The Union-Made Gabfest
Listen to Slate's show about Michigan’s new right-to-work law, the Supreme Court’s decision to tackle gay marriage, and torture in Zero Dark Thirty.
Posted Friday, Dec. 14, 2012, at 2:37 PM ET
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On this week’s Slate Political Gabfest, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Michigan’s new right-to-work law and the declining power of unions, the Supreme Court’s decision to tackle marriage equality in two very different cases, and the depiction of torture in Zero Dark Thirty.
Here are some of the links and references mentioned during this week's show:
- For this week’s Audible recommendation, David suggests Sideways Stories from Wayside School.
- John has an update on the lack of progress in the “fiscal cliff” negotiations.
- Emily notes that right-to-work laws are “cleverly titled to sound benevolent”; Slate’s Brian Palmer explains how “right-to-work” became management’s favorite political catchphrase.
- Emily says the Supreme Court’s decision to review two marriage equality cases amounts to the civil rights case of our generation.
- Emily references issues of “standing” that confront both cases. In Hollingsworth v. Perry, Walter Dellinger says the legal dynamics of who will defend California’s Prop 8 may affect how far the Supreme Court goes in its ruling. Scotusblog has additional updates on United States v. Windsor, the case related to the Defense of Marriage Act.
- Emily says that NYU Professor Kenji Yoshino has been exploring the different ways the court might split the difference in its review of the two cases.
- Emily refers to Justice Scalia’s defense, earlier this week, of controversial remarks he has made regarding homosexuality.
- David mentions Frank Bruni’s column about Zero Dark Thirty.
- Emily’s critique of Zero Dark Thirty includes links to some of the debate surrounding the Bush administration’s interrogation tactics. Slate film critic Dana Stevens says it’s a vital, disturbing, and necessary film.
Emily chatters about the upcoming publication of her book, Sticks and Stones -- please post your suggestions for giveaway promotions to the Gabfest Facebook page!
John chatters, grimly, about a study showing a spike in deaths caused by falling TVs.
David chatters about Susan Jacoby’s piece about Robert Ingersoll in the American Scholar.
Topic ideas for next week? You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest. The email address for the Political Gabfest is gabfest@slate.com. (Email may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)
Podcast production by Michael Vuolo. Links compiled by Jeff Friedrich.
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Emily Bazelon is a Slate senior editor and writes about law, family, and kids. Her forthcoming book, Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Empathy and Character, will be published in February. Find her at emilybazelon@gmail.com or on Facebook or Twitter.
John Dickerson is Slate's chief political correspondent and author of On Her Trail. He can be reached at slatepolitics@gmail.com. Read his series on the presidency and his series on risk. Follow him on Twitter.
David Plotz is the Editor of Slate. He's the author of The Genius Factory: The Curious History of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank and Good Book. He appears on Slate's Political Gabfest.