Overview for FF Spotlight

Cheerleading Ryan

What's more fun to try and figure out: why Paul Ryan is not running for president or why the Weekly Standard and Bill Kristol are very sad that Ryan is not running for President? For the past week, the Weekly Standard has had Stephen Hayes wearing his reporting hat and his reporting-advoc…

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Monday August 22, 2011

If Every Job Required a Pledge

The new school year is almost here. Teacher assignments should be coming out soon. I hope my daughter gets the teacher who has signed the pledge. You know, the one that says that while in the classroom, the teacher will never, ever deviate from the textbook. I think it’s called: The Textbook …

Written by Christine Matthews on Monday August 22, 2011

Unemployed for a Year. Who Speaks for Me?

I received The Call exactly a year ago at 11:30 a.m. EDT. That was a bit early. For almost nine years I had worked from my home in Charlotte, NC for a small company in California, so calls from the office before noon my time were not frequent. When I heard that my boss, his boss and the HR director …

Written by Andrew Pavelyev on Monday August 22, 2011

Give Obama a Break

In my column for CNN, I discuss why it ridiculous to try and score political points by attacking presidents for taking vacations: Back during the George W. Bush years, Democrats sneered and scoffed at the 43rd president's extended visits to his Crawford, Texas, ranch. Where was the guy's work …

Written by David Frum on Monday August 22, 2011

Res Judicata: Anthony Kennedy, The Unprincipled Justice

The brewing controversy about President Obama’s healthcare law means that the case will end up in the Supreme Court. One appellate court has upheld the constitutionality of the law (by a 2-1 vote) and another has struck it down (by a 2-1 vote). Splits on appellate panels are rare. Two split …

Written by Howard Foster on Monday August 22, 2011

Businesses Demand More Regulation (Really!)

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Written by Jim DiPeso on Thursday August 18, 2011

Ask About Evolution at the GOP Debate

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Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Thursday August 18, 2011

Perry's Anti-Bernanke Posse

Rick Perry hasn't been running for president for a full week and he has already made a significant gaffe. ThinkProgress has caught video of Perry saying that Ben Bernanke's efforts at monetary stimulus are "almost treasonous" and that he would treat Bernanke "pretty ugly down in Texas." The …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Tuesday August 16, 2011

Perry's Failing Grade on Free Market Insurance

Texas governor and presidential candidate Rick Perry talks a good game when it comes to free-market capitalism. But in the area of policy I know best--property and casualty insurance--Perry has not proven himself either a free-marketer or a strong leader. Property and casualty insurance is by …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Tuesday August 16, 2011

Bachmann's Bad Civics

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Written by Andrew Pavelyev on Monday August 15, 2011

Don't Underestimate Rick Perry

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Written by Les Francis on Monday August 15, 2011

Mitt Romney: Goldbug?

Romney's campaign filed FEC reports indicating the candidate's personal wealth to be between $190 million and $250 million. The most important sentence is buried in this Los Angeles Times article: "The couple owns between $250,001 and $500,000 in gold."

Written by Tim Mak on Saturday August 13, 2011

Let Federal Housing Loans Expire

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Written by Eli Lehrer on Friday August 12, 2011

Be Euro-Scared, Very Euro-Scared

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Written by David Frum on Thursday August 11, 2011

Can Bachmann Count?

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Written by Andrew Pavelyev on Thursday August 11, 2011

Weak Police Mean London is Burning

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Written by Ajay Ravichandran on Wednesday August 10, 2011

Limbaugh Loses a Listener

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Written by FrumForum Editors on Wednesday August 10, 2011

Bright Spots in Perry's Road Building Record

For all of his Tea Party bombast, Rick Perry has actually been a pretty good Texas governor. While Perry’s Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) plan flopped (as Tim Mak reports) the Texas governor can still point to his road building record with some pride. A drive in just about any big Texas city …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Tuesday August 9, 2011

Obama's Self-Destructive Optimism

A simple theory of why Obama didn't come out fighting in 2009: he expected an economic turnaround in four years. My co-bloggers John Sides and Josh Tucker responded yesterday to a recent newspaper article in which psychologist Drew Westen argues that Barack Obama made a mistake by making …

Written by Andrew Gelman on Monday August 8, 2011

Res Judicata: Americans Will Do the Jobs

“On lesser days, unmentionable objects block the huge grates in the sewer channels. The workers descend knee deep into the muck and scrape at the dripping clogs. The gunk drips to their shoulders and splashes on their faces, working its way into pores and psyches.” This is how the New York …

Written by Howard Foster on Monday August 8, 2011