Slate Political Gabfest
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Slate Political Gabfest

Slate Political Gabfest There's an epically long feature in this week's New York Times Magazine about the 2010 California governor's race. It does a pretty good job of convincing that the governorship of California is one of the most thankless jobs one could ever have.

Who Can Possibly Govern California? - NYTimes.com
Source: www.nytimes.com
Budget shortfalls, perennial legislative gridlock and endless voter initiatives who would want the job?
5 hours ago
Show 4 more comments...
Marshall
Marshall at 8:32pm July 5
There's a lot of talk about a constitutional convention, but much of the gridlock is caused by gerrymandering of political districts, which should be remedied after the 2010 census.
Michael
Michael at 10:44pm July 5
Prancing around with those fabulous tans...long may ye pay the fiscal price.
Steve Dapkus

Steve Dapkus Time for Emily to GO!...and launch a Slate Judical Gabfest. The judicial topics are frequent enough and interesting enough to warrant a separate feed IMO. Think about it?

5 hours ago · Report
Daniel Swartz

Daniel Swartz John Dickerson does a great job hosting Face the Nation today in place of Bob Schieffer. http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5134384n&tag=contentMain;contentBody

Face The Nation, 7.5.09 - CBS News Video
Source: www.cbsnews.com
CBS News video: Face The Nation, 7.5.09 - John Dickerson discussed U.S. global military efforts with Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen; Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Chuck Grassley debate public and private healthcare.
10 hours ago
Randall Green

Randall Green I'm going to plug Audible here by recommending Toni Morrison's reading of her novel "A Mercy." It's a great book, and what could be better than hearing the author read it? It's the best book I've heard since becoming an Audible member.

12 hours ago · Report
Janelle Holden

Janelle Holden So, after the last Gabfest I went to twitter to follow your individual feeds, and I have to say I was shocked by the disparity in your followings. As of Sunday, July 5th, Emily has 1,290 followers, John Dickerson has 749,308, and David Plotz 421. Yes, John has 748,887 more followers than David. So, John is clearly famous, which is funny to me since I don't watch network news and only know him in context of Slate. Emily and David - maybe John can help you with your following numbers by writing about you on twitter. :)

14 hours ago · Report
Pam
Pam at 1:03pm July 5
I don't think that it has anything to do with John's TV appearances. He's a Twitter star because his tweets are so witty and interesting. He earned his followers. Yes, John could mention David and Emily but even if he does, if they also want a large number of followers they are going to have to earn them.
Tom
Tom at 1:12pm July 5
I would love to see more posts from Emily - even if we followers remain a small (elite) group! (I follow John as well...)
Jesse Zink

Jesse Zink Did anyone else have a problem with David's offhand comment about DC voting rights? He said something to the effect of "we chose to live here and we're aware of that when we make that choice." It's as if to say if you want a vote you can just pick up and move to the VA or MD suburbs. How many of the poor, black residents of DC do you think can move to Alexandria or Chevy Chase? I don't think it's the white liberal intelligentsia in DC that's disenfranchised. I think Eleanor Holmes Norton are looking for voting rights for the large class of (mainly black) DC residents who are comprehensively disenfranchised in so many ways.

Yesterday at 4:48pm · Report
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Edwin
Edwin at 9:36am July 5
^Right, 'cause DC and Saudi Arabia are so much the same due to all those reasons you cited... ridiculous.
Pam
Pam at 1:08pm July 5
I just have to say it: David clearly lives in and spoke from the marshmallow center inside the chocolate city.
Slate Political Gabfest

Slate Political Gabfest A little update since we recorded this week's show: Sarah Palin is resigning as Alaska governor. I guess we have next week's topic one...

Palin to Resign as Alaska Governor on July 26 - washingtonpost.com
Source: www.washingtonpost.com
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) announced this afternoon she will resign from office on July 26 and return to private life, a stunning decision by last year's Republican vice presidential candidate to leave office before the end of her first term.
Fri at 1:46pm
View 44 comments
Chuck Leonard

Chuck Leonard I have been enjoying the gabfest for a year and a half ... since my family bought me an IPOD... I disagree with most of the opinions expressed but the podcast is slavish in its adherance to the 3-topic format and therefore a very crisp and bearable way to catch up on what others are thinking. I have a great deal of respect for the commentators but I particularly enjoy Emily's Supreme Court discussions. Best wishes to Slate in these difficult economic times for any media.

Fri at 12:22pm · Report
Jeb Stenhouse

Jeb Stenhouse David's argument for keeping 600,000 Americans in the District of Columbia without Congressional representation is really appalling. He makes several fallacious assertions here, all connected to the notion that District residents enjoy some kind of disproportionate political power or influence compared with other Americans. First of all, there are loads of residents in the District who do not work for the federal government. Secondly, those who do typically command lower salaries than their private-sector counterparts, so even if you posit added influence from holding down a federal job, the trade-off comes in pay, not voting rights. Third, more than 90% of the federal workforce work outside of the District, and of those with jobs in the District, the vast majority live in Maryland or Virginia. Why should they receive Congressional representation under your theory, David? I think we can all see how utterly ridiculous David's argument is on this topic. I hope he changes his mind.

Fri at 10:25am · Report
Mel
Mel at 12:37pm July 3
I agree also. I was astounded at the class-ist nature of what David said. Doesn't he ever leave downtown? Doesn't he notice the laborers and service workers who ride the Metro and walk the streets? Do they have undue influence on the government?
Gant
Gant at 2:05pm July 4
where did people from the 7th and 8th ward go?
LunchBag Art

LunchBag Art I share the cast's happiness at the return of Palin. Are there any Alaskan readers who can speak to that quote about "a foreign country largely populated by Americans"?

Fri at 9:44am · Report
Greg Hankins

Greg Hankins I'm with David on the meaning of 60 D votes in the Senate. The point is the ability to force cloture (even if that involves wheelchairs and stretchers). Senators can credibly vote to end a filibuster and then vote against the underlying bill on its merits. (Though Ben Nelson spent considerable time on All Things Considered last night denying he would ever do this.)

Fri at 8:19am · Report
Tola Sarumi

Tola Sarumi I enjoyed Emily's take on the Ricci case and I wish you had done a whole 'cast on it.

Fri at 7:21am · Report
Slate Political Gabfest

Slate Political Gabfest The podcast and writeup for today's show are now up at the Slate website. Enjoy and have a happy Fourth of July!

The Political Gabfest for July 3, 2009. - By Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz - Slate
Source: www.slate.com
Become a fan of the Political Gabfest on Facebook . We will be updating the Facebook page more frequently and including content that you will only be able to find there, so get your Gabfest fix during the week by joining us there.
Fri at 6:25am
Shawn
Shawn at 7:38am July 3
i like that your table is an upside down capitol building. it's sort of like an upside down pentagram on a metal album.
Kevin
Kevin at 8:21am July 3
\m/
Sean Dillon

Sean Dillon I think Sanford's continuing surprising candor is tied to the observation that David made last week, which is that he feels the need to purge himself in order to start over. It also reminds me of Jimmy Carter declaring that he had lusted in his heart. I wonder if there is a common thread that runs through this that has to do with the facility with biblical language in the South. More specific to the case of Sanford and Carter, this willingness to be critical and frank about one's sins seems to be something that is not just tied to these two men, but a larger regional way of acknowledging human weaknesses.

Fri at 6:02am · Report
Slate Political Gabfest

Slate Political Gabfest Tom Friedman looks at Waxman-Markey and sees it as the opening salvo in a battle for reduction in climate changing activities. He uses the analogy of warning labels on cigarettes to make his point. But much of the worst pollution occurs out of sight of the individual, and halting climate change presents much more of a collective action challenge than reducing smoking did. What do you think?

Op-Ed Columnist - Just Do It - NYTimes.com
Source: www.nytimes.com
For all its flaws, the House energy bill is America’s first comprehensive attempt to mitigate climate change. Now the Senate needs to pass it.
July 1 at 9:52am
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Gant
Gant at 4:21am July 2
if this bill is just a first step then i am all for it but if it locks the country into something that keeps us from further, more progressive bills then i just dont know. i do think that the carbon tax and any discussion surrounding it will call attention to it and people will start asking "what is carbon?" and that is a good thing... i think on this, only time will tell.
Pam
Pam at 1:15am July 4
@ Joe, I'm not as young as I look. No matter what happens I'm going to be dead 50 years from now. Before I die I'm going to need health care. You do something about that and then I will listen to what you want me to do about preventing extinction. (You're not going to want much from me anyway. My carbon footprint is extremely small for an American.)
Slate Political Gabfest

Slate Political Gabfest Is there a point at which the wingnuttery just becomes too much for even Glenn Beck to bear? What would make him reach that point, since this interview is apparently still within bounds.

Beck guest Scheuer: "The only chance we have as a country right now is" for bin Laden to "detonate .
Source: mediamatters.org
Please upgrade your flash player. The video for this item requires a newer version of Flash Player. If you are unable to install flash you can download a QuickTime version of the video.
July 1 at 9:07am
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Pam
Pam at 5:12pm July 1
I hope that as true patriots Scheuer and Beck would be willing to die in the attack that is necessary to save our country.
Jason
Jason at 8:57pm July 1
Yeah, odd, that...
Victoria Adams

Victoria Adams I am a big Audible listener -- four books a month. Just love it. Recommendations for Audible:
1. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem! by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. Wonderful narration -- typical BBC style narration of a Jane Austin classic where England is under attack for 50 years from a plague of Zombies. The Bennet girls have all been away in China learning the deadly arts and return to balls, Mr. Darcey, and regular combat with Zombies. Quite wonderful and very funny and very well done. The two stories and melded together very cleverly and it works surprisingly well. it makes me think, what literary genre is not improved by the inclusion of Zombies?
2. The Tin Roof Blowdown: A Dave Robicheaux Novel. James Lee Burke. An amazing mediation on life in New Orleans after Katrina. Really an elegy to what was lost in the storm. Amazing narration -- Dave Robicheuax and New Orleans come to life.

July 1 at 8:09am · Report
Daniel Swartz

Daniel Swartz Last week David Plotz recommended Edmund Morris's biography on Theodore Roosevelt "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt", which covers TR's life from birth to his first day in office. It's one of the best biographies written on anyone, and as Plotz describes, Morris is vivid in his painting of the main events of TR's life. And if you read that, you must read Morris's second book in his planned TR trilogy, "Theodore Rex". This book spans the life of his Administration, from the day McKinley died to the day he left office. This book may be even better than the first, which is a very tall order indeed. I look forward to the last of Morris's TR biographies, which will cover the day of his leaving office until his death. I look forward to Morris's vivid descriptions of TR's safari trip and other adventures. A must read on any political junkie's reading list!

1. "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" - http://tinyurl.com/lzkyhy
2. "Theodore Rex" - http://tinyurl.com/njzczk

Enjoy!

Amazon.com: The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (Modern Library Paperbacks): Edmund Morris: Books
Source: tinyurl.com
Amazon.com: The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (Modern Library Paperbacks): Edmund Morris: Books
June 30 at 5:28pm
Gant
Gant at 4:05am July 1
have you checked out Jon Meacham's American Lion about Andrew Jackson? i have my eye on it but not sure what meacham's credibility is on this one... sorry, always the skeptic! was wondering if you've had a chance to read.
Slate Political Gabfest

Slate Political Gabfest Great post from Ezra Klein about the concerns about protectionism being shoehorned into Waxman-Markey at the very last minute. Paul Krugman's piece (linked in the post) is also cogent and reasonable.

Ezra Klein - What Should Cap and Traders Do If China Doesn't Want to Cooperate?
Source: voices.washingtonpost.com
The story so far: In the hours before Waxman-Markey passed the House, a provision was added to the legislation requiring the White House to impose a carbon tariff on the imports of countries that don't have limits on their greenhouse...
June 30 at 4:37pm
Gant
Gant at 4:04am July 1
i'm still wrapping my head around this article - and issue - but i tend to think that not all protectionism is bad. if we had a little bit more, it would be harder for corporations to prefer setting up shop in countries where labor is cheaper and widely unregulated. you wouldnt have companies setting up trucks with equipment outside their offices ... Read Moreto intimidate workers into "being good or else"... i think we could use some more protection in this country. i am not an isolationist by any means... im just for fair-trade, not free-trade.
Slate Political Gabfest

Slate Political Gabfest In what has to be close to a record for latest-arriving breaking election news, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of Al Franken. How long do you think until he is seated?

Franken declared winner of Minnesota Senate race
Source: thehill.com
The Hill is a congressional newspaper that publishes daily when Congress is in session, with a special focus on business and lobbying, political campaigns and goings on on Capitol Hill., Minnesota’s Supreme ...
June 30 at 11:16am
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Carol
Carol at 6:14pm June 30
Whoo Hoo Too!
Jason
Jason at 10:28pm June 30
re: "Please talk about the American Clean Energy and Security Act on this week's gabfest-"

It's the Gabfest, not the Snoozefest.

Although, it would probably provoke David to previously unheard heights of creaky-voiced disinterest.
Slate Political Gabfest

Slate Political Gabfest While this is very much a behind-the-scenes process issue, it provides a view into one among many reasons why providing regulatory powers may not lead to actual regulation (which has been one of the debates about changes in regulation for the financial sector). Also, isn't this why commissions and other decision-making bodies usually have an odd number of members?

"The Commission Has Been Road-Blocked": Republicans' War On The FEC | TPMMuckraker
Source: tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com
Last fall, James Ross, a New York City resident and a donor to several Democratic organizations, received an unusual letter. "Your name has been put in our database," Ross was told. "We are monitoring all reports of a wide variety of leftist organizations. ...
June 30 at 9:02am
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Charles
Charles at 12:23pm June 30
KIll Kill Kill the GOP
Cheryl
Cheryl at 7:38pm July 1
As opposed to a number of odd members?
Tola Sarumi

Tola Sarumi - I am proposing that people who cannot name a case (or cases) that set the precedent (where one is available) for a matter before the SCOTUS be banned from giving opinions about it! All the gibberish I have had to read concerning this Ricci case is driving me bonkers.

June 30 at 6:32am · Report
Mark Zimmermann

Mark Zimmermann I'm with Bryan, if he means that no sympathy should be wasted on Sanford. My earlier point was that the whole public apology press conference thing is a way to appear to be "doing the right thing" when in fact he's done nothing at all (except perhaps to subject his family to further humiliation)! And so much of the press (including last week's Gabfest) gushes with sympathy for his pain!

June 29 at 6:55pm · Report
Bryan Levi

Bryan Levi The simpering about Sanford was really a bit much.

June 29 at 5:37pm · Report
Pam Fasig

Pam Fasig I wonder if David and those who have read his book have any comments on Gov. Sanford's comparison of himself to King David when explaining why he wasn't going to resign. I have only a limited knowledge of that part of the Bible, but I am under the impression that King David was one of God's special favorites which makes the comparison seem a bit nervy to me. As I commented below, it's not the cheating that bothers me, but rather an "I'm special" attitude.

June 29 at 3:17pm · Report
Mark
Mark at 6:58pm June 29
Yeah, David was a king, after all. It's a pretty telling indication of just how in touch Sanford really is with humility.
Slate Political Gabfest

Slate Political Gabfest For anyone looking for more information about John's chatter from last week's Gabfest, Nico Pitney of the HuffPost was on CNN over the weekend along with Dana Millbank, one of the harsher critics of the process by which Pitney was able to ask his question. Also interesting that the rep from the Washington Times believes everyone should have a chance to ask questions yet complains when a non-traditional outlet asks.

New Media v. Old Media: The Nico Pitney-Dana Milbank Grudge Match | TPMTV
Source: tpmtv.talkingpointsmemo.com
June 29 at 11:13am
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Carrie
Carrie at 1:36pm June 29
Watched the video of their slap fight. Seems like a non issue to me. Wish Dana Milbank was as excited about actual journalism as he is about this. He used to have integrity but now he seems like a bitter hack.
Andrea
Andrea at 9:12am June 30
No one cares about this except the White House press corps. No one else is concerned that Nico Pitney might be colluding with the Obama administration.

Though I might be a little biased since I love Nico Pitney. His Iran blog is awesome.
David

David Curious to here some back and forth on the New Haven firefighters case (just today reversed by the United States Supreme Court) once we've had a chance to review it. You can get the decision at this link (it's the Ricci case).

2008 Term Opinions of the Court
Source: www.supremecourtus.gov
The "slip" opinion is the second version of an opinion. It is sent to the printer later in the day on which the "bench" opinion is released by the Court. Each slip opinion has the same elements as the ...
June 29 at 8:30am
View 33 comments
Slate Political Gabfest

Slate Political Gabfest

David Plotz's Netflix Queue
The next 10 movies on David's Netflix queue: Foyle's War A Mighty Heart 3:10 to Yuma
June 29 at 8:07am
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Mark Zimmermann

Mark Zimmermann There was a crucial point to Sanford’s public exercise that not one of you seemed to get. Now that he’s publicly, tearfully accepted responsibility for what he’s done, the one thing he ultimately will NEVER do is actually TAKE responsibility.
For all his teary histrionics, Sanford—the staunchly insistent champion of family values—has NO intention whatever of acting on his words of contrition (by say, resigning). His self-denigrating performance should suffice. And the three of you seemed to have swallowed that point whole.
This press conference was the tactic he settled on; one of several options available to him. Whether or not his performance was polished, or well thought out or “calculated” is irrelevant. The man opted for ethical evasion through a smoke screen of public humiliation.

June 28 at 12:24pm · Report
Pam
Pam at 2:40pm June 29
David, Sanford was in Congress when Clinton was impeached and he said that Clinton should have resigned because of his affair. Sanford also made the (to me, very questionable) statement that in a corporate setting a CEO who behaved as Clinton had would be forced to resign. Sanford's decision not to resign shows that he does not apply to himself the... Read More same standard that he very strongly advocated for others. As far as I am concerned Sanford's affair does not make him unsuitable to be governor. But a politician who does not apply to himself the rules that he advocates applying to others is a dangerous person. Politicians who think that they are "special" do a great deal of harm.
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Slate Political Gabfest commented on their own note David Plotz's Netflix Queue.