David Frum and the Closing of the Conservative Mind

[babylonsister]

http://capitalgainsandgames.com/blog/bruce-bartlett/1601/groupthink-right-would-make-stalin-proud

David Frum and the Closing of the Conservative Mind
Mar 25
Bruce Bartlett


As some readers of this blog may know, I was fired by a right wing think tank called the National Center for Policy Analysis in 2005 for writing a book critical of George W. Bush's policies, especially his support for Medicare Part D. In the years since, I have lost a great many friends and been shunned by conservative society in Washington, DC.

Now the same thing has happened to David Frum, who has been fired by the American Enterprise Institute. I don't know all the details, but I presume that his Waterloo post on Sunday condemning Republicans for failing to work with Democrats on healthcare reform was the final straw.

Since, he is no longer affiliated with AEI, I feel free to say publicly something he told me in private a few months ago. He asked if I had noticed any comments by AEI "scholars" on the subject of health care reform. I said no and he said that was because they had been ordered not to speak to the media because they agreed with too much of what Obama was trying to do.

It saddened me to hear this. I have always hoped that my experience was unique. But now I see that I was just the first to suffer from a closing of the conservative mind. Rigid conformity is being enforced, no dissent is allowed, and the conservative brain will slowly shrivel into dementia if it hasn't already.

Sadly, there is no place for David and me to go. The donor community is only interested in financing organizations that parrot the party line, such as the one recently established by McCain economic adviser Doug Holtz-Eakin.

I will have more to say on this topic later. But I wanted to say that this is a black day for what passes for a conservative movement, scholarship, and the once-respected AEI.

[SpiralHawk]

1. Republicons = Waterloosers

They really can't handle the truth at all, can they, poor pathetic wide-stance, diaper-clad chickenhawk Republicon FAIL Freaks.

It's kinda sad what they have done to themselves.

[babylonsister]

2. Hey, good one!

:hi: :thumbsup:

[Cha]

5. Excellent, SpiralHawk... Waterloogate!

:woohoo:WATERLOO

repubs=own worst enemy.

[DJ13]

3. ordered not to speak

to the media because they agreed with too much of what Obama was trying to do.


Obama's HCR is a near duplicate of a 1993 Republican reform bill sponsored back then by Lincoln Chafee.

Its no wonder they liked it.

[HughMoran]

4. Wow! This is one of the most damning things I've read about the 'convervative movement'

Without any brains behind the right-wing movement, and a psychotic dementia driving the remaining sheep, we could shortly be seeing a massive breakdown in civil discourse in this country (already witnessing the beginnings of such.)

[Spazito]

6. I'm very skeptical of this ....

I don't trust this sudden 'turnaround' by these guys. Frum is an asshole and because, like a stopped clock, he might be right a couple of times doesn't change the fact he is an asshole. He doesn't bite the hand that feeds him so I have to wonder who is picking up the tab now.

[babylonsister]

8. He got fired from AEI because of his views. You might be right,

but I've been wondering where the saner conservatives are hanging out while they watch this show going on, and how can they not be repulsed?

[Cha]

7. It's only obvious that this much is true..

"But now I see that I was just the first to suffer from a closing of the conservative mind. Rigid conformity is being enforced, no dissent is allowed, and the conservative brain will slowly shrivel into dementia if it hasn't already."

They've morphed into demented teabaggers who have nothing but lies, ignorance, & violence to keep them going.

Wonder where frum will end up?

[polichick]

9. These guys need to WAKE UP and become progressives. nt