the health-care vote is having political echoes everywhere,
as the "catastrophe" of the Democratic win leads to a Republican hunt for scapegoats, including our old friend David Frum:
ha ha !! Obama victory destabilizes Frum, Republicans
Fri, 2010-03-26 13:03
#1
ha ha !! Obama victory destabilizes Frum, Republicans
Fri, 2010-03-26 13:04
#2
While Republicans predicted months ago that health-care reform would be Mr. Obama's "Waterloo," Mr. Frum wrote: "It's Waterloo all right: ours."
Politico reported Friday that Mr. Frum said he was axed from the American Enterprise Institute because of pressure from donors.
"There's a lot about the story I don't really understand," Politico reported Mr. Frum as saying. "But the core of the story is the kind of economic pressure that intellectual conservatives are under. AEI represents the best of the conservative world. [AEI President] Arthur Brooks is a brilliant man, and his books are fantastic. But the elite isn't leading any more. It's trapped. Partly because of the desperate economic situation in the country, what were once the leading institutions of conservatism are constrained. I think Arthur took no pleasure in this. I think he was embarrassed. I think he would have avoided it if he possibly could, but he couldn't."
In a statement, AEI president Arthur Brooks suggested Mr. Frum wasn't fired, but rather left the institute on his own accord. 
Fri, 2010-03-26 13:25
#3
Maybe Obama can hire him. He'd fit right in! Canadian Conservatives are basically at the same spot on the political spectrum as American Democrats.
Fri, 2010-03-26 13:48
#4
He's an American Conservtaive, not a Canadian Conservative.
And a shock troop leader himself. Who happens to have fundamental disagreements with the other shock troops on the tactics, not the goals.
Fri, 2010-03-26 13:59
#5
Yeah but Obama's a shock troop himself. Obama's the biggest right wing idealogue since Bush.
Fri, 2010-03-26 14:13
#6
Qualification, David Frum is a shock troop leader. But the rest of the movement has decided to go in for outright war.
I don't know how much people see and hear about the death threats, the constant hate calls, and the vandalism of Dem Congressional offices- especially, mostly African American Congresspeople. The open carrying of weapons. Sarah Palin's website with the Black Congressional leaders in crosshairs, in a website that uses the term Reload all the time. And this was going on for months before the vote. Getting even more outrageous and dangerous.
There is no boundary between the absolute lunatic fringe and the minority congressional party leadership.
Fri, 2010-03-26 14:16
#7
Yeah but Obama's a shock troop himself. Obama's the biggest right wing idealogue since Bush.
Must be why he didnt snap his fingers and in those golden tones of his say "Follow me folks."
Now look what we have instead.
Fri, 2010-03-26 14:17
#8
http://www.wkrn.com/global/story.asp?s=12208009
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A Nashville man says he and his 10-year-old daughter were victims of road rage Thursday afternoon, all because of a political bumper sticker on his car.
Mark Duren told News 2 the incident happened around 4:30p.m., while he was driving on Blair Boulevard, not far from Belmont University.
He said Harry Weisiger gave him the bird and rammed into his vehicle, after noticing an Obama-Biden sticker on his car bumper.
Too bad Obama didn't fight for the public option.
Fri, 2010-03-26 15:07
#9
It is funny how quiet many Canadian conservatives have been about the US healthcare debate - those who have commented have had to sheepishly admit that US conservative fearmongering is outside the realm of reality - perhaps because of their own experience with Canadian healthcare.
Fri, 2010-03-26 15:24
#10
remind
Qualification, David Frum is a shock troop leader. But the rest of the movement has decided to go in for outright war.I don't know how much people see and hear about the death threats, the constant hate calls, and the vandalism of Dem Congressional offices- especially, mostly African American Congresspeople. The open carrying of weapons. Sarah Palin's website with the Black Congressional leaders in crosshairs, in a website that uses the term Reload all the time. And this was going on for months before the vote. Getting even more outrageous and dangerous.
There is no boundary between the absolute lunatic fringe and the minority congressional party leadership.
That hate by Sarah Palin indicates all that is wrong with those who believe themselves to be "christians". In fact these acts against people and the congreessmen, read to me like the link I just read about the early acts of the Germans against Jews....
Fri, 2010-03-26 19:01
#11
or, did Frum get fired just for goldbricking?? 
entertaining just the same:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-03-26/inside-david-frums-bitter-exit/
Insiders at AEI, to whom I spoke at length, told me that Frum's version of the story is "quite, quite untrue" (as one put it). The truth, in fact, is that he was asked-unsuccessfully-to pull his weight at the think-tank. A fellow told me: "David didn't come to the office very much, and long before his blog, Arthur [Brooks, the AEI president] arranged a lunch with him to talk about coming more often to the office to earn his salary.
"David had been asked to do that in the past, and hadn't done it. Arthur said, 'You keep the current deal [$100,000 per annum] and you come in more.' Frum basically said 'no.'" (Frum did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment).
Another AEI insider told me "this is nothing more than a disagreement over Frum's terms of employment. Rather than talk about it, he just resigned. It has nothing-I repeat, nothing-to do with his political views. After all, Norm Ornstein [another AEI fellow] has written things that are more helpful to the Democrats. And Norm's safely sitting here! If AEI were to purge people who aren't toeing the party line, wouldn't they make life hard for him?"
Fri, 2010-03-26 19:13
#12
It is funny how quiet many Canadian conservatives have been about the US healthcare debate - those who have commented have had to sheepishly admit that US conservative fearmongering is outside the realm of reality - perhaps because of their own experience with Canadian healthcare.
This is exactly right - if American conservatives experienced our single-payer system, they'd recognize the lies they've been fed for what they are. My dad, an American republican who voted for Nixon before immigrating here in 1969, loves our system and sees no contradiction between being a conservative, and enjoying the benefits of single-payer health care; after all, in our system, doctors are not employees of the government, but bill the the ministries of health for their services, and unlike Americans, we have the freedom to pick whatever doctor we like (if they're accepting new patients).
My dad isn't afraid of confronting Americans with their misconceptions (and has been told, "All those years in Canada have made you go soft,") but I imagine many Canadian conservatives don't speak up partly out of solidarity with fellow conservatives, but also because they recognize what few Americans know: single-payer health care is good for business. American companies with branches up here save money because they don't have to buy health insurance for their employees are part of their benefits' packages.
Fri, 2010-03-26 20:55
#13
But still Canada's industrial sector IS "hollowing out". Go figure, eh Sineed? Or is a nationalist position required to be able to function in the shadow of Uncle Sam?
Fri, 2010-03-26 21:39
#14
"David had been asked to do that in the past, and hadn't done it. Arthur said, 'You keep the current deal [$100,000 per annum] and you come in more.' Frum basically said 'no.'"
So there's an opening at the AEI!? For a hundred big ones, I can think up some nonsensical swill that will satisfy the right wing. Where do I apply?