This is a Gab Fest Extra, the 2013 government shutdown day one. It's Tuesday, October 1st,

and I'm Slate's Dave Weigel in our DC studio. Joining me on the phone is Slate's John Dickerson.

John, how's it going? And it's going well, Dave. Great work last night, by the way, down there on the hill.

Yes, I'm trying to feign energy now and hopefully doing a good job of it. Well, you're much like the members of Congress.

They didn't even try to feign it. So we, as an explanation, we have decided to bring you short-nightly

updates on the political situation in Washington for as long as the government remains shut down.

We don't know how long that'll be. This means, we hope, that this is the shortest running

podcast in history, but I don't know.

That seems pretty unlikely, given the incredible amount of nothing to happen today.

What's your sense of the strength of the GOP position?

Because both sides have to stay unified, right?

Both Democrats look like there are no breaks, no red state Democrats have left in the Senate.

Everybody seems to be unified, but there's a little

cracking on the right, but do you think it's real, or do you think it's your sort of traditional Peter

King types? Yeah, I think the press has a general knowledge problem and gives too much credit to the

moderates who will come out and talk to us, which means Peter King. I should have said Peter

King. I could also say John McCain.

I mean, they have been saying for weeks that this was a doom strategy, but they haven't

picked up any converts.

The problem for the right winger's is they kept expecting, maybe not converts, but hostages

on the Democratic side, right?

I can't count many times that I would talk to a Republican in the House,

...