late july fireworks show

I finally managed to download the Slate Political Gabfest from last Friday and I listened to it while driving to Dulles to fetch WonderTwin #2. Each Thursday afternoon (recorded) they review three issues from the week and end the 25 minute-or-so show with Cocktail Chatter. About halfway through the podcast there was a brief interruption (clearly added after completion) from John Dickerson (host) to let us know they were going to fast-forward to Cocktail Chatter and then come back to the final topic after the time warp. I think there were two reasons for this – they have a time limit on a satellite radio broadcast / podcast they produce, and they wanted to give the “director’s cut” listeners fair warning about the impending bar fight. What happened was a pretty volatile, and damn entertaining, session covering the John Edwards affair, its coverage by the media, and the limits of privacy. What was so great about the blow-up was that Dickerson, David Plotz (Slate’s newly-minted Editor), and Emily Bazelon (Legal Affairs, Yale Law, family issues) just cut loose as the debate fuse was lit by the producer (?) who just pipes up with something akin to “that’s bullshit” in response to Bazelon’s stance. I believe they thought the recording was stop while they really railed at each other in a wholly unprofessional yet real-world manner. Being as these three tend to always keep the intense political rants off the table, it was refreshing to hear an argument devolve into what goes on in heated debates everyday – some f-bombs, bullshits, and raised voices. You might be tempted to call it a bit sophomoric as the voices climbed in volume and the rafters shook, but it was pretty cool to get a little more insight into how the three of them interact when Dickerson isn’t using the words narrative, optics, and polls; Plotz isn’t being the check-the-box and make sure you introduce every step of the show Editor; and Bazelon cuts loose from her maternal concerns and legal training to stomp her bullshit brand and rain down the profanity. Sometimes there aren’t any other words that carry the sting of dissent. Great stuff.

t