Overview for FF Spotlight

How the Tea Party is Killing the GOP

In an important piece , Jonathan Rauch describes a GOP trapped between winning back Tea Party voters while trying not to alienate the general public. Jonathan Rauch has written an urgently important, data-intense piece for National Journal on the changing shape of the Republican Party . On …

Written by David Frum on Friday July 30, 2010

Rove Projects Big GOP Gains

Speaking at a Heritage Foundation event Thursday, Karl Rove predicted that the GOP could gain as many as 55 seats in the House and 8 in the Senate this November. Karl Rove argued that Republicans would either take back the House or make the Democratic margin very small today at a Heritage …

Written by Tim Mak on Friday July 30, 2010

Why the Filibuster is Here to Stay

Despite the Democrats' bluster about filibuster reform, in the end, most senators will recoil from throwing away the benefits they gain from the procedure. This em> Hill story on fractured Democratic opposition A Certain Enthusiasm

Written by Fred Bauer on Friday July 30, 2010

What Was Cameron Thinking?

British PM David Cameron's enthusiasm for Turkish entry into the European Union is not a serious proposal, but a cunning wrecking mechanism. A cynical French friend suggests that I overlooked the likeliest motive for David Cameron's flattering speech in Ankara: British enthusiasm for Turkish …

Written by David Frum on Thursday July 29, 2010

Obamacare's Stealth Assault on Small Business

An obscure provision which sneaked through the Obama healthcare bill will place a serious new burden on small business owners. My latest column for The Week looks at an obscure provision in the Obama healthcare bill which will place a serious new burden on small business owners. Small …

Written by David Frum on Thursday July 29, 2010

Arizona's Comeback Kid

Earlier this year, JD Hayworth looked likely to pull off an upset and unseat John McCain. Now, with primary day a month away, McCain holds a commanding 20 point lead. Earlier this year, with the political winds to his back, JD Hayworth had dreams of pulling off a Utah-style primary upset. …

Written by Paul Craft on Thursday July 29, 2010

Is Obama Changing Course in the Middle East?

Obama appears to finally be applying pressure on the Palestinians. But does this development signal a new approach to the Middle East? In her July 26th Jerusalem Post column , Caroline Glick noted that there seems to be evidence that the Obama Administration has shifted its efforts in the …

Written by Martin Krossel on Wednesday July 28, 2010

Can the GOP's Young Guns Retake the House?

GOP candidates from swing districts met this week for the NRCC's "Young Guns" candidate college. But do they have what it takes to refresh the party? Republican candidates from swing districts across the country converged on Washington, D.C. for the National Republican Congressional Committee …

Written by Tim Mak on Wednesday July 28, 2010

The WikiLeaks Fallout

It’s always titillating when confidential documents are leaked. But as embarrassing as the recent Wikileaks revelations may be, there is little news that is damaging. The most damaging thing about the leaking of some 92, 000 documents on the Afghanistan war, seems not to be their content so …

Written by Peter Worthington on Wednesday July 28, 2010

Ron Paul’s Liberal Republican Base

A new poll of New Hampshire Republican voters reveals some interesting news about the source of Ron Paul’s support. Who is more right-wing, Ron Paul or Newt Gingrich? It's a complicated question with no obvious answer - unless you are a New Hampshire Republican primary voter. For them, the …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday July 28, 2010

Ahmadinejad's New Eight-Legged Enemy

During a speech in Tehran, President Ahmadinejad accused World Cup hero, Paul the Octopus, of being a symbol of all that is wrong with the world. During a speech in Tehran over the weekend, President Ahmadinejad accused everyone’s favorite sea creature and World Cup hero, Paul the Octopus, of …

Written by Arsen Ostrovsky on Wednesday July 28, 2010

Inside the Koch Family

In a new interview, David Koch speaks openly about his family and their role as financial backers for the American conservative movement. Andrew Goldman has an almost unimprovable profile of David Koch in the August 2 nd edition of New York Magazine . I’m stunned by the access that Goldman was …

Written by Tim Mak on Tuesday July 27, 2010

A Worse Mistake in Cameron’s "Prison Camp" Speech

The slap at Israel was bad and the failure to condemn the Gaza Hamas government even worse, but the real evil in Cameron's Ankara speech was feeding Turkish PM Erdogan's delusions of grandeur. The slap at Israel was bad - the failure to condemn the Hamas government in Gaza even worse - but the …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday July 27, 2010

The GOP's Hispanic Voter Gap

A new poll has even more bad news for the GOP: 50% of Hispanic voters consider themselves Democrats with only 15% identifying as Republicans. A new AP/Univision poll shows that Hispanics back Democrats far more than they do Republicans. If the GOP doesn’t do something about this weak support, …

Written by Jeb Golinkin on Tuesday July 27, 2010

Health Care Cost Control: A Better Way

Instead of Obamacare's piecemeal approach to cutting health costs, we need a model which forces patients and doctors to control their spending. Is rationing required to control healthcare costs? No. Not if you define rationing as denying care to a particular person with a specific illness. That is …

Written by Stanley Goldfarb on Tuesday July 27, 2010

Defending the Best and the Brightest

Angelo Codevilla’s recent article in the American Spectator doesn't just criticize America's leaders, it also unfairly rips the system that produces them. Angelo Codevilla’s American Spectator article on the ruling class has made the rounds in recent days. Judging by Rush Limbaugh’s …

Written by James Hamel on Tuesday July 27, 2010

FrumForum Contest - Intermission

Our latest Frum Forum contest invites you to wreck the title of a famous book by changing one single word. So far, we've had almost 150 entries. Our latest span style="color: #0000ff;"> Frum Forum contest

Written by David Frum on Monday July 26, 2010

The New Face of the IDF

History was made today when Cpl. Elinor Jozef, became the first female Arab combat solider in the Israeli Defense Forces. A little bit of history was made today when Cpl. Elinor Jozef, became the first female Arab combat solider in the history of the Israeli Defense Forces. Born and raised in …

Written by Arsen Ostrovsky on Monday July 26, 2010

Time for a U.S. Government Yard Sale

Instead of cutting spending or raising taxes in the midst of a recession, the government should consider raising revenue by selling some of its assets. My latest column for CNN.com argues that instead of cutting spending or raising taxes in the midst of a recession, the government should consider …

Written by David Frum on Monday July 26, 2010

You Read it First in FrumForum

As I predicted, Andrew Breitbart appears to have survived the furor over Shirley Sherrod's wrongful firing undamaged. David Frum, July 21, 2010 : On the phone on the evening of July 20, a friend asked me: "Can Breitbart possibly survive?" I could only laugh incredulously. I answered: "Of …

Written by David Frum on Monday July 26, 2010