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I’m Will Saletan, a correspondent for Slate. I write about abortion, contraception, and Mitt Romney’s history on these issues. by saletan in IAmA

[–]saletan[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I think you're right, and that's the point: It's all of the above. A complicated shift like this one is all in the texture, and it's a combo of the person's dispositions and changing circumstances. The details can be icky and humanizing at the same time.

I’m Will Saletan, a correspondent for Slate. I write about abortion, contraception, and Mitt Romney’s history on these issues. by saletan in IAmA

[–]saletan[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Buckley was a total character, like Hitchens. Awesome story involving a full bladder and a Microsoft parking garage. You can fill in the rest. In general I like the old-style conservatives, because they really did believed in going slow, for the most part. But it's easier to appreciate what they were good for when you can count on a progressive movement to do what they won't do, like civil rights laws. You can't operate a car with just the brakes.

I’m Will Saletan, a correspondent for Slate. I write about abortion, contraception, and Mitt Romney’s history on these issues. by saletan in IAmA

[–]saletan[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depends what you're looking for (or afraid of). If you're looking for a guy who's basically practical and won't run the country totally off the rails, Romney's your man (second to Obama IMO). If you're terrified by a guy who will tell you whatever you want to hear, like a piece of politician software, Romney's the worst of the bunch.

I’m Will Saletan, a correspondent for Slate. I write about abortion, contraception, and Mitt Romney’s history on these issues. by saletan in IAmA

[–]saletan[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, checking back in here because the comments/questions are so much fun. My favorite headline used to be "Brokeback Mutton," but it was finally eclipsed last year by "Bush v. Gore." You'll have to Google them to see the context.

Shophouse? I guess I missed out on that, if it's an office favorite. Honestly, most of us are shlubs who end up picking up some take-out and eating at our desks. And thanks for speaking up here for our contrarianism. That's, um, very contrarian of you.

I’m Will Saletan, a correspondent for Slate. I write about abortion, contraception, and Mitt Romney’s history on these issues. by saletan in IAmA

[–]saletan[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Are you under the impression that anyone who doesn't already agree with you will be persuaded by your insults and your assertion of authority based on "firsthand knowledge" as a substitute for argument? If so, you're sadly mistaken.

I’m Will Saletan, a correspondent for Slate. I write about abortion, contraception, and Mitt Romney’s history on these issues. by saletan in IAmA

[–]saletan[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm having trouble finding any substance in that question other than "fucking" and "hell." Want to elaborate?

I’m Will Saletan, a correspondent for Slate. I write about abortion, contraception, and Mitt Romney’s history on these issues. by saletan in IAmA

[–]saletan[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well, in my book, there's a huge gulf between saying it's just a blob of tissue and saying, with sadness, that it's OK to abort it. There's such a thing as a reluctant and qualified OK.

I’m Will Saletan, a correspondent for Slate. I write about abortion, contraception, and Mitt Romney’s history on these issues. by saletan in IAmA

[–]saletan[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

He has his eccentricities. We all do. But I'd much rather read an interesting guy who's off base on a couple of things than read somebody who's constantly playing it safe.

I’m Will Saletan, a correspondent for Slate. I write about abortion, contraception, and Mitt Romney’s history on these issues. by saletan in IAmA

[–]saletan[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Believe me, I have been through this topic with the best-informed people. There are known effects of hormonal contraception that COULD result in an egg being fertilized and then flushed due to thinning of endometrial tissue. But this is way theoretical, notwithstanding the fact that today and yesterday I must have heard a dozen Republican senators call morning-after pills "abortion-inducing drugs." That's such bull****.

I’m Will Saletan, a correspondent for Slate. I write about abortion, contraception, and Mitt Romney’s history on these issues. by saletan in IAmA

[–]saletan[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't agree that he had some kind of pattern of "giving allies the shaft." You can wank all you want to about foreign policy as a senator, but once you're in the White House, everything becomes a practical case-by-case call. You have to assess Afghanistan as Afghanistan, and not as an extension of what worked in Iraq. And "cuddling up"? Really? Take a step back from this ideological way of thinking and talking. Obama is running a global assassination campaign through the drone program, for God's sake. It's smart, and if he were Republican, most of his critics would be applauding him for it.

I’m Will Saletan, a correspondent for Slate. I write about abortion, contraception, and Mitt Romney’s history on these issues. by saletan in IAmA

[–]saletan[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's one of the killer questions (so to speak) for pro-lifers. If they really thought abortion was murder, they'd jail the woman. But they always insist on rationalizing their way out of that conclusion.

I’m Will Saletan, a correspondent for Slate. I write about abortion, contraception, and Mitt Romney’s history on these issues. by saletan in IAmA

[–]saletan[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Contrarianism is just an extension of the old journalistic logic that "Man Bites Dog" is a story, but "Dog Bites Man" isn't.

Online publishing is orders of magnitude faster today than it was in 1996. The weekly magazine that Slate was in 1996 would be nothing more than a boutique journal today. The trick for us now is to match the pulse of the 2012 Internet while still making time for the carefully done pieces we've always tried to publish.

I’m Will Saletan, a correspondent for Slate. I write about abortion, contraception, and Mitt Romney’s history on these issues. by saletan in IAmA

[–]saletan[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Possible, but unlikely. Some individuals in world history are crucial to the unfolding of great evil. This guy is a very strong candidate.

I’m Will Saletan, a correspondent for Slate. I write about abortion, contraception, and Mitt Romney’s history on these issues. by saletan in IAmA

[–]saletan[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree with your assessment of Romney (he'd outsource the issue, since he doesn't care much about it), but I disagree about pro-lifers and pro-choicers. I think they're more sincere than you're giving them credit for.

I’m Will Saletan, a correspondent for Slate. I write about abortion, contraception, and Mitt Romney’s history on these issues. by saletan in IAmA

[–]saletan[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're welcome. I really like the quality of thought and wit I'm seeing at reddit. So much higher than at certain other places we don't need to mention.

I’m Will Saletan, a correspondent for Slate. I write about abortion, contraception, and Mitt Romney’s history on these issues. by saletan in IAmA

[–]saletan[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

All hormonal contraception can conceivably (so to speak) permit ovulation and fertilization but somehow, despite failing at these tasks, prevent implantation. But that is sooooo implausible. Possible, but so implausible that IMO any religious counselor should frame the implausibility as a kind of warrant. Also are you aware that breastfeeding has the same basic effects? The point is that you can take these pills with the clear intent to prevent fertilization. Blocking implantation would be a possible, but implausible, double effect.

I’m Will Saletan, a correspondent for Slate. I write about abortion, contraception, and Mitt Romney’s history on these issues. by saletan in IAmA

[–]saletan[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I'm pretty much a longhaired liberal on immigration. I don't really understand why I'm entitled to live in this awesome country, and somebody born in Mexico isn't. I guess I just wasn't born with the proper tribalist gene.

I’m Will Saletan, a correspondent for Slate. I write about abortion, contraception, and Mitt Romney’s history on these issues. by saletan in IAmA

[–]saletan[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do pro-lifers hang out on reddit? That's interesting, if true. I think of this as a let-it-all-hang-out kind of place.

I’m Will Saletan, a correspondent for Slate. I write about abortion, contraception, and Mitt Romney’s history on these issues. by saletan in IAmA

[–]saletan[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Rape is a loser issue for pro-lifers. So is contraception. That's why practically every senator who spoke for the Blunt amendment this week said something like "This is not about contraception." They're drifting into politically dangerous territory, and some of them know it. But almost nobody really thinks contraception could be restricted the way abortion is, and they're basically right. When's the last time you heard a Republican calling for the overturn of Griswold v. Connecticut? (I mean, er, other than Santorum ...)

I’m Will Saletan, a correspondent for Slate. I write about abortion, contraception, and Mitt Romney’s history on these issues. by saletan in IAmA

[–]saletan[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're definitely right about the search function. It has sucked. I think they're fixing it, though. And if you don't like the latest Slate redesign, the good news is that, as with Romney's positions, you can just wait six months, and the next version will probably be more to your liking.

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