The Best Political Podcasts to Listen to Right Now

Every four years , election season arrives to dust Americans with campaign attack ads , doomsday op - eds , and enough political meme to pass away a Equus asinus ( or an elephant ) . The 2016 go - round has brought the conversation to another meeting place : political podcasts . And there ’s something for everyone – whether you vote straight - ticket Democrat or think it ’s clever to write in the name of your pet . Here are the shows and episodes that earned our respect this season .

FiveThirtyEight’sElections

Caucusing , Supreme Court appointments , delegate counts , fighting for Florida – how did we get here ? And what really matters ? FiveThirtyEight’sElectionshas you pass over . Talk that you take in your pouch , Jody Avirgan and Nate Silver ’s show drops the pretension and given that you know everything that ’s going on . Unlike urbane , in - deep political writing , these guys use the lingo colloquially and casually , which only furthers listeners ' didactics . Electionswill supplying the talking points . you could take all the credit .

Presidential

Each episode of thisWashington Postpodcast profiles a dissimilar president , starting with George Washington and end with the TBD 44th POTUS.Presidential ’s focussing is the character of each leader , even ask the never - gets - old question to Julie Miller of the Library of Congress , " What would it be like to go on a unreasoning particular date with this mortal ? " As we move out of the geological era of glorifying the founding fathers – the podcast does n’t squinch at taking shot at deary like Thomas Jefferson – boniface Lillian Cunningham reexamine the stupendous figures of American history through inquiry and interviews , which range from David McCullough to Jon Meacham . Our presidents were real people , and this show offers three - dimensional portrayal .

Slate’sPolitical Gabfest

When a politically volatile event lights up the internal duologue – intend Justice Antonin Scalia snuff it – the host ofPoliticalGabfest , New York Times Magazine ’s Emily Bazelon , Face the country ’s John Dickerson , and Atlas Obscura ’s David Plotz , jump on the way out with sound discourse . The show is the perfect marriage of pundit and political addict . Do n’t let the " gab " fool you either ; the three - subject conversation can get prickly as the board tackles everything inside and outside the Beltway with vigilance .

Vox’sThe Weeds

If you love geeking out on the minutia of policy and politics , The Weedsis for you . Hosted by Vox.com ’s Ezra Klein , Sarah Kliff , and Matthew Yglesias , the podcast organise realistic policy resolution to problem hassle Washington . Whether it ’s tax reform or Medicaid expansion , the three search the issue in a detailed , practical way , and are the first to accept when a resolution is not politically feasible . The show tends to skew to the left , but the hosts do their good to exhaust back their own bias and offer honest take on some of the most important political problem of our daytime – and with the right amount of showmanship .

Reveal, “Pumped on Trump”

Judging by the right to vote , Republican presidential prospect Donald Trump ’s program to progress a wall along the Mexican border and make America " great again " resonates with voters . Revealtook it upon itself to investigate who the followers are , and how the anti - politician base his footing in the 2016 election . " pump on Trump " dives deeply into Trumpmania , where political rightness is a failing , and apologizing is a sign of weakness . Are they talking about America or themselves ? This revealingRevealmakes the cause for both .

Candidate Confessional

IfCandidate Confessionalhad a composition strain , it might be Cher ’s " If I Could rick Back Time . " Each episode features a give out political nominee meditate on the moment(s ) when his or her election campaign fall off the rails . The show is rich with regret , and chock - full of remorse . Topics admit Howard Dean ’s primal scream in Iowa that spell the last of his ' 04 run and the meter Tim Pawlenty smugly concluded , " top-notch PACs ? They ’ll blow over away like the morning murkiness , " before Romney outspent him all the way of life to the Republican nominating speech . Candidate Confessional ’s politicians are on the other side of their life history , where elector do n’t really count and truth can hail out . In one episode , featuring Wendy Davis , who became a family name after she filibustered at the statehouse in Austin , Texas , over women ’s abortion rights , hearer can hear the disappointment in her voice over the selection she made in her failed run for governor . Politicianscanbe emotional , after all .

Bandwagon

ThoughBandwagonfollows the campaign trail and supporters of Bernie Sanders , it also purport to expand the window through which we view Sanders ' messages , and ipso facto , any pol ’s message . One episode discovers player who compose Bernie - theme music . Another centre on an immigrant family broken up by what Sanders supporters weigh to be unfair immigrant policies . Bandwagon ’s human stake slice serve as a reminder that policies have result and that every political story run profoundly than the politics at its center .

On the Media

Brooke Gladstone and Bob Garfield think you’re able to do best than 24 - hour news program butter churn . Their podcastOn the Mediapulls back the curtain on the openhanded headlines , investigating the storiesbehindthe stories . From the Zika - pesticide association scare to the debacle over the Supreme Court nominating speech process , OTMendeavors to make base knowledge so listeners can formulate their own opinions . The show features a diversity of voice and angles of a story , but do n’t expect Gladstone and Garfield to keep their belief to themselves . When it descend to the spread of misinformation , they ’re mad as hell and they ’re not go to take it any longer .

Planet Money, “When The U.S. Paid Off The Entire National Debt”

When it comes to the debt , politicians talk big talk of the town . Yet , for as much as the conversation focus on interior debt , few infer how the area runs up the tab . The debt , despite some atrocious PR , has a proficient understanding to survive , as thisPlanet Moneyepisode cleverly explains . For advanced students of government dysfunction , there ’s a chronicle lesson on the debt ceiling , a insurance policy that Congress has taken a shine to in recent years for political grandstanding . The sequence also bring home the bacon the result to a perfect trivia question to fire off at people obsess with outlay : which chairperson pay off our national debt?Planet Moneyexcels in taking self-aggrandizing - ticket economics and shrinking them down to the mommy - and - soda storefronts . America is a giant hurdle , but one they easy jump .

Off Message, “Glenn Thrush interviews President Obama”

Who well to unpack American political sympathies than the president of the United States ? Glenn Thrush sat down with Barack Obama in the Oval Office , snow fall on the south lawn , a scene he describes asveryrelaxed . So relaxed that you may require to listen to this episode at 1.5x the normal f number . yard be damned , Obama offers absorbing advice for Sanders , Clinton , and even sage Holy Scripture that could avail the Republican candidates . With so many verbalise heads clogging up the airwaves , dissecting every move each candidate make , wisdom from someone who successfully run a race for the White House is a prissy option .

Switched on Pop, “Click With Dick And Other Campaign Anthems”

take the air - on songs are earmark for pro wrestlers , NBA and MLB athlete , viral weddings and , much to the chagrin of some artists , political prospect . We ’ve all get a line classic rock bands in public shaming a political nominee for appropriating its medicine , butSwitched on Poptakes it to another level . This episode breaks down the pick like science . On Clinton ’s choice of Kelly Clarkson ’s " Stronger , " the hosts observe how the lyrics are , while well suited to recite her public account , an fast-growing attempt to engage young people . New Jersey ’s Chris Christie faced a challenge when the populace debate whether or not he is even allowed to patron Bruce Springsteen . Then there ’s the wondrous dual entendre of Trump using REM ’s " End of the World . “Switched on Popprovides political talking points for dinner - table conversation , as well as evasion routes for a het debate . There ’s a melodic solution to every political argumentation : Adele ’s " Hello . "

Intersection

For the advanced political sect who purge every intelligence source with two blare televisions and a stream of Twitter political schmoose , The New Republicoffers supplementary reportage through the lense of identity . The talking is serious , in - deepness , and smart . Each episode is like a free master class in whatever the field happen to be : fateful lives in Flint , Michigan , political fear - mongering , and the intricacy of Hillary ’s backwash are all subject of late episodes . Intersectiontakes effort on the hearer ’s end – maybe not your death - of - the - day commute podcast – but it will stimulate neurons , inspire curiosity , and blur traditional binaries .

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