FrumForum | Building a Conservatism that can win again

Defender Of Democracy

Talking about the card check bill, Teamsters boss James Hoffa asks : "Since when is the secret ballot a basic tenet of democracy?" Good question! And the answer? Maybe not for very much longer.

Written by David Frum on Wednesday March 18, 2009

President Obama, This Isn't Chicago

Is President Obama really planning to treat the US Congress the way Mayor Daley treated the Chicago City Council? So the Washington Post reports this morning. The shortcut, known as "budget reconciliation," would allow Obama's health and energy proposals to be rolled into a bill that …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday March 18, 2009

Virginia: Jeff Frederick Responds

RPV Chairman Jeff Frederick has now sent his responses to the charges (reported here at FrumForum.com) placed against him by the State Central Committee, to his email list from votejeff.com (which he used last year). It's not on the RPV site, unless someone has posted it separately to the …

Written by John S. Gardner on Wednesday March 18, 2009

While We're All Worrying About Bonuses . . .

Why is Lockheed Martin getting any bonus at all on its work for the new series of Presidential helicopters, which are seriously behind schedule and over-budget, as the Post reports today? It's good if true that they've "tightened the criteria" for bonus payments, but who in the government …

Written by FF Washington Insider on Wednesday March 18, 2009

Tv Doesnt Get Dumber Than This!

Greg Gutfeld takes the challenge: Can Fox produce a show that anticipates a SNL parody of Fox? The panel discusses the question: should the US invade Canada … and produces something almost as hilarious as the old Half Hour News Hour . UPDATE : The clip in question is a …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday March 18, 2009

A Republican Opportunity In Upstate New York

Republicans and Democrats are fighting hard to retake the congressional seat once filled by new NY Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. The seat, NY-20, used to be safely Republican : 68% of the vote in 2000, 73% in 2002, 66% in 2004. Even now the GOP enjoys a 70,000 voter registration advantage in …

Written by Tom Qualtere on Tuesday March 17, 2009

Phoney Populism

I'm sure you've noticed the rampant populism oozing out of your favorite news anchor or your not-so-favorite politician; they're mad at this and they're mad at that. I have thought to tell these folks what my father used to tell me: there's no point in getting mad unless you plan on doing something …

Written by John S. Wilson on Tuesday March 17, 2009

Anger And Aig

More than a decade ago, when Harris Interactive asked whether most people on Wall Street “would be willing to break the law if they believed they could make a lot of money and get away with it,” 64 percent said they would. In another question in the 1996 poll, only 40 percent agreed …

Written by Karlyn Bowman on Tuesday March 17, 2009

The Pattern Continues

Jim VandeHei of Politico endorses what FF Insider said earlier this morning.

Written by Frum Forum Editors on Tuesday March 17, 2009

Steele Gets It

A friend once summed up the GOP’s minority and urban problem by saying that: while most people in the world like music, different songs have different meanings to different people. The GOP has become a one-hit wonder acting as if there is only one song and one tune. We need to be playing …

Written by Richard Ivory on Tuesday March 17, 2009

Gop Must Do More Than Talk

In a piece that appeared in the Orlando Sentinel , I spoke about Attorney General Holder's comments on race last month. The crux was that society should continue the dialogue on race because (1) the successes of blacks and minorities in the past 15 years - including increased college enrollment …

Written by John S. Wilson on Tuesday March 17, 2009

Remembering Obama's Race Speech

The National Constitution Center has announced plans to open an online exhibit honoring Barack Obama's "race speech," according to Politico . It is, per the headline, a speech "to be remembered." The speech came, of course, on the heels of the controversy surrounding Obama's long-time preacher …

Written by Alex Knepper on Tuesday March 17, 2009

Preventing An Obama Trade War

As FF warned last week , Mexico has now announced increased tariffs on 90 U.S. exports in retaliation for Congress’ decision to end a pilot program permitting certified Mexican trucks to operate across the United States. The actual list will be published later this week, but it’s …

Written by John S. Gardner on Tuesday March 17, 2009

Money Quote

From page A5 of the Washington Post , 3/17/09: At the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which has directly overseen AIG since its federal takeover in September. . . And who was running the Federal Reserve Bank of New York from September to January? Timothy Geithner.

Written by FF Washington Insider on Tuesday March 17, 2009

Scandal Atop Scandal

$170 billion is so much money that it can support more than one scandal. As the Obama administration bursts with outrage over executive payouts that the administration had previously approved, there is a risk of overlooking another and in some ways more shocking scandal. Thanks to Steve …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday March 17, 2009

Bloggingheads

I'm up at Bloggingheads.TV this morning opposite Dan Drezner. We discuss Limbaugh & Beck, Chas Freeman, and antiwar conservatives. You can see the video here .

Written by David Frum on Tuesday March 17, 2009

The Bureaucracy's Secret War

Hey, I thought Chas Freeman was sacked? Yet his point of view apparently lingers on within sections of the US bureaucracy. Eli Lake reports this morning in the Washington Times that Benjamin Netanyahu's top national-security aide, his Condoleezza Rice, has been barred from the US because he …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday March 17, 2009

Read It First On Newmajority

A pattern is forming. Today’s Wall Street Journal carries a story on the Obama Administration’s decision to close the border to Mexican truckers. A story that was covered here at FrumForum.com three days ago. And, today’s Politico carries a story on Obama’s …

Written by Frum Forum Editors on Monday March 16, 2009

Survey: Half Of Workers Would Opt Out Of Social Security If They Could

A new survey by Sun Life Financial found that 48 percent of American workers would opt out of Social Security, even if doing so meant the loss of future Social Security benefits. Given the decline in the stock market over the past year, as well as the defeat of personal account-based Social …

Written by Andrew Biggs on Monday March 16, 2009

What Is Going On At Fox News?

What the hell is going on at Fox News? On Friday evening, Fox viewers were treated to an hour-long televangelical special starring Glenn Beck. (The opening of the show can be seen in our Watch Now window, at right.) Watching Beck cry for the cameras is always a treat, although I notice …

Written by David Frum on Monday March 16, 2009

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