Overview for News

Photos From a “Humanitarian Crisis”

When news outlets mention the so-called humanitarian flotillas from Turkey, why do they omit the fact that life expectancy is higher in Gaza than Turkey? Just opened in Gaza: a new shopping mall, Tom Gross reports . Gross points out: When leading news outlets mention the …

Written by Tom Gross on Sunday July 18, 2010

You Read it First in FrumForum

John Boehner is set to unveil a slate of policy proposals to be implemented if the GOP wins back the House -- a move first predicted here at Frum Forum. From today's Washington Post : Sometime after Labor Day, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner plans to unveil a blueprint of what …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Sunday July 18, 2010

FrumForum's Summer Contest

We'd like to open a contest to you, our brilliant readers. If you wanted to impress everyone while offending nobody, what would you say? Let me follow the high-minded request to readers to help define our blog mission with a much lower piece of foolery. My friends Eli Lake and Noah Pollak some …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Sunday July 18, 2010

Readers Respond: Defining FrumForum's Mission

Last week, I asked readers to help write a one-sentence description of a modernized conservatism. We received almost 200 suggestions. On Friday, I posted a bleg asking readers of AndrewSullivan.com and FrumForum.com for help writing a one-sentence description of a modernized, reformed …

Written by David Frum on Saturday July 17, 2010

The Limits of a Payroll Tax Holiday

A payroll tax holiday might be a big deal to employees, but for employers, the idea just doesn't do enough to convince us to hire new workers. I still don't really get the call for a (one year) payroll tax holiday. Up until about 2000, I ran a decent sized, small (about $25-30 million in …

Written by Kevin Jones on Saturday July 17, 2010

The New In-Your-Face Israel Lobby

A new pro-Israel group has launched one of the hardest-hitting commercials of America's 2010 campaign season. A new pro-Israel group has launched one of the hardest-hitting commercials of America's 2010 campaign season. It will run in Pennsylvania, where Democrat Joe Sestak faces Republican Pat …

Written by David Frum on Saturday July 17, 2010

Not Smart to Run Against Obama

Despite 18 months of angry rhetoric, the right has still failed to win over Obama's supporters. Running on saying ‘no’ to Obama will get Republicans nowhere. Despite all the economic trouble, the oil spill, bad news abroad etc., over the past several months Obama’s approval rating has steadily …

Written by Andrew Pavelyev on Friday July 16, 2010

The Fat Diaries: The Gym Membership Rip-Off

In these tough economic times, many Americans are realizing that costly gym memberships are something they can do without. I’ve been seeing more and more articles up these days about how to lose weight in your own home; weights you can make from soup cans or water bottles and sand; exercises …

Written by Monica Marier on Friday July 16, 2010

Dealing with the House Guest from Hell

Summertime brings with it visits from friends and family... and the unavoidable boorish house guest. Writing in the Globe and Mail , David Eddie offers advice to a reader trying to handle a boorish house guest. Eddie writes: I’ve been getting a lot of “house guest from hell” questions …

Written by David Eddie on Friday July 16, 2010

Will the GOP's Money Haul Translate to Wins?

GOP Senate candidates are raising money like crazy; but in Florida and Illinois, Marco Rubio and Mark Kirk have been slow to turn that advantage into a lead in the polls. The NRSC is having itself a fine year. Republican Senate candidates are raising money like crazy, with candidates outpacing …

Written by Jeb Golinkin on Friday July 16, 2010

Our Immigration Policy is Obsolete

If illegal immigrants returned home, rather than being put on a "path to citizenship," the problem of putting the unemployed back to work would be smaller and easier. Ezra Klein highlights this chart from the Brookings Institution showing that at present rates of job growth it will take …

Written by David Frum on Friday July 16, 2010

Rove's Biggest Mistake?

Karl Rove lists the failure to fight the "Bush lied, people died" slur as his biggest mistake. But what went wrong in the Rove years was a larger failure of policy. Karl Rove offers an interesting reflection on his White House career in this AM's WSJ . His biggest mistake, he said, was …

Written by David Frum on Friday July 16, 2010

The Gays and the Jews

Earlier this month, Madrid's gay pride parade banned a float from Israel. But as Jamie Kirchick notes , the move is dividing communities that should be allies. I'm late getting to this WSJ oped by Jamie Kirchick, but it has important truths about subjects of intense interest to AndrewSullivan.c…

Written by David Frum on Friday July 16, 2010

Reader Mission: Define Our Mission

A question to all the mighty brains out there: Can you write a one-sentence pitch that defines what modern conservatism should be? Andrew last week generously linked to an article of mine explaining the evolution of my political thinking. But the thing I’d most like to discuss in this week …

Written by David Frum on Friday July 16, 2010

The Wall Street Reform Bill's Worst Ideas

The financial reform bill corrects many of the problems which led to the financial crisis, but serious problems and risks remain. The massive financial reform bill which passed yesterday in the Senate offers a complex financial regulatory mechanism with many moving parts. Earlier, I reviewed …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Friday July 16, 2010

Golfer in Chief?

The GOP has been ripping the president's trips to the golf course. But is Obama's time on the links really getting out of hand? Republicans have made a habit of ripping the president's habit of playing golf. The GOP launched a website that features the clever headline “Play Golf or Save the …

Written by Jeb Golinkin on Thursday July 15, 2010

How US Espionage Delays the Iranian Bomb

Writing in the New Republic , Eli Lake looks at the evidence that the U.S. has been sabotaging Iran's nuclear program. Important piece in the New Republic by outstanding national security reporter Eli Lake. A glimpse behind the pay wall - but you'll really want to pay to read the whole …

Written by David Frum on Thursday July 15, 2010

Conor vs. Levin, the Next Round

Yesterday, just as predicted, Mark Levin exploded on his Facebook page in response to Conor Friedersdorf and me. Yesterday, just as predicted, the radio host Mark Levin vituperatively exploded on his Facebook page in response to Conor Friedersdorf and me. He called me "FrumBum." Ouch. Ow. …

Written by David Frum on Thursday July 15, 2010

Bachmann: Pelosi Has Me In Her Sights

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann sat down with Frum Forum to discuss her fundraising success and the Democrats' plans to target her seat. On Tuesday, I wrote a piece about how Michele Bachmann raised an impressive $1.7 million in the last quarter. Today in Politico , she responds to my …

Written by Tim Mak on Thursday July 15, 2010

Obamacare is not Entitlement Reform

Despite the president's promises, Obamacare won't bend the cost curve, without, as James Capretta argues , first addressing Medicare's inefficiencies. James Capretta explains why Obamacare won't bend the cost curve: American health care has many virtues, but it is highly inefficient …

Written by David Frum on Thursday July 15, 2010