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On this week’s Slate Political Gabfest, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the first Democratic debate and what we learned about each candidate and the state of the 2016 Democratic primary; whether Rep. Paul Ryan wants to be speaker of the House, and what happens if he does; and how a jury verdict in Wisconsin holding a gun seller liable for the consequences of an illegal sale might inform the ongoing gun control debate in the U.S.
Here are some of the links and references mentioned during this week’s show:
- CNN’s Anderson Cooper hosted the first Democratic debate earlier this week at the Wynn in Las Vegas. The debate touched on unfettered capitalism, Hillary’s email scandal, gun control, #BlackLivesMatter, climate change, Planned Parenthood, and foreign policy—including the Iraq war vote. (And then there was this and this.) Who won?
- Did Hillary Clinton really do as well as the political pundits seem to think? Or was social media correct in declaring Bernie Sanders the winner? And what about Martin O’Malley?
- Did the debate change the dynamic of the Democratic primary? What does it mean for the 2016 election? What will Vice President Joe Biden decide? And should there be more Democratic debates?
- John explains how Hillary Clinton won the debate by going on the offensive.
- Jamelle Bouie argues that Hillary Clinton’s debate performance should end the Joe Biden talk and that Hillary Clinton would be a more effective president than Bernie Sanders.
- Read more of Slate’s coverage of the 2016 campaign
- Speaker John Boehner is reportedly trying to persuade Rep. Paul Ryan to run for speaker of the House. Does he want to run, what’s holding him back, what would it take for him to run, and what might a Paul Ryan era look like?
- Why are conservative activists targeting Paul Ryan? What’s driving their opposition? Why do they consider Ryan a dangerous pick, and why isn’t the GOP establishment doing anything about it?
- Why doesn’t anybody want to be speaker of the House? Can anybody who does actually win, or is this just the continuation of the “Republicans’ Incompetence Caucus” ?
- Read more of Slate’s coverage of news and politics
- It has been two weeks since the mass shooting in Roseburg, Oregon, rekindling the ongoing debates about gun violence, gun control, mass shootings and massacres, gun laws in each state, gun runners, the “good guy with a gun” myth, and the Second Amendment.
- Read more of Slate’s coverage of the Oregon shooting
- A landmark jury verdict in a Wisconsin trial, in which two police officers successfully sued to hold a gun store owner liable for the illegal sale to a straw buyer of a gun that was later used to severely wound them, has gun control advocates hopeful. What does the verdict mean for gun sales, is it an outlier or the new normal, was the trial even necessary to stop straw purchases, and is the case even over? And why is the gun control debate so intractable?
- Read more of Slate’s coverage of jurisprudence
Emily chatters about the Lifetime series Unreal.
John chatters about Bob Woodward’s newest novel, The Last of the President’s Men.
David chatters about PBS’s The Great British Baking Show and the Guano Islands Act.
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. After the blowout event, we will be holding an exclusive afterparty with the hosts, Slate staff, and Panoply partners at an undisclosed location. Only 50 tickets will be sold to this exclusive event, which will include drinks and hors d’oeuvres. The venue will be within walking distance of the live show, and an email with the location will go out two weeks prior to attendees. You can buy your show ticket on this page or a show and afterparty package here. Doors open at 6 p.m. for the show and 9 p.m. for the afterparty. 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 Jason De Leon. Links compiled by Tarik Barrett.
