David Frum's Blog, page 159

German Humor

Heinrich von Treitschke, the arch-nationalist German historian, remarks in his History of Germany in the Nineteenth Century, "the German jokes with difficulty." The remark was meant as a compliment; it occurs in the midst of a diatribe against Jews for joking too much.

Where's the Empathy?

One of my takeaways from last night:

Persecuted Plutocrats, Ctd.

Nick Hanauer's satirical skewering of the persecuted plutocrats is wonderful.

Edmonton Bar Night, Ctd

Thursday night I'll be in Edmonton, Alberta, to deliver the annual McDonald lecture hosted by the University of Alberta law school. The event is open to the public and I believe tickets remain available. Details here. The event ends early, so I will be able to meet friends and readers for a drink from 9 pm to 10:30 pm at the bar of the Hotel MacDonald. (As the names remind, Canada really was the crown jewel of the Scottish Empire.)

Why Can't Romney's Tax Cuts Deliver as Promised?

On taxes, Mitt Romney is trapped and victimized by Republican party orthodoxy. Listen to him:

How Can Romney Recover?

Romney did not deliver last night the calibre performance he displayed during the first debate. How can he up his game for debate three?

Frum and Shrum on Tonight's Big Question: Who Won?

Is available for streaming here, and should be on iTunes by early tomorrow morning.

Presidential Town Hall Debate Live Blog

(10:30) Calling this debate for the President. Certainly a stronger performance on his end, although the bar wasn't exactly high.

55 Lobbyists Who Didn't Get the Memo That Obama Wouldn't Let Them in the White House

So POLITICO wrote a story (well, it's more accurate to say they gave free publicity to Obama for America, but that's neither here nor there) about how Romney would let lobbyists back in the White House. Silly story from the start, but it gets better.

What Really Happened in Benghazi?

It's a big day here at The Daily Beast/Newsweek when the New York Times publishes a story whose sole purpose seems to be to push back against Eli Lake's reporting.