Overview for FF Spotlight

Is Kirk Winning the Money Race?

On Wednesday, Rep. Mark Kirk's Senate campaign announced that they had brought in $2.2 million in the first quarter of the year. Democratic opponent Alexi Giannoulias, however, declined to disclose his own fundraising haul. Good news for Republicans. Mark Kirk has brought in a solid haul since the …

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Written by Jeb Golinkin on Thursday April 8, 2010

Support New Credit Union Regs Despite Barney Frank

More often than not, Rep. Barney Frank can be found fighting for a more expansive state role in the economy. This time though, Frank is rightly backing a credit union deregulation bill - opposed by many Republicans. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee Chair Barney Frank is …

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Written by Eli Lehrer on Wednesday April 7, 2010

Is FrumForum So Sexy It Hurts?

Recently, Frum Forum has received criticism for some of the imagery on our site. We thought we should let our readers weigh in. Have we gone too far? Just right? Or even ... not far enough? Recently, Frum Forum has received criticism for some of the imagery on our site.  We’re always …

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Written by FrumForum Editors on Wednesday April 7, 2010

Rethinking McDonnell

I've spent much of the day thinking about McDonnell's proclamation, and on second thought I have to walk back a little from my post below . I continue to think that McDonnell's motive here was to tip-toe away from controversy. But on these fundamental issues of nationhood, tip-toeing just is not …

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Written by David Frum on Wednesday April 7, 2010

Canada's Unfinished Afghan Mission

Instead of redirecting Canada's military back to international peacekeeping work, Ottawa can do more good by keeping our battle-hardened and experienced fighting forces in Afghanistan. As the families of nine Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan gathered in Kandahar over Easter to pay tribute …

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Written by Peter Worthington on Wednesday April 7, 2010

Graham's Climate Change Courage

Instead of criticizing Senator Lindsey Graham for working across the aisle on comprehensive climate change legislation, the GOP should be applauding his efforts to push for conservative solutions to our energy crisis. The American Conservative Union rated GOP Senator Lindsey Graham 88 percent …

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Written by Clifton Yin on Wednesday April 7, 2010

Tough Choices for French Health Care

The French pride themselves on having a healthcare system that is efficient and cheap – a system in which everyone pays and everyone benefits. But now, increasing costs have left the government with no other choice but to cut back on services or raise taxes. Yesterday, Tuesday, April 6, I had …

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Written by Rachel Ryan on Wednesday April 7, 2010

Continuity You Can Believe In

Eli Lake has an interesting article at Reason.com on the continuities between the war power policies of President Obama and President George W. Bush. Eli Lake has a super-interesting article at Reason.com on the continuities between the war power policies of President Obama and President …

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Written by David Frum on Wednesday April 7, 2010

Another RNC Member Jumps Ship

UPDATED: New Hampshire Republican National Committeeman Sean Mahoney today handed in his resignation to Chairman Michael Steele, and blamed the recent scandal over RNC funds being used at a bondage-themed nightclub behind his decision to quit. Update : It seems as though this sudden resignatio…

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Written by Tim Mak on Tuesday April 6, 2010

A Virtual RNC?

American Crossroads is no ordinary 527 group. The group has set itself a $50 million fundraising target. If achieved, that money would establish American Crossroads as a nearly equivalent entity to the Republican National Committee. Redundancy? No - rivalry. American Crossroads is no ordinary 527 …

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Written by David Frum on Tuesday April 6, 2010

Can the GOP be Saved?

Over the years, I've read tons of pieces by people disgusted at the current state of the GOP and conservatism in general. But after we cry for what has been lost, what do we do then? After reading Chris Currey's very moving post about how the GOP has left him coupled with reports that blogger …

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Written by Dennis Sanders on Tuesday April 6, 2010

Obamacare is Here to Stay

After the New Deal was struck, it took 40 years for the process of deregulation to begin under Carter, and accelerate under Reagan. Republicans looking forward to a quick repeal of Obamacare should expect a long wait. The dust has now begun to settle after the firestorm that was the Waterloo …

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Written by Bryce McNitt on Tuesday April 6, 2010

Steele's New Enforcer

RNC Chief of Staff Ken McKay has resigned and will be replaced by Deputy Chief of Staff Mike Leavitt. In choosing Leavitt, Steele has promoted someone who has a proven record and knows how to win. This afternoon, in the wake of the Republican National Committee’s Voyeur nightclub scandal, RNC …

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Written by Tim Mak on Monday April 5, 2010

What Goes On in the DNC Stays in the DNC

FF Exclusive: Despite the media furor over the RNC's "bondage-gate" scandal, Republicans have spent much less on their scandalous events than Democrats. Both the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee have held events in racy locales. But who gets the biggest bang for …

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Written by Tim Mak on Monday April 5, 2010

How the GOP Purged Me

How did the conservative movement and the Republican party go from William F. Buckley to Glenn Beck? From Eisenhower and Nixon to Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann? I am an old Republican. I am religious, yet not a fanatic. I am a free-marketer; yet, I believe in the role of the government as a …

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Written by Chris Currey on Monday April 5, 2010

Why the GOP Should Support a Carbon Tax

President Obama's triangulation on cap-and-trade and drilling is designed to pull in conservative support for his energy bill. Rather than letting the president carve off Republicans to back his plan, the GOP should throw in a game-changer of their own by backing a carbon tax. Recently, former …

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Written by Zac Morgan on Monday April 5, 2010

Repealing Obamacare is the Least Conservative Option

A radical reaction has erupted in response to the healthcare bill, but true conservatives are not radicals; they respect tradition and work for stable reform to fix institutions. A radical reaction has erupted in response to the health care bill, and its motto is: “Repeal and Replace.” But this …

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Written by Oliver R. Garland on Monday April 5, 2010

The End of Candidate Giuliani?

By backing Marco Rubio, a candidate who has little overlap with Rudy Giuliani's own brand of Republicanism, Rudy may be signaling that he’s given up on ever running for office again. Rudy Giuliani’s decision to endorse Marco Rubio in the hotly contested Florida senatorial primary may be more than …

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Written by Tim Mak on Monday April 5, 2010

Celebrating Easter During the Great Recession

What does it mean to rejoice at Easter when unemployment is high, when many people are worried about losing their jobs and homes and when those economic difficulties cause tension in people’s lives? One of the most ancient prayers of the Western Church, possibly dating as far back as the fifth …

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Written by John S. Gardner on Sunday April 4, 2010

Why Obama Can't Reach the Tea Party

Obama has been forced to essentially forfeit any outreach to middle America, as long as the face of middle America remains Glenn Beck's or Michelle Bachmann's. In the late "Point/Counterpoint" godmother Shana Alexander's 1983 bestseller Very Much A Lady (based on the Jean Harris/Herman Tarnower …

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Written by Telly Davidson on Saturday April 3, 2010