
Stephen
Re: The proposed anti-abortion amendment to the healthcare bill: Pro-lifers don't like exceptions for women's "health" because they believe that word is too open-ended. That was what was so weird about the SCOTUS's contradictory decisions in the 2 "Carhart" partial-birth abortion cases. (I use the PBA term only for ...convenience.) 2 almost identical laws were distinguished. 1 was unconstitutional (undue burden) but the other was ok. In the statute that SCOTUS approved of (the 2nd case) - there was no health exception, only a "life" exception. Can one of you (Emily, perhaps?) explain the difference in these 2 cases?Read More

Slate Political Gabfest The live gabfest planning meeting for tomorrow's show went well though I'm bummed the sing-a-long has to be dropped. jfd

Marc Siegel Whatever happened to reconciliation as a strategy for getting healthcare done? Can't we stuff Senator Fink Lieberman and the other pokies into The Hole of Irrevalance by doing the puiblic option with only 51 votes?

Shawn
Every piece of legislation about abortion always includes a qualifier that abortion will be illegal except "in the case of rape, incest and/or dangber to the mother's health." This sounds fine, but in practice? Say a woman walks into a clinic and for whaever reason can't get an abortion? But decides to change her story... and say she was raped. Is she now then required to report this to the police? Is the doctor? This strikes me as a rather large problem since, based on every statistic I've seen, many rapes (and thus pregnancies) go unreported. Isn't this exception, made by pro-lifers, just a qualifier to seem more humane?Read More

Erin You guys always talk about good audio books for kids. Any recommendations for a five year old? She loves all the greats: Dahl, White, Juster. Long road trip imminent. Help greatly appreciated.

Mark
I really think that Slate should break ground and discuss openly the morality and legality of using drone strikes in war ... Not just whether they are effective but whether directing pilotless aircraft to drop bombs on people, including civilians, from thousands of miles away is justified under any circumstance. I thin...k we're on very shaky moral and legal territory here. Among the mainstream media only Jane Mayer of the New Yorker has approached this subject. Most media outlets, so far, have only cheerleaded (cheerled?) for the Pentagon.Read More

Slate Political Gabfest Bump to the top of the page. As you guys know, we've got a live show this coming tuesday. In an effort to include people who can't make it to the show, we're taking questions to be answered during the show from now til the end of the weekend from you facebook users. Just leave a comment and we'll pick the best ones. (AS)

Saulius
I find it hilarious how the panel can't even comprehend that people might vote against gay marriage for reasons other then cowering to intimidation, fearmongering and misinformation. God forbid (pun intended) that they consider the actual reason it has lost everywhere its been on the ballot is because the people don't... want it and consider marriage between a man and a woman. In football, 31-0 is what they call a blowout.Read More

Chris Emily needs a fan page...

Slate Political Gabfest John's got his very own Facebook fan page now. Become a fan!
John Dickerson is Slate's chief political correspondent. Previously, he worked for Time magazine in New York and Washington, finishing his stint as a White House correspondent. He is the author of On Her Trail, a biography of his late mother, the television newscaster Nancy Dickerson.
Writer:426 fans

Nate Parsell
On this week's political gabfest, John Dickerson made a claim that NY 23 is a liberal republican district. Being from this district, and having lived there for the better part of 20 years, I know that it is very socially conservative with regard to gun control, abortion rights, gay rights, and size of government. I a...m fairly certain that NY 23 is a conservative republican district more so than a liberal republican district.Read More

Betsy Medvedovsky Props up to Gabfest and Emily for recording from Nieman Marcus dressing room! Way to keep it real even in the big time!!!

Matt Ritsman Where did David get his information that the primary reason gay marriage was knocked down in Maine was because of fear that it would be taught in schools? Can you post a link or some supporting evidence?
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