Overview for policy

Where Was the GOP's Middle Class Agenda?

Saturday night's debate provided a good example of how current GOP orthodoxy thwarts presidential candidates from talking seriously about the economic problems of the American middle class. Mitt Romney wants to offer a middle-class economic agenda. (Or anyway, his consultants have decided he …

Written by David Frum on Monday December 12, 2011

Make Schumer and Pelosi Defend Tax Deductions for the Rich

Michael Barone points out the three big tax deductions which are hard to eliminate: the charitable deduction, the home mortgage interest deduction, and the state and local tax deduction. I agree with him that elimination of the charitable deduction is wrong for Republicans. Home mortgage …

Written by John Vecchione on Tuesday November 22, 2011

To Govern Better, GOP Should Work From Reality

In my previous blog post , I discussed how many Republican criticisms of the Obama administration's policies are not backed up by data. Republicans don't just have a problem with specific critiques, they also have a view of America that doesn’t match with how the country actually is. Their view …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Friday November 4, 2011

The Math on Social Security Doesn't Add Up

Social Security politics is like malaria—it never really leaves the body politic and it flares up without warning. Thus, the absolutely unsurprising “ revelation ” in the Washington Post that demographics and economics have combined to begin the inevitable drain of the “surpluses” in the …

Written by Steve Bell on Monday October 31, 2011

Perry's Plan: Politics not Policy

In my column for The Week I explain that Rick Perry's tax plan is designed to appeal to voters in the Republican primary, not to policy wonks who care about whether or not the plan makes economic sense: The wonks point out that (as conventionally scored) Perry's tax plan would blow a giant …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday October 26, 2011

Who Broke the Government?

In my column for CNN, I explain why government institutions are failing: Under the old rules, there were certain things that political parties did not do -- even though theoretically they could. If one party controlled the Senate and another party controlled the presidency, the Senate party …

Written by David Frum on Monday September 26, 2011

Free the Economy, Free the Credit Unions

For now at least, the House Republicans' regulatory reform agenda panders to the base on hot-button issues rather than works to make real regulatory reforms with a chance of going into force. If they actually want to fix the economy, House Republicans need a broader agenda. The items won't be …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Friday September 2, 2011

Signs of Progress

Charles Krauthammer endorses abolishing both the healthcare exclusion and mortgage interest deductibility. Add a carbon tax or VAT and you've got a Republican offer enticing enough to gain meaningful Democratic concessions on entitlement spending - while still meeting Republican goals of holding …

Written by David Frum on Friday August 5, 2011

Payback's a Bitch

Consider this scenario: President Palin (or Romney or Perry or Pawlenty or whoever) is sworn in with great jubilation among movement conservatives in January 2013. Voter distaste with Democrats also led to the crushing defeat for Democratic Congressional incumbents, leaving Republicans with hefty …

Written by Fred Bauer on Saturday July 23, 2011

How Progressive Taxation Punishes Hard Work

A new study shows how progressive taxation is inequitable for people who are working harder. My friend Kip Hagopian has a very thought-provoking article in the current issue of Policy Review on the (in)equity of the progressive income tax. Here is a core point: The progressive …

Written by David Frum on Saturday April 2, 2011

New Obama Appointee Targets the SEC

As President Obama gears up to increase regulation of the financial markets, he may face opposition from an unlikely source: his own appointee to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Cass Sunstein. As President Obama gears up to increase regulation of the financial markets, he …

Written by Tim Mak on Thursday September 17, 2009

Still Waiting for Obama's Afghan Strategy

Afghanistan is now Obama’s war. In the past six months, what Obama once called a “good war” has gotten worse. Even Bush cannot be blamed anymore, because it wasn’t this bad when he was immersed in Iraq. The “war” in Afghanistan is getting more lethal. An increasing number are saying it can’t be …

Written by Peter Worthington 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

Will's Exit from Afghanistan

Anybody who does not share George Will’s frustrations with the Afghan mission has not been paying attention. But that does not mean George Will is right in his call for an American evacuation and a new approach. Anybody who does not share George Will’s frustrations with the Afghan mission has …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday September 1, 2009

Can Obama Save His Presidency?

Obama's best bet for salvaging his agenda is to "pull a Clinton" and move to the political center. Yet there is no evidence the president is so inclined or even able to do so. As cold fear rises in the mainstream media that President Obama may be in over his head, my thoughts go back to a dinner …

Written by Gusher on Monday August 31, 2009