Overview for tea-party

Best of FF: A Party of Jerks

As 2011 comes to a close, Frum Forum plans to re-run some of our best featured pieces from the year. Here is Eli Lehrer's observation on the GOP leadership. I’m not the first to make this comment , but the current debt limit debate shows what the Tea Party movement (which I once …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Friday December 30, 2011

Boehner is Trapped by His Caucus

An old joke heard often in the Southwest ends this way: “It isn’t always your enemies that get you into it; it isn’t always your friends who get you out of it; but, when you are in it up to your neck, keep your damned mouth shut.” Unfortunately, Speaker John Boehner’s predicament confirms …

Written by Steve Bell on Wednesday December 21, 2011

She's Back!

Last night, the most coveted endorsement in the Republican presidential primary was secured by Mitt Romney . Ending months of intense speculation, Tea Party diva and thrice-failed Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell threw her support behind the former Massachusetts Governor’s bid to secure …

Written by Fictio Cedit Veritati on Wednesday December 14, 2011

The Cost of the Tea Party

Here's some interesting data from Pew. Americans turning against the "tea party" (however they understand the "tea party" to mean) is not exactly a new story, but here it continues to accelerate. More surprising: the tea party seems to be contaminating the larger Republican brand. …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday November 30, 2011

Crowdsourcing a Personal Question

I've finished work on a novel about Washington in the time of the Tea Party. With a view to publishing during primary season, I'm weighing e-publishing as opposed to a paper book. I'm curious to know how many Frum Forum readers use e-readers--and in particular, whether you use them only for …

Written by David Frum on Saturday November 12, 2011

The GOP's Best Case/Worst Case

In my column for CNN, I discuss how the Tea Party will react to the different possible outcomes of the 2012 election: A new CNN poll finds that about half of Republicans sympathize with the tea party movement. The other half either remain aloof or (5%) even express hostility. That second …

Written by David Frum on Monday October 31, 2011

Perry's New Gambit

Perry’s chances of winning the Republican nomination depend entirely on his ability to sell himself as a Teastablishment candidate. Perry has a ten-year record in Texas that shows an interest in governance, and he has way with sharp rhetoric (“treason”) that sends thrills up the leg of your …

Written by Zac Morgan on Friday October 21, 2011

They Wouldn't Occupy if They Had the Votes

If the Occupy Wall Street protestors represent ‘the 99%’ then why don’t they already dominate our government? Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, the Tea Party and the Occupy Wall Street protests should create some concern. These are not the products of healthy politics. …

Written by Chris Ladd on Tuesday October 18, 2011

Romney Can't Stop the Tea Party

By all appearances Mitt Romney seems likely to walk away with the Republican Party’s 2012 nomination. We can still expect a few scares, particularly in Iowa and South Carolina, but it’s getting harder to construct a credible scenario in which Romney fumbles this one away. He looks smart, savvy, …

Written by Chris Ladd on Friday October 14, 2011

'Democracy Denied' is the Guide to Fighting Over-Regulation

Phil Kerpen’s Democracy Denied ($24.95 in hardcopy; $9.99 for Kindle) Is a none-too-long book that, if widely read (which it deserves to be) would provide something that’s absent from today’s politics: a coherent and useful agenda for the Tea Party and its fellow travelers. Kerpen’s manifesto-l…

Written by Eli Lehrer on Thursday October 13, 2011

Romney Won't Drink the Tea

In an October 11 post discussing Romney’s performance in a recent Gallup poll, the Washington Monthly’s Steve Benen noted, “What seems more interesting, however, is just how weak a frontrunner Mitt Romney really is. Even as Rick Perry’s support collapses, and even when the rest of the GOP field …

Written by D.R. Tucker on Wednesday October 12, 2011

No Disrespect But...

Who produces the first big analysis: Why the Tea Party could not produce a credible presidential candidate?

Written by David Frum on Wednesday October 12, 2011

Cain Was Not Playing A 'Race Card'

There is a difference between being post-racial and racially blind. Herman Cain’s resume is as long as my driveway. He is highly intelligent and energetic, a mathematician and Navy man who exudes positivism and confidence and has accomplished much. He will tell anyone who listens that he owes …

Written by Brad Schaeffer on Tuesday October 4, 2011

Michael Moore and the Tea Party Deserve Each Other

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Written by Telly Davidson on Friday September 30, 2011

Huntsman's Chance

The continuing deflation of Rick Perry after yet another fumbling debate performance has opened the most unexpected chapter yet in the GOP 2012 race: Jon Huntsman's emerging challenge to Mitt Romney - from the right. Sound incredible? Take a look at the opening of Jon Huntsman's speech …

Written by David Frum on Friday September 23, 2011

The Road to Treadmill Serfdom

It's a little hard to tell this story from Chicago without a lot of sarcasm, but I'll try my best. Like a lot of American cities, Chicago faces severe budget problems. One obvious place to look for savings: the health benefits of city employees. Health care for city workers costs Chicago $500 …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday September 20, 2011

Reg Reform, Meh.

Eric Cantor has announced that regulatory reform of the Clean Air Act and labor laws will top the GOP agenda when Congress resumes its work. As far as these proposals go, baring the National Labor Relations Board from restricting where employers can locate (a key component of economic freedom), …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Wednesday August 31, 2011

O’Donnell's Followers See the Light

Christine O’Donnell, Delaware’s thrice-failed United States Senate candidate and Tea Party diva, has officially jumped the shark. By all indications, sales of her recently released book Troublemaker are anaemic at best. There is no interest and no oxygen in the room. Her moment has passed. …

Written by Fictio Cedit Veritati on Friday August 19, 2011

Why I'm Done With Sarah Palin

I used to be a fan of Sarah Palin, but even I can see that the best thing for her to do now is to step aside. When Sarah Palin first exploded on the scene at the 2008 Republican convention as John McCain’s running-mate, I was enthralled. Yes, I admit, I thought she was terrific. Here was this …

Written by Brad Schaeffer on Tuesday August 16, 2011

Inside Bachmann's Brain

Where is Michele Bachman coming from? What does the latest Tea Party champion really stand for? Ryan Lizza attempts an answer in a em> New Yorker profile.

Written by David Frum on Monday August 8, 2011