Today on the Dish, Andrew went another round on circumcision and the court in Cologne, and we celebrated the Dish readership. Democratic presidents are better for the economy, the election will determine Obamacare's ultimate fate, and Josh Barro guessed that conservative states would take the Medicaid money anyway. Obamacare ended freedom, the Roberts ruling could swing public opinion, a reader defended cable news (why it must evolve into something new here), and at least CNN issued a correction.
Kicks just keep getting harder to find at the New Yorker, National Review failed again, and the strongest woman in America is totally overlooked. We wondered about Anthony Kennedy, it's possible that Roberts switched his vote, and the GOP base is uninterested in the long view. McArdle sided with the Court over FDR, Scott Horton tackled the DEA, and Israel's health care system provided better outcomes. We worried about Islamism in Egypt, the Chinese were somewhat baffled by American health care politics, and Obama failed Africa. Netanyahu and Putin became closer, the defense industry somehow wanted credit for the bin Laden raid, and Eli Lake explored Somalia's prisons. We checked in on the election in Mexico, Mars is hard to get to, and dogs have been deadlier than al Qaeda in the US since 9/11.
Readers shared their experiences with home and natural birth, a Texas bowler made history, and poverty in America became more extreme. We contemplated singlehood, questioned forced treatment, and monitored an off-kilter subway stair. The fork is relatively new, we're in awe of Louis C.K., and the robotic hand (above) never loses. Poseur alert here, Yglesias award nominee here, Von Hoffman award nominee here, headline of the day here, VFYW here, MHB here, and FOTD here. Ad war update here and ask Klaidman anything here.
The rest of the week after the jump:
Thursday on the Dish, we live-blogged the SCOTUS ruling and weighed the electoral impact of the decision. Blogger reax here and reader reax here (meep meep watch here). Romney promised a full repeal (whether or not that is likely or possible here and here), a reader speculated that Scalia's overreaching did him in, and cable news officially jumped the shark. Some claimed they would "flee" to Canada, the House voted to hold Holder in contempt, anti-mandate conservativesrenounced a settled body of law, and national security became divorced from democracy. JP Morgan actually lost $9 billion, and the uninsured continued to suffer.
We wondered if Facebook has reached saturation, studied the Buzzfeed model, and examined the dental care crisis. Readers elaborated on home birth, a new film reinvented Hollywood aging, and pharmaceutical reps preyed on the cognitive dissonance of doctors. Slugs chewed penises after sex, our local police departments became pointlessly militarized, and connectivity immunized.
Chart of the day here, Malkin award nominee here, quote for the day here, FOTD here, VFYWhere, and MHB here. Ad war update here.
By Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Wednesday on the Dish, Andrew wrote in praise of Dishhead exceptionalism, he defended a German court's ban on infant male genital mutilation, and Fortune complicated the conservative movement's account of Operation Fast and Furious. We geared up for tomorrow's decision on Obamacare (predictions here), imagined the ACA without the mandate, and wondered about the implications for November (reality check here and above). Regardless of what happens, the Supreme Court is not the legal equivalent of Hannity and the GOP won't "own" the health care system. Meanwhile, the president does not have a built-in electoral college lead though the Obama campaign's attacks on Bain appear to be succeeding.
Scott Horton compared Obama's record on civil liberties to Bush's, prisons abusedsolitary confinement, and a documentary illuminated gay rights activism in Uganda. A reparative therapist acknowledged that there is no "cure" for homosexuality, gay bars inevitably declined, and a reader reflected on her decision to have an abortion. Amazon ate away self-publishing royalties, Republicans seem to enjoy being "uncool," and nuclear power is not cost-effective. We explored super-human vision, baldness may carry some evolutionary advantages (or not), telecommuting is more productive, and the old and uneducated are glued to their TVs. Age itself doesn't necessarily cause hormone decline, male cancer patients lack support, and the US leads in cannabis consumption. A reader was bothered by Mormonism's "claim to empirical truths which are self-evidently not truths," and we winced at the moral righteousness of dogs.
Quote for the day here, end of gay culture watch here, MHB here, VFYW here, FOTD here, and summer reading infographic here. Ad war updates here and here.
Tuesday on the Dish, Andrew reflected on the Supreme Court and November, Romney proceeded on Palin's path, and the GOP's unified certainty prevailed. We're not the only ones who are creeped out by campaign marketing, readers sorted through the more cultish aspects of Mormonism, and a reader alerted us to a story of actual voter fraud. Sorkin fans grappled with Newsroom, Americans misunderstood the ACA, and constitutional law is often dishonest.
We grasped the incoherence of Indonesia, reviewed the status of spaceships, and anticipated the liberation of drones. The Fox News correspondent in Rome officially joined the Vatican, GOProud officially endorsed Romney, and incumbents in Congress centralized governance. Maliki consolidated power in Iraq, one Syrian rebel turned to an American boy band, and Scott Horton discussed Obama's record on whistleblowers. Food aid often breeds violence, the narcotics trade propagates violence in Guatemala, and most serious crimes in Mexico go unpunished.
Readers remembered the plague years, a husband wrote in praise of monogamy as the tightest teamwork, and long-duration astronauts will need comfort food. American kids ran the show, "traditional" men resist therapy, and even American license plates are now divisive. We envisioned health care reform post-ACA, reexamined home birth, and delved into the history of splitting arrows.
Christianism watch here, creepy ad watch here, quotes for the day here and here and here, tweet of the day here, self-parody alert here, FOTD here, MHB here, VFYW here, and VFYW contest winner #108 here. Ad war update here.
Seattle, Washington, 9.35 am
Monday on the Dish, Andrew addressed Romney's casual and repeated lies as the core reality of the campaign and considered the revealing case of Monsignor Lynn. Romney's numbers are solid even as he struggles to level the "ethnic playing field," but he should probably think outside the economy. The food stamp program expanded below the poverty line, the Cheneys shied from the cause of marriage equality, David Blankenhorn came around, and gay adoption grew pools of committed parents.
We checked in on political developments in Egypt, questioned the US foreign policy consensus, and traced Soviet meddling in the Middle East. Postwar Berlin is still cheap, Greece and Germany blew off steam, and civilians became the primary targets of war.
We studied slinkies, looked at HIV transmission laws, anticipated the end of checks, and reimagined jury duty. We wondered about eye contact, remembered closet monsters, and re-read "A Good Man is Hard to Find." We fetishized small businesses for the wrong reasons, made the case for leisure, broached disease and guilt, were leery of teenage anti-depressants and bullish on animal biology, and examinedcauses of death over time. Happy marriages take different shapes, laughing happens deep in our brains, and bars are increasingly pricey. Tattoos were once for aristocrats, there is nothing on Earth "untouched by man," autonomy is a victim of anorexia, and according to Michael Chabon, you should keep your dreams to yourself. We parsed Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, geared up for the big decision on Thursday, and Romney inevitably obfuscated.
Moore award nominee here, quote for the day here, ask Scott Horton anything here, URL of the day here, MHB here, FOTD here, and VFYW here. Ad war update here.
—M.A.
The Dish 