Comedian, author, and political satirist Andrew Heaton joins Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis to explore where our political tribalism comes from, why it’s gotten out of hand, and what to do about it.

About Andrew Heaton

From mightyheaton.com

Andrew Heaton is a comedian, author, and political satirist. He’s the host of “The Political Orphanage” comedy and news podcast, and scifi deep dive podcast “Alienating the Audience.” He’s a frequent Reason TV contributor and hosted the popular webseries “Mostly Weekly.” He’s performed standup comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, as a finalist in the China International Standup Competition, and throughout the United States and Europe. A former congressional staffer, he’s the best-selling author of “Laughter is Better Than Communism,” as well as two funny novels. He once opened for William Shatner, who said he’s “very funny.” So there.

As a UCB-trained sketch writer and improviser Andrew Heaton comprises half of the comedy duo Lost History, which has performed improvised historical reenactments at the Del Close Marathon and Austin’s Out of Bounds Comedy Festival. He’s a founding member of the popular New York indie improv team Lumberon, and an alumni of the sketch troupes 17:38 and First Runner Up.

As a political comedian Andrew Heaton has entertained numerous think tanks and advocacy groups, student associations, and sinister political action committees. He’s a regular at Electoral Dysfunction at the People’s Improv Theater in New York, and the Totally Dishonest Media Show at Stand Up New York. He hosted the award-winning series EconPop, a comedy show which explained economics through popular culture.

Andrew Heaton is the author of the best-selling work of political satire Laughter is Better Than Communism, and two funny paranormal novels: Frank Got Abducted (about aliens) and Happier as Werewolves (a tender coming of age novel involving werewolves).  His latest book is Tribalism is Dumb, detailed below.

About Tribalism is Dumb

 Tribalism has made politics so awful I was forced to write a book about it. Well, fine. Fine.

This book explores the evolutionary roots of loving our team and hating the enemy team, and why groupish caveman instincts linger in our minds today. It answers: If tribalism is hardwired into us, what changed in the last twenty years? How did partisanship get so loud, toxic, and obnoxious, and ruin last Thanksgiving? Finally, it says what we can do about it as individuals navigating relationships, and as society as a whole.

"Tribalism is Dumb" will make you less flummoxed by partisanship, political loudmouths, and dogmatic pundits. It will make you taller, slimmer, and more attractive to everyone you could legally hit on. And it will make you better equipped to navigate tribalism in the wild.

With the 2024 elections in rearview both parties are trying to grapple with what lessons they should learn.  Who better to offer unsolicited advice than Josh Lewis and Blake Fischer, the respective hosts of the Saving Elephants and The Homeless Conservative podcasts?  As two Trump-skeptical conservatives on the outside looking in, sure both parties are eager to hear their thoughts on how both parties should proceed in the elections ahead.

In this episode, Josh and Blake take a deep dive into what went wrong and what went right for the Republicans in 2024 and what might help them secure their newfound majorities for elections to come.

But wait, there’s more!  This episode is the first in a two-part series.  In part 2 Blake puts Josh on the hot seat to ask what lessons the Democratic party should take from their 2024 losses.  But you won’t find that conversation on the Saving Elephants podcast.  Instead, it appears as a special cross-over episode on Blake’s The Homeless Conservative, which you can listen to here.

About Blake Fischer and the Homeless Conservative

Blake Fischer is a political junkie, so you don't necessarily have to be. A lifelong conservative, Blake covers conservative policies, current politics, and the historical context of today's events. With a unique blend of media critique and a focus on the big issues that often go unaddressed, Blake offers insightful solutions to pressing problems without the fear-mongering or populist outrage used in mainstream political media.

Blake says, “I know a lot of people who would consider themselves more conservative than liberal, but don’t like Trump and feel like there’s nowhere for them in the Republican party. Welcome to the club! But if that’s you, I’d encourage you to not check out completely because we need reasonable citizens in this country to pay attention and vote accordingly if we want to change the direction of government and politics.”

Blake lives in Oklahoma and is the creator of The Homeless Conservative.