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For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, the hosts discuss the pros and cons of accents in politics. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gabfestplus.

On this week’s Slate Political Gabfest Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the fallout from Republican Kevin McCarthy’s surprise withdrawal from the race to replace John Boehner as speaker of the House. They also talk about the foundering state of Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign, whether his brother, former President George W. Bush, can revive his candidacy in South Carolina, and how Jeb’s former mentee, Sen. Marco Rubio, has become his most formidable obstacle to the White House. Finally, the hosts are joined by special guest David Axelrod, director of the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago and host of the new podcast The Axe Files, to preview the inaugural 2016 Democratic primary debate and discuss what each candidate must do to win.

Here are some of the links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the presumptive front-runner to replace John Boehner as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, surprised everyone by dropping out of the speaker race. Does anyone want to be speaker of the House?
• Who will be the next speaker of the House? Can anyone but Rep. Paul Ryan unite the Republican caucus?
• What does Rep. McCarthy’s withdrawal mean for Speaker Boehner? Can the GOP resolve its internal chaos before it’s too late?
• Read more of Slate’s coverage of News & Politics.
• The first Democratic debate is scheduled for Oct. 13 on CNN. Given the success of the GOP debates, are Democrats squandering an opportunity with their shorter debate schedule? And are the debates rigged for the front-runners? Jamelle Bouie argues that the Democratic Party should let them debate even more.
• What should we expect from the first Democratic debate (and who will win: Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley—or Vice President Joe Biden)? And do primary debates even matter?
• Will Joe Biden ever enter the Democratic primary? John argues that Vice President Biden has one big question to answer before he does.
• Read more of Slate’s coverage of the 2016 campaign.
• With his campaign foundering, Jeb Bush considers using his brother, former President George W. Bush, to bolster his chances in the South Carolina primary. Is it a good idea, and will it work?
• What’s wrong with Jeb Bush’s campaign? Can he bounce back, will he survive, or will he be the next former front-runner to drop out of the GOP primary?
• Despite mentoring him while governor of Florida, Jeb Bush now views Sen. Marco Rubio as his biggest challenge. Can Bush halt Rubio’s surge, or is Rubio the most likely Republican nominee?
• Read more of Slate’s coverage of the GOP primary.

Emily chatters about New York Times Magazine writer and editor Jazmine Hughes’ essay “I Bled Through My Pants My First Day Working at ‘The New York Times’ ”  in the latest issue of Lenny.

John chatters about former President Jimmy Carter mediating the conflict between the children of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

David chatters about how the White House plans to spend $700,000 on standing desks.

If you’re a fan of Slate’s podcasts, you can’t miss out on our one-night-only show in New York City on Nov. 16! We’re combining Slate’s most popular personalities from the Political Gabfest, the Culture Gabfest, and Hang Up and Listen into a blowout event called “Superfest on Broadway” at Manhattan’s Town Hall. We will be holding an exclusive after-party with the hosts, Slate staff, and Panoply partners at an undisclosed location. Only 50 tickets will be sold to this event, which will include drinks and hors d’oeuvres. The venue will be within walking distance of the live show and an email with location will go out two weeks prior to attendees. You can buy your show ticket on this page or a show AND after-party package HERE.  Doors open at 6:00 p.m. for the show and 9:00 p.m. for the after-party. If you are a Slate Plus member, you will receive 30 percent off your ticket purchase. Use your Upcoming Events tool in the Slate Plus dashboard on the right side of the Slate Plus home page to receive your individualized discount code.

Topic ideas for next week? You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest (#heygabfest). (Tweets may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Jayson De Leon. Links compiled by Tarik Barrett.