Feb 4, 2019
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.
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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.