Entries

The Occupation Comes to DC

This Saturday, October 8, protesters swarmed Freedom Plaza to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the War in Afghanistan. Billing themselves as a sister occupation to "Occupy DC," these protesters set up tents and proclaimed their intent to stay despite only having a permit to use the Plaza until …

Written by Mytheos Holt on Sunday October 9, 2011

Ontario's Grim Future Gets Grimmer

In my column for the National Post this week, I discuss the consequences of the recent election in Ontario: “Democracy is the theory that the voters know what they want — and deserve to get it, good and hard.” The quote’s usually attributed to H.L. Mencken. Whoever authored it, it …

Written by David Frum on Saturday October 8, 2011

'Moneyball' is Entertaining, and Not Accurate

Since I’m the co-author of a recent book critical of the book Moneyball , folks have been asking what I think about the new movie based on the book. The answer may surprise them: I liked it. What’s not to like? Brad Pitt brilliantly plays the hero in an entertaining melodrama in which the …

Written by Alan Hirsch on Saturday October 8, 2011

Sesame Street Confronts Child Hunger

Sesame Street is introducing a new Muppet to the famous fictional New York block. Unlike most of her felt playmates, Lily is a seven-year-old kid whose family lives in poverty. She doesn’t always have enough food to eat and she’s ashamed of that fact. A very special episode of Sesame Street, “ …

Written by Monica Marier on Saturday October 8, 2011

The 'Ides of March' Misses the Mark

One of the things that most interested me about the previews and articles on George Clooney's latest (and very politically-themed and high-quality) directorial effort , The Ides of March, was that Clooney acquired the rights to the source material in late 2008, but held off on it for well over a …

Written by Telly Davidson on Saturday October 8, 2011

Harry Reid Takes on Senate Rules

Continuing his efforts to re-make the United States Senate into a more pompous version of the House of Representatives, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid tried to change the Rules of the Senate with a majority vote Thursday. He succeeded. The Senate changed its Rules, 51-48, despite the Senate …

Written by Steve Bell on Friday October 7, 2011

Will the Super Committee Act Out of Fear?

“Messiness” has been a prime characteristic of legislation since the days of Solon. So, the mess surrounding the operations of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction and Congress’ “work” on a jobs bill shouldn’t surprise anyone. What does always seem to surprise observers almost every …

Written by Steve Bell on Friday October 7, 2011

At Values Voter Summit, Perry Attempts to Pivot on Immigration

When I saw Mike Pence at the 2010 Values Voters Summit, he opened his speech by stating he was a "I am a Christian, a conservative and a Republican – in that order." Rick Santorum gave a speech at this year's summit which emphasized how he was a part of the Values Voters "family" and that he had …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Friday October 7, 2011

Santorum's Selective Marriage Memory

Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum had strong words for the people at the Values Voters Summit this Friday. From a heartfelt story of his child who had only lived 2 hours after being born with a fatal defect to the decision to end his speech flanked by his wife and children, Santorum proved ably …

Written by Mytheos Holt on Friday October 7, 2011

Romney Faces Skeptical Social Conservatives

It is the political conventional wisdom that Mitt Romney has a problem with evangelical voters. Ever since he lost the Iowa caucuses in 2008 to Mike Huckabee, Romney's appeal to the socially conservative base has been in doubt. Whether Romney can appeal to these voters is the question that looms …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Friday October 7, 2011

Rep. Campbell's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Bill

Rep. John Capbell, a California Republican, has introduced what may well be the worst Republican-led bill of the current session. His proposal, H.R. 3125 (there's no short title) is a pre-funded bailout for California's state-run, currently privately funded California Earthquake Authority (CEA). …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Friday October 7, 2011

Is Cain Socially Conservative Enough?

Today, the Susan B. Anthony list and National Organization for marriage released a joint scorecard for the Republican candidates for President at the annual Values Voters Summit. Ordinarily, a release like this carries few surprises, and in this election cycle so dominated by fiscal issues, a …

Written by Mytheos Holt on Friday October 7, 2011

Getting to No

Watching the President's press conference yesterday was again desperately dispiriting. The President's supporters say he is "framing" a choice for the country: my way or their way. To support that frame, however, the President needs Republicans to say "NO" to his jobs proposals. The surest way to …

Written by David Frum on Friday October 7, 2011

Silence Won't Save the Super Committee

Hill-focused media report breathlessly that the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (the “super committee”) has clamped down on possibilities of leaks by allowing each of the 12 members to bring one staffer to meetings. Why? To “prevent leaks,” the staffers say. Given the track record …

Written by Steve Bell on Friday October 7, 2011

Hips Don't Qualify

Things are sure to get spicier at the White House as pop-starlet Shakira is set to join the ranks of thePresident's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. Jokes aside, how dismal does the state of the U.S government and its department of Education have to be, in order for …

Written by Robin Tim Weis on Friday October 7, 2011

Steve Jobs' Many Failures (That Led to Success!)

The obituaries of Steve Jobs, understandably, all talk about his huge successes: he became incredibly wealthy, was universally admired, and played a major role in creating life-changing devices. What most of the accounts I've seen give short shrift to, however, is Jobs' enormous number of …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Thursday October 6, 2011

CNN Hires David Frum As Election Contributor

On October 5th, CNN announced that it will hire David Frum as a contributor for the 2012 election season: Democratic strategist Maria Cardona and conservative columnist David Frum have joined the network for the 2012 election season, it was announced today by Sam Feist, CNN senior vice …

Written by Frum Forum Editors on Thursday October 6, 2011

Why We Should Still be Sweating Global Warming

Robert Bryce, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and writer about energy, has an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal stating “ Five Truths About Climate Change .” Some of his assertions are to the effect that there’s not that much that can be done to restrain carbon emissions. That’s a …

Written by Kenneth Silber on Thursday October 6, 2011

Steve Jobs’ Lessons for Policymakers, Democrats and Republicans

Steve Jobs’ remarkable life and legacy of high-tech innovation has important lessons for policymakers, both Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives. For liberals and “progressives,” of course, Jobs’ success should be a lesson in the importance of entrepreneurship and individual …

Written by John Guardiano on Thursday October 6, 2011

France’s State Television Launches Third Intifada

Until Mahmoud Abbas delivered his speech at the UN General Assembly on September 23, 2011, there was some mystery about the Palestinian state applying for UN membership. Abbas did not proclaim statehood before his UN bid, so how could a state that was not proclaimed apply for membership? …

Written by Emmanuel Navon on Thursday October 6, 2011