Entries

David Weigel Becomes an MSNBC Contributor

Fresh from his job at the Washington Post , David Weigel has been made a contributor for MSNBC: Tonight at the end of Countdown , Keith Olbermann introduced new “MSNBC contributor” Dave Weigel. Olbermann teased an announcement regarding Weigel throughout the program, and when he …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Tuesday June 29, 2010

Remembering Byrd's Racism

Robert Byrd's KKK membership was the beginning of a long and sordid history filled with hatred and bias. Yesterday, the media was pushing hagiographic narratives about the redemptive story of Robert Byrd's past on race relations. The moral of the story is that you can always make up for being a …

Written by Alex Knepper on Tuesday June 29, 2010

Responding to John Hawkins

I don't usually respond to personal criticism. But I'm going to make an exception today and reply to this long post by John Hawkins over at Right Wing News. I don't usually respond to personal criticism. I write to reach a public audience about public issues. I don't wish to be drawn into side …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday June 29, 2010

Christie's Budget Cuts Spur Abortion Fight

New Jersey’s legislature is currently debating a bill to restore $7.5 million in funding to family planning centers across the state. New Jersey’s legislature is currently debating a bill which would re-appropriate $7.5 million to family planning centers across the state. Proponents of the bill …

Written by Rachel Ryan on Tuesday June 29, 2010

Virginia GOP Takes Heat for Global Warming Denialism

With the U.S. on pace to experience the warmest year in recorded history, can we count on the GOP to take climate and energy issues seriously? In February the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) produced an ad titled “ 12 Inches of Global Warming , ” which used the snowstorms to ridicule a pair of …

Written by David Jenkins on Monday June 28, 2010

Rand Paul Dodges Question on Age of Earth

RAND PAUL DODGES QUESTION ON AGE OF EARTH The Kentucky political blog Barefoot and Progressive has uncovered video of Rand Paul addressing a Christian homeschooling conference where he fails to definitely answer how old he believes the Earth is. Click here to read more.

Written by FrumForum Editors on Monday June 28, 2010

Tea Party Convention Rescheduled

The Huffington Post reports that a Tea Party convention which was scheduled for July will instead take place in October: Just under three weeks before it was set to begin, the Tea Party "Unity" convention was abruptly postponed until October, in order to be closer to the November …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Monday June 28, 2010

Blagojevich Considered Oprah for Senate Seat

The Blagojevich tapes have revealed that the former governor gave consideration to appointing Oprah Winfrey to the Senate: For a few fleeting days in 2008, Oprah Winfrey was high on Rod Blagojevich's list of candidates, but he never extended a formal offer. "She's a kingmaker!" Blagojevic…

Written by FrumForum Editors on Monday June 28, 2010

McChrystal Retiring from U.S. Military

General Stanley McChrystal has announced his retirement from the U.S. military: The former US commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, who was fired last week by President Barack Obama, is to leave the US Army. He was dismissed after criticising US administration …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Monday June 28, 2010

Losing the PR War in Afghanistan

In the modern media age, you no longer win wars by killing maximum numbers of the enemy. You win (or lose) wars by using violence to shape global public opinion. My latest column for CNN.com looks at General McChrystal's firing and the larger story lost in the ensuing media uproar. In the …

Written by David Frum on Monday June 28, 2010

Ten Arrested On Espionage Charges

The New York Times reports that ten people have been arrested for allegedly being Russian spies: WASHINGTON — In what law enforcement officials portrayed as an extraordinary takedown of a Russian espionage network, the Justice Department on Monday announced charges against 11 people …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Monday June 28, 2010

Democrats Turn on Unions

The New York Times reports on how Democratic politicians are starting to be stronger in their criticism of labor unions: TRENTON — Stephen M. Sweeney, the president of the State Senate here, glowered with disgust as he described how one New Jersey town paid out nearly $1 million to four …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Monday June 28, 2010

Rick Scott Leads in Florida Gov Race

Local media in Florida reports that GOP candidate Rick Scott is currently leading in the race to win the nomination to run for Governor: As he meets Republicans around Florida, Rick Scott, the new front-runner in the Florida governor's race, has been greeted with applause — and with blunt …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Monday June 28, 2010

FF LiveBlogs Kagan's SCOTUS Hearings

UPDATED: On day one of Elena Kagan's confirmation hearings, Democrats railed against what they called the Roberts Court's "conservative judicial activism". Kagan was exceedingly boring, but she did do two things subtly. First, she attempted to recast her time in the Clinton Administration as an …

Written by Jeb Golinkin on Monday June 28, 2010

McChrystal's History of Media Blunders

To those who have followed Gen. McChrystal's handling of the media, his recent downfall should not be a surprise. General Stanley McChrystal’s Rolling Stone controversy may have caused shock, disbelief, and outrage across the United States, but to those following the former top U.S. …

Written by Ulf Gartzke on Monday June 28, 2010

SCOTUS: Christian Group Cannot Ban Gays and Receive Funding

The Supreme Court has ruled that a law school can withhold recognition from a student group that refuses membership to gay students: WASHINGTON — An ideologically split Supreme Court ruled Monday that a law school can legally deny recognition to a Christian student group that won't let gays …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Monday June 28, 2010

MD Gov O'Malley's Failed Crime Record

A spate of violent crimes has raised questions about the supposed success of Maryland Governor O'Malley's public safety initiatives. On June 23 rd , Baltimore settled a lawsuit filed in 2006 by the NAACP, ACLU, and 14 private citizens charging the city’s police force with harassing and arresting …

Written by Rachel Ryan on Monday June 28, 2010

Rioting for Rioting's Sake

There was nothing spontaneous about what happened in Toronto on the weekend. We all knew it was coming, and it did. Now the recriminations begin – what went wrong, if anything, and why Toronto’s G-20 “demonstrations” turned into near riot and vandalism. There was nothing spontaneous about what …

Written by Peter Worthington on Monday June 28, 2010

SCOTUS: Part of Sarbanes-Oxley Unconstitutional

The Supreme Court has ruled in a 5-4 decision that part of the anti-fraud Sarbanes-Oxley law, which was written partly in response to the Enron accounting scandal, is unconstitutional: The justices, in a 5-4 vote, said that the Sarbanes-Oxley law enacted in 2002 violates the Constitution…

Written by FrumForum Editors on Monday June 28, 2010

David Weigel Explains his Firing on Big Government

Recently Fired Washington Post blogger David Weigel has written a post on Big Government, explaining how he got into journalism, and his eventual hubris: In the first (and still best) “Austin Powers” film, a United Nations representative makes a faux pas and calls the film’s villain “Mr. …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Monday June 28, 2010