Commentator David Frum: I'm Not the "Right" Guy - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

MTI · #1 10-14-2011, 06:22 PM

Former Bush Speechwriter Leaves Spot as Conservative Commentator

But, he's going to CNN.

Why I Am A Republican by David Frum

excerpt:

Modern democracies generate a choice between one party offering more public services and higher taxes and another offering fewer services and lower taxes. Under the pressure of the current crisis – intoxicated by anti-Obama feelings and incited by talk radio and Fox – Republicans have staked out an extreme position on the role of government. They are expressing opinions they have never acted on in office and won’t act on if returned to office. They’re talking to relieve their feelings, always a big mistake. I remain convinced that the Tea Party moment is a passing infatuation, a rhetorical over-indulgence, that will fade as soon as Republicans re-encounter the responsibilities of governing – just as the Democrats’ over-heated MoveOn.org type rhetoric about the war on terror was quietly retired by President Obama in favor of continuing most of the anti-terrorism policies of the Bush years. In a more normal kind of contest between the party of less (not zero) government and the party of more and bigger government, I’m with the party of less government

The Clk Man · #2 10-14-2011, 06:39 PM

If I was a speech writer for gw I wouldn't tell anyone.

POS · #3 10-14-2011, 07:28 PM

He's right; what he's generally saying is that all politicians are self-serving a-holes who tell you what you think you want to hear, then act differently once elected. Must have come as quite a shock to him; the rest of us say "duh".

tjts1 · #4 10-14-2011, 07:33 PM

The republicans have been tripping over themselves trying to appeal to the tea party. Unfortunately I think the things the say and do in the primary are going to bite them in the ass when the general election rolls around. The republicans I know are disgusted with the current crop of candidates. They'll still vote republican simply because they don't like Obama but not out of any enthusiasm for a republican candidate. It didn't work for Kerry in 04 or Done in 96.

elchivito · #5 10-15-2011, 03:32 AM

He's right. Tea party support is waning already. I expect to see lots of those TP congresspersons voted out once their terms are up. They may be replaced by Republicans, but they'll be mainstream Republicans. Most of them, we'll never have even heard their names.

t walgamuth · #6 10-15-2011, 06:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by POS

He's right; what he's generally saying is that all politicians are self-serving a-holes who tell you what you think you want to hear, then act differently once elected. Must have come as quite a shock to him; the rest of us say "duh".

Have you ever been an elected official?

I have. No matter what you think you can do when you are running the reality once elected is that you will have limitations you never imagined existed. So you do what you can to move things in the direction you pledged to move. You will never be as successful as you thought you should be able to be.

Is that to say that there are no elected officials who fit the mold described by Mr. POS? Of course not. There ARE a-holes who get elected or try to get elected by being dishonest.