David Frum has been terminated from his position as a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he has written and lectured since leaving President Bush's staff. So much for being able to have an intellectual discussion of issues and respectful disagreement.
His firing seems to make his point exquisitely that the Republican party has been captured by the far right-wing. His firing seems to indicate that the purging and ideological purification is not yet finished.
Frum is quoted by Media Matters here as saying his termination was due to "donor pressure." I think this action, taken by a leading conservative think-tank, only reinforces the validity of comments he made following passage of the health reform legislation. At that time, he blamed Fox and conservative talk radio for whipping the base into such a frenzy that negotiation on healthcare became impossible.
In an ABC Nightline broadcast, Media Matters quotes Frum as saying,
"Republicans originally thought that Fox worked for us, and now we are discovering we work for Fox."
Frum argues that it is in Fox's interest to keep the base in a frenzy, because that will drive the base to Fox broadcasts. He said here,
"I’ve been on a soapbox for months now about the harm that our overheated talk is doing to us. Yes it mobilizes supporters – but by mobilizing them with hysterical accusations and pseudo-information, overheated talk has made it impossible for representatives to represent and elected leaders to lead."
So long as only the far-right fringe can participate in debate within the Republican Party, I can see no way that the broad American independent middle will entrust governing to Republicans. The best ideas don't come from group-think, but from diverse thoughts, openly expressed and accepted, even when not agreed with entirely. That certainly does not describe today's Republican Party, and certainly doesn't describe the Tea Party.
Tonight's crushing Republican defeat will be worse than most conservatives realize, according to George W. Bush speechwriter, David Frum, who calls this the conservative's Waterloo. He writes that conservatives see a big win in November as compensation for this defeat, but he cautions that such a victory may be elusive.
The economy will have improved by November, Frum writes, and the immediate benefits from the healthcare bill's passage will begin to be felt -- young adults will be able to stay insured through a parent's health plan until age 26; children with pre-existing conditions will be able to get health insurance; seniors who fall into the Medicare donut hole will find an additional $250 of coverage available.
He blames defeat on Republicans and conservatives who refused to negotiate or compromise, choosing to go for all the marbles, and ending up with none. He also blames conservative talk on Fox News which whipped up the base into such a frenzy that negotiation was impossible.
How do you negotiate with somebody who wants to murder your grandmother? Or – more exactly – with somebody whom your voters have been persuaded to believe wants to murder their grandmother?
I agree with Frum when he writes, "This win for the conservative entertainment industry is a defeat for the conservative cause." I believe the country has paid an enormous price for the over-the-top rhetoric -- we were denied the best thinking of both parties, because the Republicans simply refused to engage in the legislative process. And, as Andrew Sullivan wrote recently about conservatives here,
At some point, they'll grow up, and realize politics is not a game to be "won" but a process to be engaged.
If that day comes, soon, America will be better off.
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