Hello and welcome to this late political gab fest for Friday, September 9th, 2011.

I'm extremely damp David Plotz.

It's been raining in Washington.

It's been raining in Washington basically nonstop for two weeks, and it's raining again, and I had to bike here to get here on time, as usual, and I'm soaked as usual. So I'm incredibly damp and irritated by being damp.

It's a lovely sunny day here. I'll just announce. Come on. That is just unnecessary. Joining us from Sunny New Haven is Emily Bazelon, Slate Senior Editor, and then not in Washington, but probably it's sunny where you are, John. It is sunny, although it's not sunny yet. The Sun's not up. John is an L.A.X. John is... Oh, did you note that the Sun's not up? John is suffering on our behalf. It's not that early. It's just in the context of a

conversation about the sun. I thought I should remark on the current state of the sun.

Anyway, this will be a show in three acts, a gab fest, a gab fest, a gab fest, a gab fest, a

a gab fest in three acts, acts, I think I'm really having some problems with my tongue today.

Act one will be the president's jobs program, his big job speech of Thursday night.

Act two will be the debate of the Republican candidates, which John Dickerson was out covering,

which is why he is at LAX.

And Act 3 will be the anniversary of 9-11, 10th anniversary.

What does it mean to us?

How has the world changed?

What can we make of it?

And then, of course, we'll have some cocktail chatter.

So let's go to President Obama's big job speech delivered on Thursday night before

both houses of Congress, before joint session of Congress, a dower-faced John Boehner.

Not that dour face, but John Boehner sitting there. And all the Democrats, all the Republicans,

he needs to pass the jobs bill that he is going to send up to Congress a $447 billion BMOF, which will do all sorts of things such as what, Emily?

Well, we will have lower payroll taxes for workers and employers. There will be tax benefits for hiring vets and the long-term unemployed. There will be another Bridges and Roads spending program, and it's all going to cost about $450 billion.

And, John, the president will put this in the form of a bill, or perhaps phrase it in the form of a question, which he will send to Congress apparently next week.

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