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Hello and welcome to the Slate Political Gab Fest for July 1st, 2011.

I'm David Plotz.

I'm alone in Washington because John Dickerson is gallivanting around somewhere in the far west.

Emily Bazelon is gallivanting.

She's probably not galivanting.

She's probably working in her office in New Haven, Connecticut.

Right, Emily?

Is that right?

Right. I'm angry at both of them. Right, Emily? Is that right? Right.

I'm angry at both of them, and the show is going to reflect that today.

We're going to talk about three topics, none of which have to do with the pleasant times that they're having.

The first topic is going to be the debt ceiling.

The second topic is going to be Michelle Bachman, whose tea party movement I'm attempting

to join if it allows me to get back at John and Emily.

And the third topic is going to be the violent video games case.

All right.

I've gotten that out of my system.

Let's have a show.

So, and we'll also have cocktail chatter, which I'm desperately going to need by the time the thing is done. Can you tell that David has spent the week alone with his children? Are you guys well? Are you guys okay? Are you guys doing okay? Yeah, we're doing right. Although, you know, when you're unhappy, we're unhappy. Because we're I don't feel that way. You don't feel that way. You're happier at David's unhappiness. No, I... But this unhappiness is amusing. Whew. All right. Let's talk about the debt ceiling. Now, John, you're not in Washington, so you probably have no insight at all into what's going on here in Washington, where I'm stuck.

But the president yesterday, or no, the president on Wednesday, Wednesday held an extraordinary press conference.

...