# Podcasts about Politics? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 13, 2016, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/podcasts-about-politics/759839 "2016-07-13T19:35:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/podcasts-about-politics/759839/1 "2016-07-13T19:35:00Z")
I’m looking for recommendations of podcasts that discuss current political news. Preferably they would be relatively non-partisan, or represent partisan views on both sides. I do lean left, though, so I’m not averse to discussion from that perspective. Not interested in any shouty blowhards. I’m looking mainly for US-centric stuff. Podcasts focusing on elections would be great, as well as podcasts about broader political news. Here is what I listen to now: fivethirtyeight’s “Elections” podcast - primarily about polling and predictions The Diane Rehm Show - often, but not always, about politics. Great guest commentators with a variety of perspectives. The Rachel Maddow Show - the podcast is the audio from her tv show. I tried NPR’s “Politics” podcast and didn’t care much for it. Anyone have any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![snoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@snoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoe)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/podcasts-about-politics/759839/2 "2016-07-14T18:42:38Z")
From Slate: the Political Gabfest and the Trumpcast. Former has two left-leaners (though both can be heterodox) and one straight-news guy (John Dickerson from Face the Nation); latter focuses on Trump and is critical of him, but fun and informative. I also regularly listen to the 538 and Maddow podcasts. ---
**Author:** ![snoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@snoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoe)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/podcasts-about-politics/759839/3 "2016-07-14T18:44:48Z")
Also: I really liked the New Yorker’s “Political Scene” podcast, but it went away - just checked, and they’re back with the name “Politics and More.” I’ll be checking it out shortly! ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/podcasts-about-politics/759839/4 "2016-07-14T19:03:56Z")
Keeping It 1600, Jon Favreau and Dan Pfieffer, two higher-ups in the Obama campaign and White House (Favreau was his main speechwriter for years). Leans Hillary, to say the least. Politico’s Nerd Podcast - 4 numbers and what they mean and whether or not you can trust them. Not political, but Malcolm Gladwell’s latest podcast, #4 in his revisionist history series, “Carlos Can’t Remember” is the reason why I’m voting for Hillary. It’s one hour long and powerful, and there is only 1 of the 2 candidates who will even try to address the issues addressed. ---
**Author:** ![Peanut\_Gallery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/838e76/32.png) [@Peanut\_Gallery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanut_Gallery)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/podcasts-about-politics/759839/5 "2016-07-14T19:45:46Z")
Dan Carlin of Hardcore History fame does a irregular current events show called Common Sense. Irregular both in terms of how often it is released and also in the content. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/podcasts-about-politics/759839/6 "2016-07-14T20:01:08Z")
The Axe Files featuring prominent guests interviewed by David Axelrod ---
**Author:** ![RickG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rickg/32/5174_2.png) [@RickG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickG)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/podcasts-about-politics/759839/7 "2016-07-14T20:11:37Z")
Ken Rudin’s “Political Junkie” podcast is pretty good. He even gets Neal Conan on once a month to make me nostalgic for _Talk of the Nation_. KCRW’s “Left, Right and Center” is a little bit _Crossfire_-like, but generally more civil. As the title suggests, there are panelists of various political stripes. I also absolutely love “The Weeds” and “The Ezra Klein Show” from Vox (and Panoply, which produces the Slate podcasts as well). “The Weeds” is a deep-dive for policy nerds every week, and I learn something new every time I listen. They occasionally deal with the politics of the policies they discuss. Ezra Klein does interesting interviews, some political, many not. This week, he interviewed Hillary Clinton, and it was a very good picture of her thinking on policy _and_ the politics of running a government. I’ll second the recommendations for the “Political Gabfest”, “Trumpcast”, and “Keepin’ It 1600”. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/podcasts-about-politics/759839/8 "2016-07-14T20:27:46Z")
The excellent site [Political Wire](https://politicalwire.com/) hosts a [podcast](https://politicalwire.com/topics/conversations/) although it’s not very frequently updated. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/podcasts-about-politics/759839/9 "2016-07-14T21:45:31Z")
These sound like some great suggestions! Thank you, all.