9 Responses to “Frumpurged!”

1. Scott Lahti, on November 17th, 2008 at 4:23 pm Said:

   Gray Lady at Tomb of Chairman Bill, or, Dog Bites Man at Yale

2. Red Phillips, on November 17th, 2008 at 4:46 pm Said:

   Good ridance. Maybe, just maybe, they will bring in some new blood.

3. WRW, on November 17th, 2008 at 8:24 pm Said:

   People still read National Review? And who’s David Frum? (Isn’t there an ex-White House speechwriter by the same name?)

4. Sean Scallon, on November 17th, 2008 at 8:50 pm Said:

   Couldn’t have happened to a nicer fellow.

   Of course everyone will say it was a mutual parting of the ways but after John O’Sullivan we know better.

5. Kevin, on November 17th, 2008 at 8:55 pm Said:

   Frum will now become a cheerleader for Obama’s “national greatness coalition”, while serving pastries and latte at Rahm Emanuel’s place.

6. Conservative Heritage Times, on November 17th, 2008 at 9:07 pm Said:

   [...] Via Daniel McCarthy at the AmConMag blog. [...]

7. Sean Scallon, on November 18th, 2008 at 11:43 am Said:

   Although we”re all allowed the celebrate the demise of the arch-fiend Frum, don’t think that NR is going to calling up Chilton Williamson Jr. or Joe Sobran and ask if they want their old jobs back. Frum is leaving NR (one way or the other) because he knows conservatism as an ideology and as governing philosophy are screwed up, but those over NR believe “More green eggs and more green ham!” to coin a Frum phrase. In other words, Lowry believes “there’s nothing wrong with us and ain’t it great! Obama is going to be President and our circulation is going back up!” David Brooks is right that is a factional battle. The problem is he got the factions all wrong. It’s a battle within the conservative establishment or as Bramwell would call the “inner party” or an old Soviet style Politburo battle between reformers and stand patters. Technically Grover Norquist or Sean Hannity are traditionalists only in the sense that they still think its 1980. Frum is a reformer only in the sense he and Brooks can’t hide their elitism anymore behind a populist facade because Sarah Palin exploded that fascade.

   I still have Dead Right on my bookshelf and much of it is pretty dead on in its writing except for those parts where he treats Chronicles writers as if though they writing for Der Sturmer instead of people with ideas worthy to consider. It’s not that Frum is incapable of independent thought, it’s that he never hints at when he’s thinking independently and when he’s taking the party line, thus leaving his changes in directions as more bewildering 180 degree, opportunistic turnabouts instead the product of pondering.

   Of course, those at NR should be wary of Frum because he likes to treat his enemies to the right as enemies of the state. Perhaps his next piece will be on the Upatriotic Conservatives of the National Review.

8. Kevin S., on November 18th, 2008 at 6:47 pm Said:

   The NR version of Niemöller :

   First they came for the Birchers, but I wasn’t a Bircher so I didn’t speak up. Then they came for the Randians, but I wasn’t a Randian so I didn’t speak up. Then they came for the libertarians, but I wasn’t a libertarian so I didn’t speak up. Then they came for the critics of Israel, but I wasn’t a critic of Israel so I didn’t speak up. Then they came for the people who opposed open immigration, but I wasn’t one of those people so I didn’t speak up. Then they came for the people who kept talking about IQ and the “Bell Curve” when they weren’t supposed to anymore, but I wasn’t one of those people so I didn’t speak up.

   By the time they came for me, there wasn’t anyone left to speak up…

9. Bob Johnson, on November 21st, 2008 at 4:13 pm Said:

   “Frum is a reformer only in the sense he and Brooks can’t hide their elitism anymore behind a populist facade because Sarah Palin exploded that fascade.”

   Profoundly well put.

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