem to work better in America than in Europe? Harris, a Bosnian refugee turned American citizen who now lives and works in Germany, joins us to explore the economi... more

YouTube

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Freddie deBoer
Writer, academic, cultural critic, and author of All in Your Head
Episode: Why Did We Close the Asylums?
David Goldhill
Senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, CEO and co-founder of Sesame, author of Catastrophic Care
Manhattan Institute; Sesame
Episode: Europe is Freeloading on American Healthcare
Alex Mayyasi
Economist, NPR contributor, host of Gastronomics
Planet Money contributor; Gastronomics host
Episode: Why Childcare Will Always Be Expensive
Justin Robert Young
Host of The Attention Mechanism; commentator on AI and technology
The Attention Mechanism (and related media appearances)
Episode: The A.I. Civil War
Steve Fuller
Professor of sociology at the University of Warwick and founder of its research program in social epistemology
University of Warwick
Episode: Upwingers Fighting Downwingers (Rebroadcast)
Sally Primus
Author of Slice of Life MD on Substack; ophthalmologist
Slice of Life MD / Substack
Episode: How Do Other Countries do Healthcare?
Lewis Bollard
Farm Animal Welfare Managing Director at Coefficient Giving
Coefficient Giving
Episode: Chinese Lobbyists Hate California Pig Laws
Isabella Reinhardt
Assistant Professor of Classics at the University of Austin
University of Austin
Episode: What Does Nolan Owe The Odyssey?
Will Poff-Webster
Director of Infrastructure Policy at the Institute for Progress
Institute for Progress
Episode: Why Can't We Have Nice Trains?

Host

Andrew Heaton
Host of The Political Orphanage

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 1.1k ratings
  • Learn and laugh with this podcast

    Andrew Heaton is super funny on history, politics, and civics topics. It is also thought provoking information.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    dlfretz
    United States2 months ago
  • Been going off the rails more often

    It is the classic fallacy of our time that a moron run through a university and decorated with a PHD will thereby cease to be a moron—H.L Menken

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    This Ken
    United States3 months ago
  • Company(& Plantation) Towns

    My great-grandparents on both sides were rice farmers in Southern Japan. They were recruited by sugar plantations in the 1890’s & immigrated to Hawaii as indentured servants & lived in the plantation towns on Maui & the Big Island.

    The plan was to work their 7yr contract, return to Japan with their savings & “live like kings”; but they had children & stayed in Hawaii - they couldn’t become citizens (Exclusion Act), but their children (my grandparents) were US citizens by being born in Hawaii. ... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    another RJF
    United States3 months ago
  • Heaton is a true non-partisan. He does his research. He knows how to add funny to deep topics.

    I have listened for years but it was the 6/30/2026 episode that made me finally do a review. In that episode he and Jeffrey Rosen of the Constitution Center (another great podcast) hash out Jeffersonian versus Hamiltonian and it is so rich and clearly shows two people who know the content having an epic conversation that assumes you know the material and doesn't dumb it down.

    Podcast Addict
    5
    FauxPseudo
    4 months ago
  • Company(& Plantation) Towns

    My great-grandparents on my father’s side were rice farmers in Southern Japan; they were recruited by a sugar plantation in the 1890’s & immigrated to Hawaii as indentured servants & lived in the plantation town of Sprecklesville, Maui.

    The plan was to work their 7yr contract, return to Japan with their savings & “live like the rich”; but they had children & stayed in Hawaii - they couldn’t, but their Hawaii born children were allowed to become US citizens.

    When I have to take a break betwee... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    another RJF
    United States5 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Balanced, insightful, with a humorous edge that makes dense topics accessible.
The host pushes for open, data-driven discussion and treats guests with respect.
Listeners praise the show's willingness to challenge assumptions and present multiple sides.
Diverse, thoughtful guests; topics range from policy to history to culture.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#167
United States/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#133
Israel/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#153
Mexico/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#202
Norway/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#244
New Zealand/News/Politics

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Why Did We Close the Asylums?
Q: If you could have one policy you could put forth in American mental health and you can also remove one cultural cliché about mental illness, what would you do and what would you make disappear?
DeBoer wants people to understand that appropriate treatment can help many people with serious mental illness reach long-term stability. He would reject the romantic idea that mental illness makes people more creative or reveals a truer self.
Why Did We Close the Asylums?
Q: What good intention has produced the most damaging result in the world of mental health?
DeBoer identifies deinstitutionalization as the central failure: state hospitals closed, but the community-care alternatives were not adequately funded, leaving many people without sustained care.
How Immigration Broke German Politics
Q: Best-case scenario, what happens with the immigration clash going on? Worst-case scenario, what happens with the immigration clash? What are you hopeful for? What are you worried about moving forward for Germany?
Harris hopes mainstream parties regain democratic credibility, manage immigration more deliberately and fill labor needs as the population ages. He worries that sustained humanitarian admissions may be politically and economically unsustainable, while acknowledging the moral difficulty of turning away people fleeing oppression.
How Immigration Broke German Politics
Q: Is it a social trust thing?
Harris says social trust can decline when people find unfamiliar groups harder to predict and empathize with, while rapid change can make communities feel less invested in a shared civic project.
Europe is Freeloading on American Healthcare
Q: What would be the effect if the US adopted a price-cap system similar to Canada or Europe?
He suggests that while price caps could lower immediate costs, they would likely reduce the profitability of major innovations, potentially slowing or stopping development of new drugs and devices. The result would be a trade-off between affordability and long-term progress in medical science.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
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Frequently Asked Questions About The Political Orphanage

What is The Political Orphanage about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show blends policy analysis with accessible, often humorous conversation, tackling topics from transit reform and government processes to media trust, history, and corporate towns. Guests tend to be researchers, authors, and practitioners who challenge conventional narratives, offer data-driven takes, or present provocative alternatives. The tone mixes intellectual rigor with witty, skeptical banter, making complex policy debates approachable for curious listeners who want thoughtful context without partisan fireworks. A notable strength is the breadth of topics—you'll hear everything from infrastructure and constitutional debates to nonprofit dynamics and company towns, all through a clear, entertaining lens.

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Which podcasts are similar to The Political Orphanage?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Political Orphanage:

1. We're Not Wrong
2. The Reason Roundtable
3. The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
4. Politics Politics Politics
5. The Cato Weekly Podcast

How many episodes of The Political Orphanage are there?

The Political Orphanage launched 8 years ago and published 658 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on The Political Orphanage?

Recent guests on The Political Orphanage include:

1. Freddie deBoer
2. David Goldhill
3. Alex Mayyasi
4. Justin Robert Young
5. Steve Fuller
6. Sally Primus
7. Lewis Bollard
8. Isabella Reinhardt

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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