Entries

Senator Wyden: Bipartisanship Can't be a Death Sentence

In an op-ed in the Washington Post , Senator Ron Wyden laments the difficulty in achieving bipartisan legislation in congress: The message that many partisan activists want me and my congressional colleagues to take away from this week's primaries and Utah's recent GOP convention is that …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Friday May 21, 2010

Ron Paul: Civil Rights Act "Reduced Individual Liberty"

In light of Rand Paul's recent statements about the Civil Rights Act, its worth remembering how Ron Paul once characterized the Act: Mr. Speaker, I rise to explain my objection to H.Res. 676. I certainly join my colleagues in urging Americans to celebrate the progress this country has made in …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Friday May 21, 2010

Scientists Create Artificial Life

In a fascinating development, scientists have announced that they have made artificial life from inanimate chemicals: Scientists have turned inanimate chemicals into a living organism in an experiment that raises profound questions about the essence of life. Craig Venter, the US …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Friday May 21, 2010

Byron York: Obama Backs Mexico, Not Arizona

In his column for the Washington Examiner , Byron York contrasts how Obama is giving different treatment to Mexico and Arizona over immigration: When President Obama discussed the new Arizona immigration law with Mexican President Felipe Calderon at the White House Wednesday, he was doing …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Friday May 21, 2010

Eli Lake: Dennis Blair Resigns

Eli Lake reports on the resignation of Dennis Blair: Mr. Blair, director of national intelligence, announced his resignation, effective May 28 in a five-sentence statement that ended with praise for the national intelligence bureaucracy he will no longer command. "Keep it up - I will be …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Friday May 21, 2010

Senate Passes Financial Regulation Bill

By a vote of 59-39, the Senate has passed a financial regulation bill: President Barack Obama on Thursday moved to the cusp of winning a major overhaul of Wall Street, following the worst financial crisis since the 1930s. The Senate on Thursday voted 59-39 to support the sprawling 1, …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Friday May 21, 2010

Paul's Comments are the GOP's Problem

Candidates can raise any issue they wish in a campaign but it's troubling that forty years after the Civil Rights Act was passed people still support ignorant candidates like Rand Paul and the GOP declines to comment on his racist remarks. GOP Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul's comments about …

Written by Crystal Wright on Thursday May 20, 2010

Can Paul Offer Anything But "No"?

Rand Paul remains (like his father) a fringe libertarian whose beliefs are so outside the mainstream that it is difficult to fathom Paul succeeding in the Senate at doing anything. Rand Paul may or may not be a racist. I can't say either way; although invoking the Civil Rights Act as an example of …

Written by Jeb Golinkin on Thursday May 20, 2010

GOP Will Pay the Price for Rand Paul's Gaffe

The damage Rand Paul’s comments on the Civil Rights Act caused will now be felt by every Republican candidate in the run-up to November’s midterms. Guess what question will now be asked of every Republican senate and congressional candidate in debates leading up to November 2010? It's hard to …

Written by David Frum on Thursday May 20, 2010

Toomey Faces Uphill Battle

Like him or hate him, most Republicans probably should have cheered for Benedict Arlen Specter on Tuesday night because Joe Sestak is going to be harder to beat. Rasmussen's latest poll shows Sestak out to a four point lead over GOP candidate Pat Toomey. Like him or hate him, most Republicans …

Written by Jeb Golinkin on Thursday May 20, 2010

Read Boaz on Freedom in: "Up From Slavery"

David Boaz's essay "Up From Slavery" is worth reading as a reminder that there has never truly been a "golden age of lost liberty" in American history: For many libertarians, "the road to serfdom" is not just the title of a great book but also the window through which they see the world. We’re …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Thursday May 20, 2010

What Rand Paul Gets Wrong on Civil Rights

Robert A. George has written a blog post on what Rand Paul and some conservatives don't understand about Civil Rights: Republicans -- whether one calls oneself conservative, libertarian, free-market -- shouldn't have philosophical opposition to the basic goals of the Civil Rights Act (hell, the …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Thursday May 20, 2010

Cal GOP Senate Race Tightens

A new poll which shows Carly Fiorina holding a slight lead over Tom Campbell in the California GOP Senate race has prompted a fresh war of words between the two campaigns. A new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) has prompted a fresh war of words between the Republican …

Written by Tim Mak on Thursday May 20, 2010

Rand Paul Clueless About Race

Libertarians are wary of government telling private businesses what they can and cannot do. But there are times when government must tell a private entity that they cannot impinge on the liberty of another person. Are Rand Paul's comments on the Civil Rights Act germane to whether or not he should …

Written by Dennis Sanders on Thursday May 20, 2010

Kentucky GOP Chose the Wrong Candidate

Rand Paul's comments are proof we chose the wrong person. Not because his opinions are objectionable -- indeed, I agree with him on this issue -- but because Paul forgot that campaigns are times to mobilize not educate. Rand Paul's comments on the 1964 Civil Rights Act are proof that we chose …

Written by Alex Knepper on Thursday May 20, 2010

Turning a Blind Eye to Hamas' Victims

Recently, Hamas destroyed dozens of homes in Southern Gaza it says were built illegally on government land and executed two Palestinians for allegedly 'collaborating' with Israel. Yet you would be hard pressed to find much media coverage about either incident. On 17 May, Hamas destroyed …

Written by Arsen Ostrovsky on Thursday May 20, 2010

Bartlett on Rand Paul

Bruce Bartlett is both an (ex?-) libertarian and also a close student of race and U.S. politics . Here's his take on Rand Paul and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Bruce Bartlett is both an (ex?-) libertarian and also a close student of race and U.S. politics . Here's his take on Rand Paul and …

Written by David Frum on Thursday May 20, 2010

Rand Paul: I Will Not Repeal Civil Rights Act

Rand Paul's Campaign has officially announced that he will not work to repeal the 1964 Civil Rights Act: “Let me be clear: I support the Civil Rights Act because I overwhelmingly agree with the intent of the legislation, which was to stop discrimination in the public sphere and halt the …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Thursday May 20, 2010

Pence Reported Souder to Ethics Committee

David Weigel of the Washington Post reports that it was Mike Pence who learned about Souder's affair with a staffer, and that he reported it to the senate ethics committee: Here's an interesting wrinkle in the saga of Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.), whose pending resignation after an affair with a …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Thursday May 20, 2010

Rand Paul Does Not Support Aspects of the Civil Rights Act

On The Rachel Maddow Show last night, Rand Paul admitted that there were aspects of the 1964 Civil Rights Act which he could not support due to his highly ideological libertarian position: Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy

Written by FrumForum Editors on Thursday May 20, 2010