The Overton Window

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Have you noticed that politicians struggle to enact the things they run on? They find themselves bound by what is popular, or at least their sense of it. The narrow range of policies that they can enact is called the Overton Window. The Overton Window pod

Mackinac Center for Public Policy

Jun 13, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
every other week NEW EPISODES
111 EPISODES

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Latest episodes from The Overton Window

‘Get off the floor, wipe your eyes, log off that computer and start homeschooling'

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2025

Bernita Bradley on launching microschools in Detroit

detroit computers floor homeschooling get off wipe

‘Work never gets boring'

Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2025

FIRE's Ryne Weiss on protecting freedom of speech on campus

fire boring freedom of speech

‘A loss for the American economy'

Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2025

Jeffrey Schwab discusses filing major lawsuit on the imposition of tariffs

loss american economy

‘Welcome to the wild and wonderful'

Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2025

Jessi Troyan on universal licensing and breaking barriers to work in West Virginia

wild west virginia

‘Darn good policy'

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2025

George Leef on Right to Work and Rethinking Higher Education

work policy darn good

‘The public can't stop it'

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2025

Daniel Crane on navigating AI innovation and regulation

ai public

‘The government never goes out of business'

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2025

State Rep. Jordan Teuscher on how Utah banned public sector unionization

government utah state reps

‘The battle is not over'

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025

Dr. Keli'i Akina on passing the largest tax cut in Hawaii's state history

battle hawaii keli akina

‘Make the case for reform'

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2025

Meagan Forbes and Lee McGrath advance occupational licensing reform

reform

‘The people do have a voice — it's called the legislature'

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2025

Badger Institute's Patrick McIlheran discusses citizen-led referenda

voice legislature

‘You've got to get it in writing'

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2025

Scott Tillman discusses putting term limits on U.S. Congress

writing congress

‘Playing with taxpayer money'

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2025

Jon Riches investigates government violations of gift clauses

playing taxpayers taxpayer money

‘Not just a healthcare issue'

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2024

Layal Bou Harfouch on bringing empathy into drug policy

healthcare

‘Stories change the culture'

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2024

Bob Ewing on mastering the art of public speaking

culture stories bob ewing

'Hold the powerful accountable'

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2024

Dave Bondy breaks down the ever-shifting landscape of political journalism

powerful accountable

‘Protect the reliability of the grid'

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2024

Jon Sanders discusses the feasibility of renewable energy in North Carolina

north carolina protect grid reliability jon sanders

‘When the government selects who wins, everyone loses'

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2024

Michigan Rising Action's Abby Mitch on holding elected officials accountable

government loses

‘We have to fight for the commanding heights of American culture'

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2024

American Culture Project's John Tillman on winning through upstream engagement

heights american culture commanding john tillman

‘There's a bigger strategy at play'

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2024

Angela Erickson on project management's role in ending home equity theft

strategy

‘I want an economic system that pulls billions out of poverty'

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2024

Josh Bandoch on persuading the left and the right to help America's poor

america poverty billions pulls economic systems

‘Everybody's got to read my book and believe it'

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2024

Bryan Caplan on using graphic novels to change housing policy

bryan caplan

‘We're putting a face and a name on the issue'

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 16, 2024

Elizabeth Stelle on winning more school choice in a purple state

putting

‘Certificate of Need laws are a public policy failure'

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2024

Alisdair Whitney on the battles to remove barriers to entry for healthcare providers

failure laws public policy certificates

‘I was so distraught; I felt like I had to do something'

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2024

Basanta Adhikari on moving the Overton Window in Nepal

nepal felt overton window distraught

‘You have to have a critical mass of people who care about it'

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2024

Mike Reitz on political strategy and public policy

care critical mass

‘If the Soviets hate this Milton Friedman guy then he must be good'

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2024

Matt Mitchell on switching economic systems from socialism to capitalism

soviets milton friedman matt mitchell

‘In the past three years, we've made more advancements on school choice than in the preceding three decades'

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2024

Corey DeAngelis on The Parent Revolution

advancements school choice three decades preceding corey deangelis

‘If we got to Mach 3, 4, 5…then trillions of dollars could get unlocked'

Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2024

Eli Dourado on the hard problems facing hard technology

dollars mach unlocked trillions

‘There's so much we can learn from polls'

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2024

Erin Norman on measuring progress and setting strategy through polling

polls

‘There's a wide-open Overton Window, and a lot of people have ideas'

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2024

Jason Hayes on how federal and state forests are managed

ideas wide open overton window jason hayes

‘If you can make them laugh, they'll remember things'

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2024

Shoshana Weissmann on policy advocacy on social media

laugh shoshana weissmann

‘The only way you're going to get involved is by being involved'

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2024

Luke Derheim on volunteering on political campaigns

get involved

‘Basically it was a free market wish list'

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2024

Kendall Cotton on major policy wins in Montana

montana free markets

‘It's a policy shift but also a cultural shift'

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2024

M. Nolan Gray on the battles for less restrictive housing

policy cultural shift nolan gray

‘This is the unholy intersection of Hollywood and politics'

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2024

Jacob Whiton and Greg LeRoy on state film subsidies

hollywood politics intersection unholy greg leroy

‘The dealers are protecting themselves, not protecting consumers'

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2024

Dan Crane on the fight for direct sales of vehicles

protecting consumers dealers

‘There's no good outcome here'

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2024

Brian Riedl on what it will take to avoid catastrophic federal debt

outcome no good brian riedl

‘I just think that's a success, right?'

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2023

Sarah Curry on letting voters know what debts they're being asked to approve

success

‘They can embrace radical policies with no repercussions'

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2023

Paul Gessing on the fight to keep gasoline-powered vehicle sales legal in New Mexico

embrace new mexico radical policies repercussions paul gessing

‘Our civilization, our democracy, our society depend on that'

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2023

Alexandra Hudson on the Soul of Civility

soul society democracy civilization depend civility

‘That is what makes health care so different from every other sector of the economy'

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2023

Brian Blase on putting the customer back in the health care system

healthcare economy sector

‘The moral argument is what wins'

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2023

Jimmy Walker on raising funds by making a better case for free-market ideas

moral argument jimmy walker

‘We have to protect the parents who trust their kids with some independence'

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2023

Lenore Skenazy on the Let Grow Project

trust kids parents protect independence lenore skenazy

‘Thirty to forty years ago, this was actually a debatable question. Now that we have the data in hand it's much less debatable'

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2023

Robert Lawson on the Economic Freedom of the World Index and improvements in economic liberty

data thirty years ago debatable forty years economic freedom robert lawson

‘If that sounds outrageous and corrupt, it's because it is'

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2023

Pat Garofalo works to prevent lawmakers from signing nondisclosure agreements about business subsidy negotiations

corrupt outrageous pat garofalo

‘Now it's simply referred to as the Overton Window, as if everyone knows what it is'

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2023

Larry Reed and Joe Lehman on the Overton Window and Joe Overton

referred everyone knows overton window larry reed

‘The power of these policies is to individualize education for children'

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2023

Jon England on supporting the changes in the education marketplace

children education policies individualize

‘This is my home and I'm going to fight for this thing'

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2023

Matt Paprocki on making a difference in Illinois policy

illinois

‘They say it adds up to real money'

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2023

Sheng Li on reinvigorating the separation of powers through lawsuits

adds real money

‘Sometimes cynical explanations are the correct ones'

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2023

Chris Douglas on stadium subsidies

correct explanations cynical chris douglas

‘Argument is the great source of political power'

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2023

George Will on changing minds over 50 years of column-writing and how the Overton Window shifted in baseball

argument political power overton window george will great source

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