Mass for Shut-ins: The Gin and Tacos Podcast
News:Politics
Story: Andrew Johnson gets incredibly drunk at his inauguration and makes a scene you'll have to hear about to believe. He calls out every member of the Cabinet by name (Wu-Tang style), makes up his own oath of office, and nearly drives his colleagues to weep from shame. And he owed it all to Civil War-era medicine's inability to treat serious illness except with Patent Medicines (i.e., alcohol, opium, or alcohol with opium)
Guest: Dr. Stephen Pettigrew, Senior Analyst on the NBC News decision team. He's one of the people who decides when races are "called" by the network on election night. He gives us a fascinating look behind that curtain, and there's some great insight about the challenges posed by alternative voting methods like mail-in ballots.
Cocktail of the Month: Doctor Chase's Soothing Cordial. In the spirit (pun intended) of the Johnson story, I found the recipe for a Civil War era patent medicine. I'll give you one hint: the first ingredient is opium. Like, just a big piece of opium.
Question Cathy returns with the mailbag.
Please support Mass for Shut-ins, an independent and ad-free podcast, via Patreon. Contact me via Facebook, Twitter (@gin_and_tacos), or the venerable website Gin and Tacos. Brand new seriously kick-ass t-shirts are available. Buy one why don't ya.
Thanks: Dr. Pettigrew, all the bands that contribute music (Waxeater, IfIHadAHiFi, The Sump Pumps, Oscar Bait), Zachary Sielaff, Question Cathy, and all Patreon supporters, subscribers, and listeners.
Pop-up Stadium
018 - Amanda Litman of Run for Something / Why You Can't See Out of Your Car
Atlantropa
017 - The Anglo-French Condominium of the New Hebrides (Vanuatu)
Minicast B5: The Cannibal Food Critic
016 - Radical Suburbs / Amanda Kolson Hurley / Diamond Jim Brady
Minicast B4: The Virginia Lottery Buyout Scheme (1992)
015 - How to Hide an Empire / Daniel Immerwahr
Minicast B3: Why Chickens are Chicken but Pigs are Pork
Minicast B2: Naked Came the Stranger
014 - Dr. Rebekah Tromble / Civility on Twitter
Minicast B1: The White House Arsonist
012 - Folger Shakespeare Library / How to Run for Local Office
Minicast A6: Nuclear Fracking and Project Plowshare
011 - Special Midterm Election Episode
010 - Ten Cent Beer Night
009 - LIL BUB / Harold Holt
MInicast A5: Why do Trump's Suits Look So Bad?
Minicast A4: The Origins of "Filibuster"
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