The $1 Trillion Gabfest
Listen to Slate's show about the embattled Hagel nomination, the platinum coin option, and Obama’s administration full of men.
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Live Gabfest! Jan. 23, Washington, D.C., at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, 7 p.m. (Doors open at 6.) Tickets and more information here.
This week’s Audible recommendation is The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro. Try Audible free for 30 days and get a free audiobook by visiting AudiblePodcast.com/Gabfest.
On this week’s Slate Political Gabfest, John Dickerson, Emily Bazelon, and David Plotz discuss the embattled Defense secretary nomination, the platinum coin solution to the debt ceiling, and gender parity in the Obama administration.
Here are some of the links and references mentioned during this week's show:
- David points out that the Gabfest tapes in a very small room—check out past photos on the Gabfest Facebook page. Moreover, David failed to let listeners know that he was wearing a halo during the taping.
- Slate’s Fred Kaplan says the opposition to Chuck Hagel’s nomination has more to do with President Obama than the former senator from Nebraska.
- David says the Hagel nomination signals Obama’s intention to cut defense spending, a point David Brooks advances in a New York Times column.
- Brad Plumer gives the defense budget the Wonkblog chart treatment.Slate’s Matt Yglesias argues that Obama might have a legal obligation to mint the platinum coin.
- Who should appear on the coin? Slate readers made suggestions.
- During the 2011 debt ceiling showdown, constitutional law professor Jack Balkin analyzed what would happen if Congress refused to take action.
- Annie Lowrey’s New York Times piece features the discussed picture of a male-dominated Oval Office
- John argues that it’s unfair to charge Obama with a gender bias, but he thinks the president has brought the blame on himself.
- Emily references Anne-Marie Slaughter’s 2012 Atlantic piece, “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All.”
- Ruth Marcus has a “binders full of women” look at who Obama could have nominated.
Emily chatters about drunk driving at the Supreme Court.
John chatters about the death of Richard Ben Cramer, the author of What It Takes.
David chatters about The New Yorker’s look at pickpocketing.
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 Mike Vuolo. Links compiled by Jeff Friedrich.