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readmeReadmePolicy made plain.1NA=1154&NC=9516&DI=4098&PS=58298&PI=7315ReadmefalsefalsespacernotembeddedreadmeNews Junkie SmackdownNews Junkie SmackdownThe first annual Slate News Junkie Smackdown podcast.Tim Egan0The first annual Slate News Junkie Smackdown podcast.After two days trading opinions, impressions, and mild criticisms online, Slate's team of news-consuming guinea pigs tries to hash things out in the recording studio. Tim Egan, Michael Kinsley, Michael Newman, Seth Stevenson, Sam How Verhovek, and Emily Yoffe talk about the difference between news on the Web and news in a newspaper.nonotruenonotochyperlinkno200972051903PMMondayJulJuly177/20/2009 9:19:03 PM6338370714300000002009724101638AMFridayJulJuly107/24/2009 2:16:38 PM633840273980000000readmeMcCain's Last MistakeMichael Kinsley1/123122/2202502/kinsleym.gif424211http://img.slate.com/mediafalse200972364008PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:08 PM633839712081048461200972364008PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:08 PM633839712081048461200972364008PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:08 PM633839712081048461Pfalse2008101711636PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:36 PM6335984619600000002008101711636PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:36 PM633598461960000000falseUndivided government won't be as bad as he warned it would be.noMcCain's Last MistakeUndivided government won't be as bad as McCain warned it would be.noJohn McCain's last, desperate argument to the voters was the danger of undivided government. Give the Democrats the White House, both houses of Congress, maybe even a flibuster-proof majority in the Senate, and they will be unstoppable. And then God knows what they'll do.truenotochyperlinkno200811493126PMTuesdayNovNovember2111/5/2008 2:31:26 AM633614310860000000200811493126PMTuesdayNovNovember2111/5/2008 2:31:26 AM633614310860000000readmePoliticians Lie, Numbers Don'tMichael Kinsley1/123122/2202502/kinsleym.gif424211http://img.slate.com/mediafalse200972364009PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:09 PM633839712090571374200972364009PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:09 PM633839712090571374200972364009PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:09 PM633839712090571374Pfalse2008101711636PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:36 PM6335984619600000002008101711636PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:36 PM633598461960000000falseAnd the numbers show that Democrats are better for the economy than Republicans.noPoliticians Lie, Numbers Don'tThe numbers don't lie: Democrats are better for the economy than Republicans.noIf you're wondering why a formerly honorable man like John McCain would build his presidential campaign around issues that are simultaneously beside-the-point, trivial, and dishonest (sex education for kindergartners, lipstick on pigs), the numbers presented here may help to solve that mystery. Since the conventions ended, McCain has mired the presidential race in dishonest trivia because he doesn't want it to focus on what voters say is the most important issue this year: the economy.truenotochyperlinkno200891614959PMTuesdaySepSeptember139/16/2008 5:49:59 PM633571697990000000200891614959PMTuesdaySepSeptember139/16/2008 5:49:59 PM633571697990000000readmeNo Experience NecessaryMichael Kinsley1/123122/2202502/kinsleym.gif424211http://img.slate.com/mediafalse200972364010PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:10 PM633839712103657424200972364010PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:10 PM633839712103657424200972364010PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:10 PM633839712103657424Pfalse2008101711636PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:36 PM6335984619600000002008101711636PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:36 PM633598461960000000falseHow Sarah Palin made the GOP change its mind about presidential qualifications.noNo Experience NecessaryHow Sarah Palin made the GOP change its mind about presidential qualifications.noIn a famous example of ideological flexibility, the American Communist Party changed its mind completely about Adolf Hitler in 1939, when he signed a deal with Stalin. Previously, they hadn't cared for him much. Suddenly, he looked pretty good. Then two years later, when Hitler ratted on the deal and invaded the Soviet Union, the Communists changed their minds again. Both times, it took only days.truenotochyperlinkno2008831103600AMSundayAugAugust108/31/2008 2:36:00 PM6335577576000000002008831103600AMSundayAugAugust108/31/2008 2:36:00 PM633557757600000000readmeAl Franken's QuandaryMichael Kinsley1/123122/2202502/kinsleym.gif424211http://img.slate.com/mediafalse200972364010PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:10 PM633839712101352762200972364010PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:10 PM633839712101509014200972364010PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:10 PM633839712101509014Pfalse2008101711636PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:36 PM6335984619600000002008101711636PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:36 PM633598461960000000falseThe Minnesota Senate candidate has been telling jokes for 30 years. How does he explain away the bad ones?noAl Franken's QuandaryAl Franken's campaign quandary: how to explain away his bad jokes.noAmericans say they want to be represented by "real people" and not by "professional politicians." But with their votes, they reward professionalism and drain the reality from politics. Real people haven't spent their lives plotting a political career, and therefore real people may have said things from time to time that an aspiring politician would not. Departures from the official script are called gaffes. This election year, the script has been more important than ever. Despite the Iraq war, despite the sinking economy, despite the price of gasoline, we have frittered away our politics in a round robin of gaffes, mock indignation, demands for apology, and more gaffes.truenotochyperlinkno200877115628AMMondayJulJuly117/7/2008 3:56:28 PM633510285880000000200877115628AMMondayJulJuly117/7/2008 3:56:28 PM633510285880000000200311442559PMTuesdayJanJanuary161/14/2003 9:25:59 PM631781583590000000200311442559PMTuesdayJanJanuary161/14/2003 9:25:59 PM631781583590000000falsetruetruetruetruetruetrue20011018111443PMThursdayOctOctober2310/19/2001 3:14:43 AM6313904368300000002001102523300PMThursdayOctOctober1410/25/2001 6:33:00 PM631396171800000000

readmeReadmePolicy made plain.1NA=1154&NC=9516&DI=4098&PS=58298&PI=7315ReadmefalsefalsespacernotembeddedreadmeNews Junkie SmackdownNews Junkie SmackdownThe first annual Slate News Junkie Smackdown podcast.Tim Egan0The first annual Slate News Junkie Smackdown podcast.After two days trading opinions, impressions, and mild criticisms online, Slate's team of news-consuming guinea pigs tries to hash things out in the recording studio. Tim Egan, Michael Kinsley, Michael Newman, Seth Stevenson, Sam How Verhovek, and Emily Yoffe talk about the difference between news on the Web and news in a newspaper.nonotruenonotochyperlinkno200972051903PMMondayJulJuly177/20/2009 9:19:03 PM6338370714300000002009724101638AMFridayJulJuly107/24/2009 2:16:38 PM633840273980000000readmeMcCain's Last MistakeMichael Kinsley1/123122/2202502/kinsleym.gif424211http://img.slate.com/mediafalse200972364008PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:08 PM633839712081048461200972364008PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:08 PM633839712081048461200972364008PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:08 PM633839712081048461Pfalse2008101711636PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:36 PM6335984619600000002008101711636PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:36 PM633598461960000000falseUndivided government won't be as bad as he warned it would be.noMcCain's Last MistakeUndivided government won't be as bad as McCain warned it would be.noJohn McCain's last, desperate argument to the voters was the danger of undivided government. Give the Democrats the White House, both houses of Congress, maybe even a flibuster-proof majority in the Senate, and they will be unstoppable. And then God knows what they'll do.truenotochyperlinkno200811493126PMTuesdayNovNovember2111/5/2008 2:31:26 AM633614310860000000200811493126PMTuesdayNovNovember2111/5/2008 2:31:26 AM633614310860000000readmePoliticians Lie, Numbers Don'tMichael Kinsley1/123122/2202502/kinsleym.gif424211http://img.slate.com/mediafalse200972364009PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:09 PM633839712090571374200972364009PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:09 PM633839712090571374200972364009PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:09 PM633839712090571374Pfalse2008101711636PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:36 PM6335984619600000002008101711636PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:36 PM633598461960000000falseAnd the numbers show that Democrats are better for the economy than Republicans.noPoliticians Lie, Numbers Don'tThe numbers don't lie: Democrats are better for the economy than Republicans.noIf you're wondering why a formerly honorable man like John McCain would build his presidential campaign around issues that are simultaneously beside-the-point, trivial, and dishonest (sex education for kindergartners, lipstick on pigs), the numbers presented here may help to solve that mystery. Since the conventions ended, McCain has mired the presidential race in dishonest trivia because he doesn't want it to focus on what voters say is the most important issue this year: the economy.truenotochyperlinkno200891614959PMTuesdaySepSeptember139/16/2008 5:49:59 PM633571697990000000200891614959PMTuesdaySepSeptember139/16/2008 5:49:59 PM633571697990000000readmeNo Experience NecessaryMichael Kinsley1/123122/2202502/kinsleym.gif424211http://img.slate.com/mediafalse200972364010PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:10 PM633839712103657424200972364010PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:10 PM633839712103657424200972364010PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:10 PM633839712103657424Pfalse2008101711636PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:36 PM6335984619600000002008101711636PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:36 PM633598461960000000falseHow Sarah Palin made the GOP change its mind about presidential qualifications.noNo Experience NecessaryHow Sarah Palin made the GOP change its mind about presidential qualifications.noIn a famous example of ideological flexibility, the American Communist Party changed its mind completely about Adolf Hitler in 1939, when he signed a deal with Stalin. Previously, they hadn't cared for him much. Suddenly, he looked pretty good. Then two years later, when Hitler ratted on the deal and invaded the Soviet Union, the Communists changed their minds again. Both times, it took only days.truenotochyperlinkno2008831103600AMSundayAugAugust108/31/2008 2:36:00 PM6335577576000000002008831103600AMSundayAugAugust108/31/2008 2:36:00 PM633557757600000000readmeAl Franken's QuandaryMichael Kinsley1/123122/2202502/kinsleym.gif424211http://img.slate.com/mediafalse200972364010PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:10 PM633839712101352762200972364010PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:10 PM633839712101509014200972364010PMThursdayJulJuly187/23/2009 10:40:10 PM633839712101509014Pfalse2008101711636PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:36 PM6335984619600000002008101711636PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:36 PM633598461960000000falseThe Minnesota Senate candidate has been telling jokes for 30 years. How does he explain away the bad ones?noAl Franken's QuandaryAl Franken's campaign quandary: how to explain away his bad jokes.noAmericans say they want to be represented by "real people" and not by "professional politicians." But with their votes, they reward professionalism and drain the reality from politics. Real people haven't spent their lives plotting a political career, and therefore real people may have said things from time to time that an aspiring politician would not. Departures from the official script are called gaffes. This election year, the script has been more important than ever. Despite the Iraq war, despite the sinking economy, despite the price of gasoline, we have frittered away our politics in a round robin of gaffes, mock indignation, demands for apology, and more gaffes.truenotochyperlinkno200877115628AMMondayJulJuly117/7/2008 3:56:28 PM633510285880000000200877115628AMMondayJulJuly117/7/2008 3:56:28 PM633510285880000000200311442559PMTuesdayJanJanuary161/14/2003 9:25:59 PM631781583590000000200311442559PMTuesdayJanJanuary161/14/2003 9:25:59 PM631781583590000000falsetruetruetruetruetruetrue20011018111443PMThursdayOctOctober2310/19/2001 3:14:43 AM6313904368300000002001102523300PMThursdayOctOctober1410/25/2001 6:33:00 PM631396171800000000

Oct. 18, 2001, 11:14 PM ET

 
 
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