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


    • May 30, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 110 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The Overton Window

    ‘Work never gets boring'

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2025


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

    ‘A loss for the American economy'

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2025


    Jeffrey Schwab discusses filing major lawsuit on the imposition of tariffs

    ‘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

    ‘Darn good policy'

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2025


    George Leef on Right to Work and Rethinking Higher Education

    ‘The public can't stop it'

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2025


    Daniel Crane on navigating AI innovation and regulation

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘Make the case for reform'

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2025


    Meagan Forbes and Lee McGrath advance occupational licensing 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

    ‘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

    ‘Playing with taxpayer money'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2025


    Jon Riches investigates government violations of gift clauses

    ‘Not just a healthcare issue'

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2024


    Layal Bou Harfouch on bringing empathy into drug policy

    ‘Stories change the culture'

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2024


    Bob Ewing on mastering the art of public speaking

    'Hold the powerful accountable'

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2024


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

    ‘Protect the reliability of the grid'

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2024


    Jon Sanders discusses the feasibility of renewable energy in North Carolina

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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


    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘Basically it was a free market wish list'

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2024


    Kendall Cotton on major policy wins in Montana

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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

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

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2023


    Alexandra Hudson on the Soul of 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

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘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

    ‘Sometimes cynical explanations are the correct ones'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2023


    Chris Douglas on stadium subsidies

    ‘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

    ‘The federal government has stepped in and broken the market'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2023


    Preston Cooper on his plan to change federal college aid

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