With a new Afterword on the results of the 2008 presidential race, an intensely controversial book that the Wall Street Journal says “should be required reading for all GOP candidates.”
David Frum was one of the first Republican insiders to warn the GOP of danger ahead in 2008. In this passionate, urgently readable book, Frum analyzes the conservative crisis—and offers new hope for conservatives in the years to come. On issues from healthcare to terrorism, the environment to abortion, the challenge of China and the problem of childhood obesity, Frum offers exciting new ideas to rejuvenate conservative politics.
Frum’s work has been hailed by Newt Gingrich and denounced by Rush Limbaugh. His ideas have been debated from the pages of The New Yorker to the conference table of the Republican Senate Policy Committee—and they will continue to shape the conservative debate in the long years to come.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In his new book, Frum (The Right Man), former speechwriter to President Bush, offers a conservative blueprint for accommodating challenges central to the next half-century of American life. Drawing on his expert knowledge of domestic politics and foreign policy, Frum shows how Republicans must evolve in accordance with the challenges and fluidity of contemporary America to win hearts, minds and elections. After staking out viably conservative positions on the salient political battles in America-healthcare, education, the economy, foreign policy, embryonic stem cell research, taxation and the like-Frum shines when dealing with the grand strategy of taxation, particularly his pro-growth model for accommodating domestic spending obligations such as social security. His analysis is particularly striking in its advocacy for consumption taxation in lieu of taxes that stifle investment and free enterprise. Taxes aimed at upper-class consumers rather than savings and investment is a provocative idea worthy of consideration. And although Frum's ideas are good, if not brilliant, the final chapter, in which he describes the errant behavior of the Bush administration, seems like a tardy rebuke to a president he once called The Right Man.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
“In his treatment of what ails conservatism today, Frum is penetrating and wise . . . and dead right.” —National Review
“Serious reappriasial and fresh, challenging ideas.” —New York Times Book Review
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More About the Author
David Frum is a contributing editor at Newsweek/Daily Beast and a CNN contributor. He is the author of eight books, including most recently the e-book WHY ROMNEY LOST and his first novel, PATRIOTS. In 2001-2002, he served as speechwriter and special assistant to President George W. Bush; in 2007-2008, as senior adviser to the Rudy Giuliani presidential campaign. You can read him at DailyBeast.com/davidfrum and on Twitter @davidfrum
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
64 of 77 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Unlike one reviewer whose opinion is posted here, I have read the book. It is a very interesting critique of the recent drift in conservative thought. As Frum points out, most of the battles from the 1970s have been won. Crime, out of control in 1974 when the movie "Death Wish" got standing ovations in movie theaters, has dropped steadily. Los Angeles has fewer murders than any time since the 1950s. New York is livable (although I'll have to take others word on that. I hate the place.). That problem is solved although Britain seems to be sinking into the same morass now as a result of the same policies that were reversed here by the conservatives in the 1980s. Supply side economics has pretty well replaced Keynesian economics everywhere but the Congressional Democratic caucus. Taxes have been cut until 80% of Americans pay more in payroll taxes (FICA, etc) than income tax. We won the intellectual battles but, as Frum points out, we at once began to enjoy the fruits of victory and forgot that, in politics at least, nothing is ever finally settled. The high point for conservatism was 1994 when the Republicans took Congress on a platform of conservative principles. Everything since has trended down.
Some of his most thought provoking comments pertain to health care, a special interest of mine. He is concerned that the middle class has been getting a raw deal for the past twenty years, partly due to health care costs. I have studied health care both as a physician and as a gradate student in health care economics. I won't get into details but Frum poses serious questions that Republicans will have to answer if they wish to retain power at the federal level. That section alone, is worth the price of the book.
He has serious questions about foreign policy for the next few decades and criticism of some of the Bush Administration's puzzling decisions about the handling of radical Islam. He has a long chapter on what he calls "Green Conservatism" that poses questions about energy policy. The only good suggestion that Al Gore ever made publicly (Some his private suggestions in the Clinton Administration sound far more practical than his dull public persona would suggest.), was the 50 cents per gallon gas tax. Had this been done in 1992, and the revenues devoted to defense, we would be far more secure. A carbon tax is one of Frum's suggestions.
This is a very practical and intellectual book with ideas that should be debated in the Republican Party. I don't agree with all his suggestions; his education and health care ideas need a lot of study, but the first step in solving a problem is to look at it objectively. This book does that well.
Some of his most thought provoking comments pertain to health care, a special interest of mine. He is concerned that the middle class has been getting a raw deal for the past twenty years, partly due to health care costs. I have studied health care both as a physician and as a gradate student in health care economics. I won't get into details but Frum poses serious questions that Republicans will have to answer if they wish to retain power at the federal level. That section alone, is worth the price of the book.
He has serious questions about foreign policy for the next few decades and criticism of some of the Bush Administration's puzzling decisions about the handling of radical Islam. He has a long chapter on what he calls "Green Conservatism" that poses questions about energy policy. The only good suggestion that Al Gore ever made publicly (Some his private suggestions in the Clinton Administration sound far more practical than his dull public persona would suggest.), was the 50 cents per gallon gas tax. Had this been done in 1992, and the revenues devoted to defense, we would be far more secure. A carbon tax is one of Frum's suggestions.
This is a very practical and intellectual book with ideas that should be debated in the Republican Party. I don't agree with all his suggestions; his education and health care ideas need a lot of study, but the first step in solving a problem is to look at it objectively. This book does that well.
14 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Both the Republican and Democrat national parties are built on the "big tent" theory: that they are to incorporate all the divergent views of their respective constituencies into a single party, rather than have dozens of splinter parties as in Europe and elsewhere.
The result has been a remarkably stable system of government. The serious student of politics knwos that within the larger party, there is always a dominant faction and that this dominant faction changes from time to time.
For about thirty years, genuine conservatives dominated the Republican Party. With them came the West's victory over the Soviet Union, the freeing of Eastern Europe without bloodshed, forcing welfare and budget reform on the nation and other victories, large and small, including the historic 1994 election victory. Perhaps because of its very success, the Republican Party lost its way and genuine conservatives were shouldered aside.
Now comes David Frum, a Canadian, with his thoughts on how Conservatism can win again.
It is indeed a thought provoking book, but not one that will be adopted as a Conservative bible.
Frum's basic thesis is that conservatives have lost their way, that too many of them have lost touch with the changing public and its views. He is right in his perceptions, but his prescriptions may not be acceptable to real conservatives.
For example, Frum goes on at length about how his proposal for a new way of viewing the abortion issue. I have a better idea, I think: ignore. Just say that the government has no business getting involved with the question at all and take the Republican Party out of a can't win situation.
Frum's suggestions on trying to get people to understand that terrorism is a real problem, on the other hand, are sound as are his suggestions for true reform of public education.
To his credit, Frum doesn't declare that his ideas are the only ideas. They are suggestions to get the debate rolling - and his book is laudable for that. It is, in fact, excellent and thought provoking reading.
One thing Frum can't do in this book, however, is to reconnect conservatives to the leadership of the Republican Party, which truly seems to have lost its way.
Jerry
The result has been a remarkably stable system of government. The serious student of politics knwos that within the larger party, there is always a dominant faction and that this dominant faction changes from time to time.
For about thirty years, genuine conservatives dominated the Republican Party. With them came the West's victory over the Soviet Union, the freeing of Eastern Europe without bloodshed, forcing welfare and budget reform on the nation and other victories, large and small, including the historic 1994 election victory. Perhaps because of its very success, the Republican Party lost its way and genuine conservatives were shouldered aside.
Now comes David Frum, a Canadian, with his thoughts on how Conservatism can win again.
It is indeed a thought provoking book, but not one that will be adopted as a Conservative bible.
Frum's basic thesis is that conservatives have lost their way, that too many of them have lost touch with the changing public and its views. He is right in his perceptions, but his prescriptions may not be acceptable to real conservatives.
For example, Frum goes on at length about how his proposal for a new way of viewing the abortion issue. I have a better idea, I think: ignore. Just say that the government has no business getting involved with the question at all and take the Republican Party out of a can't win situation.
Frum's suggestions on trying to get people to understand that terrorism is a real problem, on the other hand, are sound as are his suggestions for true reform of public education.
To his credit, Frum doesn't declare that his ideas are the only ideas. They are suggestions to get the debate rolling - and his book is laudable for that. It is, in fact, excellent and thought provoking reading.
One thing Frum can't do in this book, however, is to reconnect conservatives to the leadership of the Republican Party, which truly seems to have lost its way.
Jerry
16 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By Mark bennett
Format:Hardcover
This is a very insightful book. Frum captures the ideological problems today on the right and suggests the obvious truth that far too many refuse to listen to. The right needs to develop solutions to todays problems and a political agenda that addresses them from a conservative point of view. For example, everyone knows health care in America and health insurance are broken. Ask anyone who runs a medium-size company. The movement needs to pull its head out of the sand and come up with positive reforms to fix the system rather than allowing the debate be between nationalization and doing nothing. Simple solutions like returning health care to a situation where people pay a real price for health care rather than a phony marked up price designed to force people into the insurance system.
The conservative movement today needs to refresh itself ideologically and to start talking about what its for rather than talking about what its against.
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Comments in 2011
Things have moved on since the book was published. While my view of the book is the same, I have nothing favoriable to say about its author anymore. There is a line between supporting conservative solutions to social problems and trying to transform conservatism into Lyndon Johnson style liberalism with social spending run amok at home and wars abroad.
I think the arguments presented in the book are substantially more mild than the thinking behind the arguments have turned out over time to be.
The conservative movement today needs to refresh itself ideologically and to start talking about what its for rather than talking about what its against.
------
Comments in 2011
Things have moved on since the book was published. While my view of the book is the same, I have nothing favoriable to say about its author anymore. There is a line between supporting conservative solutions to social problems and trying to transform conservatism into Lyndon Johnson style liberalism with social spending run amok at home and wars abroad.
I think the arguments presented in the book are substantially more mild than the thinking behind the arguments have turned out over time to be.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
If this is the best the GOP can do, it has no hope
David Frum's best-known work to date is: "The Right Man: The Surprise Presidency of George W. Bush". Read more
Published 7 months ago by Sagar Jethani
1.0 out of 5 stars
Conservatism Redefined - Incorrectly
Mr. Frum has a prescription for conservatism - "be less conservative." Provocative, perhaps, but not what an actual conservative is interested in reading. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Z as in Jersey
1.0 out of 5 stars
A disappointing Big Government apologist
Frum demonstrates the same Big Government, anti-free market, anti-personal liberty thinking that lead the Bush administration, for whom he wrote, to ruin our nation. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Dennis G. Pratt
2.0 out of 5 stars
needs more proof
I settled on this book after reading an essay of Frum's in the NYT magazine a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, my frustration at his poor research and data almost overwhelmed... Read more
Published 21 months ago by MV
2.0 out of 5 stars
Scary thoughts
I bought this book because I thought David Frum was the only conservative thinker willing to criticize the Republican party, and do it in a constructive fashion. Read more
Published on September 5, 2010 by W. A. Tennant
2.0 out of 5 stars
A Disappointment
I want to start by saying that Frum is very intelligent, and I'm a fan. Though I don't agree with most of the GOP's positions, I read FrumForum everyday and I'm always very... Read more
Published on August 16, 2010 by Random person on Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eight commendable policy principles
This book was published in 2008 since then Obama has significantly increased the difficulties that will have to be overcome if the Conservative principles that David Frum has... Read more
Published on May 31, 2010 by andris virsnieks
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intellectual conservatism is still around
Comeback is a good guideline for a future Republican president (if there is one again). This was a very well-argued, persuasive book (although I do not agree with Frum on stem... Read more
Published on November 12, 2009 by J. Davis
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thoughtful, data driven
Having written a book called The Right Man about President George W. Bush, Frum has to somehow point out the mistakes of his old boss without coming across like a jerk. Read more
Published on August 31, 2009 by Joe Wonk
2.0 out of 5 stars
Wishy-Washy
If you are a conservative looking for strong ways to bring the Republican Party back to #1 status in American politics, this book is not what you want to read. Read more
Published on July 25, 2009 by R. L. Hall
