Overview for News

9/11 Families Call Obama Consultation a "Farce"

Last month, family members who lost loved ones to terrorist acts were invited by the Department of Justice to voice their concerns and opinions. FrumForum.com interviewed some of the families, who stated that although the DOJ meant well, their motives and methods were insensitive. On June 16th …

Written by Elise Cooper on Thursday July 9, 2009

Worst Idea of the Year

The Homeowners' Defense Act, which will transform the federal government into the largest player in the reinsurance (insurance for insurance companies) market, as one of the worst ideas in Congress. Later today [1:00 p.m. Thursday 7-9-9] former FEMA administrator James Lee Witt and former Coast …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Thursday July 9, 2009

The Cost of Romneycare

Health reform was trumpeted as the chief accomplishment of Romney’s one term as Massachusetts' governor. Yet his plan's reliance on an individual mandate raises many questions as well. When Massachusetts’ health reform plan was enacted in 200 6 , one of the principal features was …

Written by John S. Gardner on Thursday July 9, 2009

Obamacare: Killing Healthcare to Save It

There is no panacea for health care. The President has diagnosed the problems with our health care system but his cures are off the mark. To listen to President Obama discuss health care as he did last week in Virginia is to receive a well informed lesson on the problems of any …

Written by Stanley Goldfarb on Thursday July 9, 2009

Good News for Conservatives?

A recent Gallup poll finds that 39% of Americans describe themselves as having become more conservative in recent years. But look closer at the polls, and you do not see that the country as a whole is moving right in any meaningful sense. In May, the Gallup poll recorded a big swing in the …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday July 8, 2009

White House Continues to Airbrush History

The White House website claims to have a full record of the President's interviews, but conveniently ignores the more embarrassing ones. As a follow-up to my Frum Forum piece of several weeks ago, I've been keeping track of items that one might expect on the WH website but are not there. Most of …

Written by John J. Pitney on Wednesday July 8, 2009

Honduran Coup: Zelaya is Not the Victim

The media's portrayals of Zeleya as a victim contrast with the views of the Hondurans themselves. As Hondurans see it, parliament and the judiciary acted constitutionally. The US and EU, as well as the UN have condemned the alleged Honduras “coup” and demanded that ousted president “Mel” …

Written by Christian Lueth on Wednesday July 8, 2009

Do Democrats Hate the Working Class?

Look at three Democratic politicians: Bill Clinton, LBJ, Mario Cuomo. If you used the standard measurement for "working class," their backgrounds fit the label. Look at working class Democratic politicians as the control group: Bill Clinton, LBJ, Mario Cuomo. Two of the three went to …

Written by Eugene Debs on Wednesday July 8, 2009

Its Not Competition When the Other Guy Has All the Guns

Barack Obama and his cheerleaders are promoting what they call a “public” option to promote more “competition” in the health care market. What they mean, of course, is a government option funded by taxpayers to naturally monopolize the health care market. Despite the fact that most Americans are …

Written by Alex Knepper on Wednesday July 8, 2009

Obama's Iran Fantasy

During an interview, President Obama stated that recent events in Iran – which include a rigged election and violent, deadly crackdown against the pro-democratic demonstrations that followed – hadn’t affected his willingness to engage the mullahs. One of the most common claims regarding …

Written by Eric Trager on Wednesday July 8, 2009

Is Sarah Palin Working Class?

Conservatives tend to define white people as "working class" for reasons of cultural affect, i.e. they say, "you betcha", and own guns, are anti-abortion, seem to have conservative economic views, didn't go to an elite university, and are deeply religious. "She [Palin] had earned the eternal …

Written by Eugene Debs on Wednesday July 8, 2009

Yo, GOP: Prez is Black. Get Over It.

There seem to be a growing number of white people who simply loath the fact Obama is president. These people seem to have decided a black president is more than they can stomach. Yesterday, as I was driving around my hometown of Richmond, Virginia with my mother, who said she thought racism had …

Written by Crystal Wright on Wednesday July 8, 2009

Carbon Eating Trees

Growing more plants - and improving breeds to grow faster and live longer - is integral to solving the carbon problem. Climate Wire reports (registration required) a new study by Oregon State University researchers that suggests that Pacific Northwest forests if carefully managed could store …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday July 7, 2009

Be Afraid of Palin

No matter how ill-considered Palin's statements and actions, her core group of supporters excuse everything on the grounds that she is a social conservative martyr, scorned by her cultural betters. Those excuses are exactly the wrong formula to win back the voters the GOP lost in 2008 and needs to …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday July 7, 2009

Senator Michelle?

Increasingly Mrs. Obama is moving into more contentious realms of public policy. She is emerging as a woman with a large appetite and shrewd eye for power. Is Michelle Obama stumping her way to a future US Senate seat from Illinois? On June 22, the president’s wife delivered remarks …

Written by Crystal Wright on Tuesday July 7, 2009

Welcome to the NEW New Majority

Over the past six months, some 610,000 unique visitors have entered the NewMajority site for a cumulative total of more than 2 million page views. We've welcomed new voices into the conversation about the modernization and renewal of the Republican party and the conservative movement. We've argued …

Written by David Frum on Monday July 6, 2009

Douthat's Palin Fallacy

Quite a lot of American politicians have become great success stories without graduating from Columbia and Harvard. Even Republican politicians. Ross Douthat draws a distinction between "meritocratic" leaders like Barack Obama and "democratic" leaders like Andrew Jackson and Sarah …

Written by Eugene Debs on Monday July 6, 2009

McNamara: How I Could Have Ended the Vietnam War

I interviewed McNamara in July 2001 at his office in Washington, DC. He was much the same as he later appeared in the 2003 documentary “Fog of War”; he may even have been wearing the same tie. In the course of our interview, McNamara said something which he subsequently refused to allow me to …

Written by Geoffrey Kabaservice on Monday July 6, 2009

Bad Deal, Mr. President

Obama's invocation of a nuclear-free world makes him sound not inspirational but foolish. Wolf Blitzer asked on CNN this evening whether Obama would regret expressing "trust" in Russian President Medvedev. My answer: No. As ever, the president's words were carefully parsed: I trust President …

Written by David Frum on Monday July 6, 2009

Why the West Should Support the Honduran "Coup"

If Zelaya were a patriot, and had the interests of his country at heart, you’d think he’d bow to the will of his party, of Congress, the Supreme Court and even the army (whose commander he attempted to fire) and accept the reality of his position. Why are the world’s political leaders so intent on …

Written by Peter Worthington on Monday July 6, 2009