Overview for FF Spotlight

Why the Tea Party's Clout Fizzled in Washington

The tea party activists who helped score the GOP's 2010 midterm win are learning the hard way that electoral success doesn't always translate to policy success. A recent headline , "Tea Party Leverage Fading in Spending Talks," reminds me of the not-always-understood difficulty of transforming …

Written by Andrew Gelman on Thursday March 31, 2011

RNC State Chair: Pull GOP Convention From Florida

The Chair of the South Carolina GOP has threatened to move the location of the 2012 GOP convention if Florida does not change the date when it holds it primary. South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Karen Floyd sent a letter to RNC members this morning criticizing the Florida GOP for moving …

Written by Tim Mak on Thursday March 31, 2011

Why is New Reform Rabbi Repeating Anti-Israel Rhetoric?

When it comes to his stance on Israel, the new leader of the Union for Reform Judaism has some baggage that should trouble supporters of the Jewish state. Richard Jacobs, rabbi of Westchester Reform Temple, has just been chosen the new leader of the Union for Reform Judaism, Judaism's largest …

Written by Martin Krossel on Thursday March 31, 2011

How America Lost the Green Tech Race

The good news from a new clean energy investment report is that the sector shook off the recession blues in 2010. The bad news is that the U.S. is trailing the rest of the world. The good news from the latest Pew Charitable Trusts and Bloomberg New Energy Finance clean energy investment report is …

Written by Jim DiPeso on Thursday March 31, 2011

Dem Reps Rebel Over Mortgage Program

Eighteen Democrats went against the wishes of the president yesterday by voting for the termination of a program Obama hoped would help prevent foreclosures. Eighteen Democrats went against the wishes of the White House by voting yesterday for the termination of the Home Affordable Modification …

Written by Tim Mak on Wednesday March 30, 2011

The Real Libya Policy Obama Won't Admit

President Obama’s campaign in Libya may be the most deceptively sold U.S. military policy since World War II. And people say George W. Bush lied about Iraq! President Obama’s campaign in Libya may be the most deceptively sold U.S. military policy since Franklin Roosevelt’s “all aid short of …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday March 30, 2011

Pawlenty Jumps on the Anti-Fed Bandwagon

Pawlenty's receiving criticism for claiming that the injection of “fiat money” into the economy has weakened it. But this isn’t the worst thing he’s said on monetary policy. Tim Pawlenty is receiving a lot of criticism for comments he made about monetary policy on Morning Joe , when he argued …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Wednesday March 30, 2011

Is Al Qaeda Gaining the Upper Hand in Libya?

With news reports that al Qaeda fighters have joined Libya's rebels, is the West about to watch the Qaddafi regime replaced with a jihadist-friendly government? A Libyan rebel commander who recruited his countrymen to serve as jihadists in the Iraqi insurgency has said radical Islamists "today …

Written by Tim Hodgson on Wednesday March 30, 2011

Why Obama Will Win the Shutdown

Is there's another government shutdown, there's one thing you can count on: the White House will win the public relations battle. Howard Dean is liberal, and perhaps even a tad crazy. Stupid, though, he is not. Former Gov. Dean joined several other prominent Democrats Tuesday at the “National …

Written by Jeb Golinkin on Wednesday March 30, 2011

Pawlenty's Cap and Trade About-Face

By going on the record and apologizing for once backing cap-and-trade, has Pawlenty hamstrung his ability to respond to future environmental challenges? Here is what I don't understand about Tim Pawlenty's reversal - not only on cap-and-trade - but also on any concern for climate change …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday March 30, 2011

Creationism Makes a Comeback

The wave of GOP state legislature victories has led to a more favorable environment for creationist friendly legislation. The wave of Republican victories in state legislatures has led to a more favorable environment for creationist friendly legislation to advance. Most of those bills will die …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Wednesday March 30, 2011

GOP Pushes for Fannie & Freddie Phase-Out

A package of GOP bills to restrict and then wind down Fannie and Freddie illustrate what a vigorous, market-oriented House majority can and should do to get things done. A coalition of Republican House of Representatives Members has announced a package of bills that would first restrict and then …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Tuesday March 29, 2011

Intel Experts: 'Don't Quit Until Qaddafi's Gone'

Monday, the president argued the case for our mission in Libya. FF asked members of the intel community for their views on the Obama doctrine. In his Libyan speech, President Obama established the Obama Doctrine: America would intervene to stop a murderous tyrant from massacring their citizens. …

Written by Elise Cooper on Tuesday March 29, 2011

Obama Keeps Bill Happy

Some speechwriter must have had a little chuckle as he drafted President Obama’s remarks at the UN. Some speechwriter must have had a little chuckle as he drafted President Obama’s remarks at the UN. Obama apologized to former President Clinton for keeping the Secretary of State so busy that …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday March 29, 2011

Left and Right Switch Sides in the Media Wars

Have we passed into some kind of space-time discontinuity , where prominent newscasters are right-wing and the people enraged by media bias left-wing? Have we passed into some kind of space-time discontinuity , where all the most prominent newscasters are right-wing - and the people most …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday March 29, 2011

Boehner Faces GOP Budget Revolt

Boehner's fight to keep his caucus unified in the spending fight just got a lot harder: Tuesday, fiscal hawks in the House announced plans to draft a rival 2012 budget proposal. Today’s news that conservatives in the House Republican Study Committee will draft their own alternative Fiscal Year …

Written by Steve Bell on Tuesday March 29, 2011

No Bailouts for Incumbents

SCOTUS is reviewing a law which would provide matching funds for less well-funded candidates. But would this level the playing field or just boost incumbents? The Supreme Court in McComish v. Bennett and a companion case, is addressing an Arizona law that attempts to “equalize” speech in …

Written by John Vecchione on Tuesday March 29, 2011

Obama's Real Libya Goal: Regime Change

Obama’s Libya speech was intended to reassure voters that the U.S. was only intervening to save lives and not pushing for regime change. Unfortunately, it's just not true. It was a good speech, but it told us nothing that we don’t know. President Barack Obama’s intent was to reassure the …

Written by Peter Worthington on Tuesday March 29, 2011

Would the Real Birthers Please Stand Up?

When the first GOP presidential debate gets held, there's one question that should be asked as preliminary screening to separate the sane from the cynical or crazy. When the first Republican presidential debate gets held, there is one question that should be asked by the moderator to perform …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Tuesday March 29, 2011

Ethnic Voter Outreach: Canadian Style

Canada's Conservatives have launched new ads in ethnic languages like Mandarin. They provide an important lesson to a GOP still unable to connect with minority voters. In the ongoing Canadian election campaign, we’re seeing a lot of examples for ethnic outreach done right – especially with the …

Written by Tim Mak on Tuesday March 29, 2011