There is further evidence that something has changed in the Democratic primary race. In the latest CBS poll Barack Obama went from a 16 point lead in February to a 3 point lead (a statistical tie) over Hillary Clinton among Democratic primary voters. Clinton has made progress with both male and female voters. Worse still for Obama, he now trails John McCain among independents by 8 points (after leading him by 10 a month ago) and his lead over McCain overall is down 7 points. (Liberal bloggers are panicky about other polls showing Obama falling behind McCain in key swing states.)
Is this all attributable to the Reverend Wright revelations? Unlikely. More likely is that the combined impact of Wright, Clinton’s attacks on Obama’s readiness to be commander-in-chief and some closer media scrutiny has changed the lay of the land. More worrisome for Obama is the possibility that the novelty of his candidacy has worn off and like any fad, what once was exciting now seems trite.
Whether Clinton can continue to press ahead and rack up a needed series of primary wins remains to be seen. Her own unfavorability rating in the latest CBS poll is the highest of the three remaining presidential contenders. Her progress, it appears, has come from a decline in his appeal, not necessarily a burst of enthusiasm from Democratic primary voters about her.
So if there is now a contest between candidates over which can accumulate the most baggage and become less attractive in the eyes of voters it would be foolish to count out the Clintons. Once we’re out of the realm of inspiration and into the field of negative campaigning, they have few peers.
I like David, even if I disagree with him on Palin, and I wish him the best. Let’s see what he comes up with.
But I am skeptical of any conservatism that does not focus on the basics of lower taxes, less government, strong national defense, pro life, and traditional values. Where Bush went wrong was going off from those core principals, not adopting them.
#1
“Where Bush went wrong was going off from those core principals, not adopting them.”
This is precisely the sort of denial that has conservatism down and out. Polls and the last two elections should make it clear. America rejected oonservatism, and particularly its latest small-minded, small-tent, warmongering incarnation.
Nonsense Art. Bush was not “conservative” in supporting expansion of Medicare prescription entitlements. He was not “conservative” in expanding federal spending.
Bush’s failures: Katrina, Iraq during the first years of occupation were not conservative failures, they were good old fashioned incompetency Even the sinking of the economy is not because of conservatives, it is because of widespread bi partisan incompetency.
The things we should do in this economic downturn are lower taxes (and rein in federal government expansion). Spending stimulus should be on defense and on physical infrastructure. That will spur recovery, expanding government will only spur inflation.
I am skeptical of some of these critics of conservatism, but this article makes sense on how to win back the Northeast.
Frum is potentially dangerous. If Republicans follow his advice they might win again. Good thing the Evangelocos have total control of the party, so that the GOP will remain a rump representing the Old Confederacy and little else.
El loquito is at it again. The evangelicals from ol’ Dixie in charge of the GOP? Yeah, keep on believin’ the stupid lyingd propaganda from ’68 and ’72, or, even better, keep on readin’ K. Phillips (appropriate “intellectual” level, don’t ya know).
#3
“Nonsense Art. Bush was not “conservative” in supporting expansion of Medicare prescription entitlements”
Right, that was not conservative. It also was immensely popular. He was undone by his conservatism and partisanship not his popular moderate programs. If America had wanted a conservative, the GOP would have nominated a conservative, instead of a man who had spent the last thirty years bucking his party and poking sticks in the eyes of the religious right. If American had wanted even a more centrist, tax cutting, fiscally conservative president, it would have elected John McCain. It rejected conservatism, even mild conservatism, outright.
But you keep thinking what you want. Keep preaching the same tired “government is the problem” message. Your inability to learn from your mistakes marginalizes you and guarantees our success.
“This is precisely the sort of denial that has conservatism down and out. Polls and the last two elections should make it clear. America rejected oonservatism, and particularly its latest small-minded, small-tent, warmongering incarnation.” (Art #2)
You wish.
Republicans aren’t necessarily conservatives, and conservatives aren’t necessarily Republications. Republicans are down, but they aren’t out. Conservative philosophy and principles of governance are not down, nor are they out.
Let’s remember that 58,343,671 people voted for John McCain and Sarah Palin, whereas 66,882,230 people voted for Barak Obama and Joe Biden. “Small tent”? Hardly. Frum’s problem is that he doesn’t like the people who are in the tent — Sarah Palin and the millions of people who support her.
Frum and his fellow travelers — David Brooks, George Will, and Peggy Noonan, among others — are reincarnated country club conservatives. They’re becoming increasingly irrelevant, as did their country club predecessors.
But Sarah Palin will win elections.
I Can’t wait to get kicked of newmajority.com!!
I’m coming for you Frum.
Things gotta get worse before they get better. At least if you think that growing government control and expense are “worse”. If Obama and his coterie of Clinton retreads and socialist academics can solve the problems they’ve been describing to us for the last so many years, good for them. But I’m going to buy gold.
David Frum is a nitwit.
Frum’s disdain for Palin and her supporters in the GOP doesn’t appeal. There’s just too much snobbery, too much of an upturned nose at the Republican hoi polloi. Frum did gain strange new respect for trying to move Republicans left, so I hope he’s at least happy with that.
My guess is that Frum will defend Obama fairly consistently, at least for the first six months or so. The sour economy will probably get him off that jag sooner or later, but he still might grump about GOP pickups in 2010. If Obama really flops, Frum will probably start seeing visions of Sarah. He could switch outright Democratic at that point.
“[I]ncomes stagnate[d] so dismally on our watch”? If this excerpt is any indication, Frum’s blog will be something to avoid.
I’ll pass on Frum’s website. I’ll peer from afar as this “wet” gets more and more water logged.
“Why did American incomes stagnate so dismally on our watch, even before the crisis struck?”
The easiest way to address this question is, “Reduce the amount the government at all levels take away from the consumer and watch consumer income grow.”
The more difficult answer to this question is, “Increase consumer productivity and the consumer income will rise relative to the value he/she creates for his/her respective employer. There is nothing that government can do to address ‘stagnant wages’ that the consumer cannot address himself/herself.”
Hmm, maybe I have those backwards in terms of difficulty.
#14, if Mr. Frum comments on certain economic issues (wage stagnation he sounds like a fool, healthcare policy he sounds like a genius) then I would read his site. If he comments on national security and domestic policy issues only, then I would read site.
I’m skeptical of Frum and Noonan. Remember, those two gleefully joined the Bush administration as speech writers at the outset, then ran for the hills, shocked, that Bush turned out to be what he said he would a be: a “compassionate conservative” backing NCLB, Medicare prescription drugs and aid to Africa.
Now Frum wants to sell us on warmed-over McCain v. 2.0: ditch the social conservatives, become more populist (but in a good way, not like that incompetent Sarah Palin), give amnesty to illegal aliens, and embrace anthropogenic global warming (oops, I forgot you’re supposed to call it “climate change” because the planet hasn’t actually warmed up in the past ten years).
When I see real politicians, facing real voters, win on a Frumian platform, then I’ll believe there’s a “new majority” in that pile.
If you ever want to hear a reader’s feedback
, I rate this article for 4/5. Decent info, but I just have to go to that damn google to find the missed parts. Thank you, anyway!