Illinois' New Prison Record

Here's an interesting fact: With former Governor Rod Blagojevich headed for what's almost sure to be a long stay behind bars (his most important ally, Tony Rezko, just got a 10 1/2 year sentence ) Illinois will have the dubious distinction of being the first state in U.S. history to have two …

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Written by Eli Lehrer on Monday November 28, 2011

Rick Perry's Chutzpah

Rick Perry is calling for legislators to be thrown into jail for insider trading. Perry's comments are particularly bold given that allegations of insider trading have followed him through his own political career. Most people forget that Michele Bachmann's original criticism of Perry's HPV …

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Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Tuesday November 15, 2011

Anti-Corruption, Anti-Democratic

Or so goes Kapil Komireddi's assessment of a disturbing movement among understandably exasperated middle-class Indians: An unusual revolution is underway in India. Over the past 10 days a 74-year-old former soldier and social activist called Kisan Baburao Hazare has been on hunger strike, …

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Written by David Frum on Wednesday September 7, 2011

Reid's $40 Billion: Yeah, Right

On balance, Harry Reid's plan for raising the debt ceiling and cutting spending looks pretty good to me. Congress will eventually need to do more but the plan he's devised is a fair enough middle ground: real spending cuts with no broad-based tax increases. One feature of the plan, an effort to, as …

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Written by Eli Lehrer on Tuesday July 26, 2011

Blago's Back on the Stand

Dragged to trial by federal prosecutors (again) for allegedly attempting to sell Obama’s old Senate seat, Rod Blagojevich began presenting his defense Wednesday. Blago is back. Dragged to trial by federal prosecutors (again) for allegedly attempting to sell President Obama’s old Senate seat, Rod …

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Written by Jeb Golinkin on Wednesday May 25, 2011

EU Pols Busted in Bribes for Bills Scandal

The EU's efforts towards more transparent government took another blow last week as two MEPs resigned after being caught accepting a bribe. The EU’s relationship with transparency has never been its forte in the past. Its track-record recently taking another beating as two EU MEPs  (Slovenian …

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Written by Robin Tim Weis on Monday March 21, 2011

Mugwump Nation

My latest bookshelf rides a favorite hobbyhorse: a defense of the Mugwumps of the 1880s. My latest bookshelf rides a favorite hobbyhorse: a defense of the Mugwumps of the 1880s.

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Written by David Frum on Tuesday August 25, 2009

The Mugwumps: Public Moralists of the Gilded Age

To the extent that anybody remembers them at all, the Mugwumps of the 1870s and 1880s get predominantly negative press. Yet while as a movement for political power the Mugwumps failed, their ideas for reform overwhelmingly prevailed. To the extent that anybody remembers them at all, the …

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Written by David Frum on Tuesday August 25, 2009