A few blocks away from where scores of teenage girls line up in Washington, D.C.’s Wharf district to see a former One Direction heartthrob in concert, more than a hundred Hill staffers, party operatives, digital campaign consultants, and fans poured into a nearby venue for what was, in political circles, another hot ticket.

It was the first ticketed live show for the Ruthless podcast, the lively and sometimes irreverent “variety progrum” [sic] hosted by Republican operatives who poke fun at foes while pumping up their allies in Congress, campaigns, and the wider political sphere.