Comeback: Conservatism That Can Win Again
by David Frum
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Book Summary Information
Author: David FrumEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-01-31
ISBN: 0385515332
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Doubleday
Book Reviews of Comeback: Conservatism That Can Win Again
Book Review: Conservatism needs new thinking
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Summary of Comeback: Conservatism That Can Win Again
At a moment of crisis and pessimism for American conservatives, David Frum offers fresh ideas?and fresh hope.Not in a generation has conservatism been in as much trouble as it is at the end of the Bush years. A majority of Americans say the country is ?on the wrong track.? Voters prefer Democrats over Republicans on almost every issue, including taxes. The married, the middle-class, the native-born are dwindling as a share of the population, while Democratic blocs are rising. A generation of young people has turned its back on the Republican party.
Too many conservatives and Republicans have shut their eyes to negative trends. David Frum offers answers.
Frum says that the ideas that won elections for conservatives in the 1980s have done their job. Republicans can no longer win elections on taxes, guns, and promises to restore traditional values. It?s time now for a new approach, including:
A conservative commitment to make private-sector health insurance available to every American
Lower taxes on savings and investment financed by higher taxes on energy and pollution
Federal policies to encourage larger families
Major reductions in unskilled immigration
A genuinely compassionate conservatism, including a conservative campaign for prison reform and government action against the public health disaster of obesity
A new conservative environmentalism that promotes nuclear power in place of coal and oil
Higher ethical standards inside the conservative movement and the Republican party
A renewed commitment to expand and rebuild the armed forces of the United States?to crush terrorism?and get ready for the coming challenge from China
Frum?s previous bestselling books have earned accolades for their courage and creativity from liberals and conservatives alike. Today, with the conservative movement and the Republican Party facing their greatest danger since Watergate, Frum has again stepped forward with new ideas to take conservatism?and America?into a new century of greatness.
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