Overview for republicans

The Dems' Big Oil Tax Break Trap

Senate Democrats are circulating a bill to cinch up oil company tax loopholes and use the resulting revenue to pay down the deficit. Senate Democrats are circulating a bill to cinch up oil company tax loopholes and use the resulting revenue to pay down the deficit. The bill would take aim at …

Written by Jim DiPeso on Wednesday May 11, 2011

GOP Jobs Bill Needs a Bigger Shot in the Arm

Why doesn't the Senate GOP job proposal include a 100% tax credit for all businesses big and small? Isn't that the usual conservative proposal to jump-start a sluggish economy? Does anybody understand why the Senate Republican job proposal launched yesterday does not include a 100% tax credit for …

Written by David Frum on Thursday May 5, 2011

Markets Won't Indulge GOP Debt Threats

The GOP’s debt ceiling threat has been tried before and last time the markets were quick to shoot it down. The GOP’s debt ceiling threat has been tried before and last time the markets were quick to shoot it down. Way back in antediluvian times—about l995—a very successful investor and Soros …

Written by Steve Bell on Friday April 29, 2011

Town Hall Rage: Hype or Reality?

It's easy to get lost in the 'Town Hall Descends into Mayhem' narrative but at many events, citizens and their representatives have managed to keep their cool. It's easy to get lost in the 'Town Hall Descends into Mayhem' narrative - after all, it's one of the few interesting stories that can be …

Written by Tim Mak on Thursday April 28, 2011

Why Didn't GOP Stand Up to Birthers?

Abe Greenwald suggests that Obama deliberately exploited the birther pseudo-controversy. If he's right, why did the GOP play along so willingly? Abe Greenwald suggests at the Commentary blog that President Obama deliberately exploited the birth certificate pseudo-controversy. Greenwald …

Written by David Frum on Thursday April 28, 2011

Washington Flirts with a Debt Disaster

On Monday, S&P sent a wake-up call to Washington reminding them to get their debt act together. Yet, at week’s end, it’s easy to wonder if anyone got the hint. Lunacy abounds in every field, though it seems to appear most prominently in Hollywood and Washington, D.C., where the media takes …

Written by Steve Bell on Friday April 22, 2011

The GOP's Hardest Sell

Using social issues to rally the base isn't enough. Eventually, the GOP has to speak to middle-class anxiety and actually sell their proposed spending cuts. A few weeks back, I wrote for Frum Forum on the ongoing battle in Alabama between Republican legislators and the state’s two largest …

Written by Will Barrett on Friday April 22, 2011

Bond Markets Brush Off Tea Party Threats

Bond markets are shrugging off the debt ceiling debate as political theater. That's a relief. But isn't it also kind of insulting to the Tea Party? Philip Klein of the DC Examiner correctly observes that bond markets are shrugging off the debt ceiling debate as political theater. From the …

Written by David Frum on Friday April 22, 2011

The GOP's DOMA Dead End

Republicans have committed to spending valuable political capital to attack gay marriage. But if they looked at the polls, they'd know its a lost battle. A political movement that doesn’t have its eyes on the road ahead won’t like what it finds when it gets there. On Monday, Republicans …

Written by Jeb Golinkin on Tuesday April 19, 2011

Washington Moves Slowly After Debt Warning

S&P's debt outlook announcement shocked Washington. But with Congress out of session and members focused on jobs and gas prices, we're still no closer to a long-term debt deal. Standard and Poor’s unexpected announcement yesterday that it had put United States sovereign debt on watch with …

Written by Steve Bell on Tuesday April 19, 2011

Why the Balanced Budget Amendment is No Good

The proposed Balanced Budget Amendment is an awful idea that would fundamentally change American politics for the worst if it passed. The latest Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) proposal is not only an unworkable fiscal monstrosity but also the most fundamental change to our system of government …

Written by Andrew Pavelyev on Sunday April 3, 2011

The Young and Jobless: Does Either Party Care?

Washington is doing precious little to reduce unemployment especially amongst the young. Why is this problem such a low priority for both political parties? Washington is doing precious little to reduce unemployment especially amongst the young. My latest column for CNN.com asks: why is this …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday February 22, 2011

Come Back Charles Johnson

Charles Johnson, editor of the Little Green Footballs site, has written a post declaring his personal breach with the American right. He offers 10 reasons, but they all boil down to the same one: His outrage at the bad characters found in right-wing media and in the blogosphere. Charles Johnson, …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday December 1, 2009

The Dems' Afghan War Hypocrisy

It is laughable for the Democrats to criticize President Bush for being cautious about supporting a massive commitment of men and material to Afghanistan in 2001, when so many in their party feel that same way today. Rep. Maurice Hinchey’s claim that President Bush intentionally let Osama Bin …

Written by Brad Schaeffer on Tuesday December 1, 2009

The Purges Will Continue Until the Membership Grows

Frum Forum has learned that supporters of the GOP purity test resolution have obtained the necessary co-sponsors to bypass the RNC’s resolutions committee and bring the resolution forward for a vote. FrumForum has learned that despite losing the sponsorship of a National Committeewoman from …

Written by Tim Mak on Tuesday December 1, 2009

Deal or No Deal?

Until now, the threat of a government-run healthcare plan has deterred Republicans from negotiations with the administration. But now that the single most threatening element of such a deal has been voted down by Democrats, Republicans can begin to think: are there things we want? ... well, maybe …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday September 30, 2009

Obama Heads for Foreign Policy Disaster

Despite the domestic focus of these early months of his presidency, Barack Obama thinks of himself as a foreign policy thinker above all, according to those who know him best. His confidence is undiminished by his lack of experience and credentials, and that confidence continues to flourish despite …

Written by David Frum on Thursday September 17, 2009

Goodbye to the Reagan Democrats

A new Gallup poll on the ideological and partisan makeup of the American electorate shows that white conservative Republicans make up 23% of the population and white conservative Democrats another 6%. If that is correct, things do not look promising for advocates of an all-conservative electoral …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday September 2, 2009

GOP Must Make School Vouchers a Civil Rights Issue

Students in Prince George's County in the D.C. area arrived on the first day of school to find that administrators still had not scheduled classes for them. This failure will certainly have an adverse impact on black students in the county with the largest black middle class in the country. …

Written by Henry Clay on Wednesday September 2, 2009

Obama Losing Bipartisan Support for Afghanistan

That the doves on the left are growing tired of the costly war in Afghanistan should not surprise anyone. But now, George Will’s change of heart on Afghanistan indicates that support on the right, particularly amongst realists like Mr. Will, may not be as reliable as the administration may …

Written by Jeb Golinkin on Tuesday September 1, 2009