Overview for News

Cameron's Cuts Will Spur Britain's Recovery

David Cameron's new UK budget will move the country away from relying on government spending to drive growth and put the focus back on the private sector. The new coalition government in the UK (made up of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats) has had to take the axe to government expenditure in …

Written by David Stevens on Friday October 22, 2010

Bloomberg Touts Mayoral Achievements

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke at Facebook’s Palo Alto headquarters this afternoon on his achievements as mayor and on Washington's missteps. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg addressed staff at Facebook’s Palo Alto headquarters this afternoon, speaking on private philanthropy, his achievements …

Written by Tim Mak on Friday October 22, 2010

Strikes Won't Stop Sarko

Despite a week of labor strikes and protests, French President Sarkozy was able to pass his pension reforms and leave the Socialist Party looking like losers. This week, France has been hit by strikes pushed by the Socialist party and unions in opposition to President Sarkozy’s pension reforms …

Written by Jean Granville on Friday October 22, 2010

The Populist Progressive Grudge Match

Politicians are always eager to take up the populist label. The Progressive legacy though, even before Glenn Beck took aim, has always been more fraught. Click here for part 1 and part 2 of this series. The Progressives of a century ago were the antipode to the Populists. The …

Written by David Frum on Friday October 22, 2010

Centrists Lead GOP's New York Comeback

GOP businessman Randy Altschuler is just one of a group of fresh-thinking Republicans looking to upset the Democrats in New York. Long Island congressman Tim Bishop (D-NY) is facing a serious challenge this year in the form of businessman Randy Altschuler, a Republican who has a sharp policy …

Written by Tim Mak on Friday October 22, 2010

Who Else Gets “Nervous”?

Speaking about Islam, Juan Williams admitted: "I get nervous". Others though have made the same admission without similar repercussions. As well as Yale University Press, the Washington Post , and Random House, here are some others who can say with Juan Williams , "I get anxious, I get nervous" …

Written by David Frum on Thursday October 21, 2010

Popping the Gold Bubble

Americans are stocking up on gold. But does the gold binge make any economic sense? Reader Thomas Simpson writes to quote Warren Buffett: You can take all of the gold that's ever been mined and fill a cube 67 feet in each direction. At current prices for gold, you could buy all of the …

Written by David Frum on Thursday October 21, 2010

Williams' Mistake: Starting a Real Dialogue

The next time someone tells you he wants a conversation about race or poverty or Islam what he really means is “I'll spout the PC line and you agree with me.” Much ink has been and will be spilled over Juan Williams’ firing from NPR after his comments about Muslims. To wit, Williams (author of …

Written by Cheves Ligon on Thursday October 21, 2010

The Williams Hypocrisy

Matt Welch points out the real lesson from Juan Williams' firing: You can be Islamophobic, you just can't publicly admit it. Matt Welch makes a good point : You can be Islamophobic, in the form of refusing to run the most innocuous imaginable political cartoons out of a broad-brush fear …

Written by David Frum on Thursday October 21, 2010

Why the Left's Populism Never Caught On

Since the 1960s, the American left has looked for a liberal who could light a fire against big business and the Pentagon while staying connected to the folks back home. Click here for part 1 of this series. "Progressive populism" has been a dream of the American liberal-left since the …

Written by David Frum on Thursday October 21, 2010

Conservatives Talk Debt, Forget Jobs

At a discussion on the economy sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, panelists focused on the debt, with little to say about the job worries facing most families. On October 20, the Chamber of Commerce sponsored an all-day discussion at the American Enterprise Institute titled “ A Balancing Act: …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Thursday October 21, 2010

Gold: A Sucker's Bet

Gold, quite simply, is useless. The gold bubble could last for several more years. But, in time, it will come crashing down. In a recent blogpost , David Frum noted that while gold prices keep falling, the airwaves are still full of ads encouraging people to keep buying gold. Frum’s prediction…

Written by Eli Lehrer on Thursday October 21, 2010

Progressive Populism: Mission Impossible

George Packer raises an interesting question about Obama: Could the president have pushed a progressive populist movement to counter the right-wing populism on display? George Packer offers an interesting report today about the political weakness behind President Obama. (And no I don’t say that …

Written by David Frum on Thursday October 21, 2010

Cameron's Bold Budget

Cameron's Tories have just unveiled budget cuts on a scale which would overawe Ronald Reagan and dazzle Margaret Thatcher. Republicans have been dismissive of David Cameron’s Conservative party. Yet his coalition government has now unveiled a budget with spending cuts beyond anything Republicans …

Written by David Frum on Thursday October 21, 2010

How to Lose Friends and Alienate Liberals

Occasionally a liberal friend compliments me as “a sensible conservative” and asks for my opinion about X or Y. And then I tell them what I really think... Occasionally one of my liberal friends compliments me as “a sensible conservative” (SensiCon?) and tells me that they – being sick of those …

Written by Cheves Ligon on Wednesday October 20, 2010

Big Oil Attacks Arnold's Green Tech Boom

One of the only bright spots in California's economy is the booming green energy sector. But an oil industry backed ballot proposition could kill those jobs. Proposition 23 on California's November 2 ballot would effectively kill the state's law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and damage the …

Written by Jim DiPeso on Wednesday October 20, 2010

"Progress" Becomes a Four-Letter Word

Mark Levin tweeted his approval of Dan Riehl's recent attack on Karl Rove. Rove's offense? Using the word "progress" in a positive sense. Mark Levin today tweets his approval of this attack on Karl Rove: Rove's offense: using the word "progress" in a positive sense. Yes - seriously.

Written by David Frum on Wednesday October 20, 2010

The Coming Gold Bust

Gold prices have fallen again, yet the airwaves are still full of ads for gold. Will the credibility of the radio and TV hosts who tout it survive a drop in the price? From today's FT : "CHINA RATE RISE HITS GOLD AND OIL PRICES" ... gold fell 2.8 per cent to $1,333 per ounce, its largest …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday October 20, 2010

You Read it First at FrumForum

Today's Washington Post report on how Gulf fishermen are benefiting from BP's response to the Deepwater spill was old news to Frum Forum readers. Today's Washington Post reports on how fishermen in the Gulf region are benefiting from BP's spill response The oil has mostly disappeared. …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Wednesday October 20, 2010

One Bill the Lame Duck Won't Kill

The lame duck session won't be a productive one, but you can count on Congress to find a way to pass the $1 trillion omnibus appropriations bill. When Congress is out of session, and all the real news is out on the electoral trail, it leaves D.C.-based media types a little short of new …

Written by Steve Bell on Tuesday October 19, 2010