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David Frum

The U.S. economy added 165,000 jobs in April. That's not a bad result, except for this fact: Technically speaking, the economy has been in recovery since the summer of 2009. Yet after nearly four years of economic expansion, nearly 12 million people remain unemployed.

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GOP off to a bad start for 2016updated Mon Apr 08 2013 07:37:36

Democrats acting like Republicans. Republicans acting like Democrats. The 2016 presidential contest is shaping up to be the political equivalent of gender-bending.

Hillary Clinton, a mistake for 2016updated Mon Apr 01 2013 09:16:31

Democrats seem poised to choose their next presidential nominee the way Republicans often choose theirs: according to the principle of "next in line."

Straight marriage is the real issueupdated Mon Mar 25 2013 11:42:52

The Supreme Court will hear arguments this week in two same-sex marriage cases. Whatever the justices do, the outcome seems foreordained. When 80% of Americans under 30 agree about something, that something will happen -- it's only a matter of time.

Privacy was good while it lastedupdated Mon Mar 18 2013 08:16:43

To be a politician today is to live in some ways like a citizen of North Korea. A politician must assume that he or she is under 24-hour audio-visual surveillance. Any objectionable remark, any untoward joke, any awkward facial expression may be recorded and broadcast. Professional and personal ruin can strike at any moment.

For some employers, 'immigration reform' means cheap laborupdated Mon Mar 11 2013 10:35:36

"When Dr. Johnson defined patriotism as the last refuge of a scoundrel, he was unconscious of the then undeveloped capabilities of the word 'reform.'"

'Peak oil' doomsayers proved wrongupdated Mon Mar 04 2013 09:47:38

Remember "peak oil"?

Vote no and send a message to Hagelupdated Mon Feb 25 2013 16:29:39

Republicans face two decisions about the nomination of Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense: how to vote and whether to filibuster.

Obama needs a 'Plan B' on gunsupdated Mon Feb 18 2013 09:21:39

On guns, President Obama needs a "Plan B."

What we don't know about love and lonelinessupdated Tue Feb 12 2013 07:38:54

Incomes? Home prices? New car sales? Americans exactingly measure everything that pertains to their material well-being. But when it comes time to assess the things that matter most -- human well-being and happiness -- there we find ourselves baffled.

To rebuild middle class, restore marriageupdated Mon Feb 04 2013 08:04:49

The long debate on same-sex marriage is coming to an end. A plurality of Americans now support same-sex marriage; the figure is 63% among voters under 30. The rest is just a matter of time.

World's leaders aren't doing their jobsupdated Mon Jan 28 2013 08:05:30

The world of punditry is divided into two groups: those who attend the World Economic Forum at Davos and those who mock the World Economic Forum at Davos. (There's a subgroup that both attends and mocks, but it's tiny.)

America's gun problem is not a race problemupdated Tue Jan 15 2013 12:29:10

Massacres such as Newtown are horrifying and heart-rending. They are also nothing like the typical American gun murder.

Marijuana use is too risky a choiceupdated Mon Jan 07 2013 11:16:27

Last week, I joined the board of a new organization to oppose marijuana legalization: Smart Approaches to Marijuana. The group is headed by former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy and includes Kevin Sabet, a veteran of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under President Obama.

Time to toot horn for George H.W. Bushupdated Mon Dec 31 2012 12:32:43

George H.W. Bush marked his 80th and 85th birthdays with parachute jumps. He said after the second jump: "Just because you're an old guy, you don't have to sit around drooling in the corner. Get out and do something. Get out and enjoy life."

Guns endanger more than they protectupdated Mon Dec 24 2012 08:37:50

The National Rifle Association's Friday press event has received almost uniformly negative reviews. Yet the speech by NRA chief Wayne LaPierre had this merit: It pulled into daylight for all to see the foundational assumption of modern American gun culture.

Why Obama shouldn't lead fight against gun violenceupdated Mon Dec 17 2012 10:06:06

Monday will be a day of mourning for the slain schoolchildren of Newtown, Connecticut. Then what? Some are urging President Barack Obama to lead a national campaign for tighter control of firearms.

Drug industry's free speech helps doctorsupdated Mon Dec 10 2012 14:00:09

Red wine in moderation has been shown to reduce the risks of heart disease. Enjoy a glass with dinner tonight.

A tax we could learn to loveupdated Mon Dec 03 2012 10:41:55

Global emissions of carbon dioxide hit a record high in 2011, scientists from the Global Carbon Project reported last week.

What's the GOP message if the economy booms?updated Mon Nov 26 2012 06:24:16

Here's the next thing the Republican party needs to rethink. What does it say if and when the United States returns to prosperity?

The uses and limits of Iran sanctionsupdated Mon Oct 15 2012 08:12:25

Iran's oil output has tumbled to the lowest level in 23 years, the International Energy Agency reported Friday.??This is the work of the tightening sanctions around Iran. The effects upon the Iranian economy have been dramatic.?

Chavez clown prince of a decaying societyupdated Tue Oct 09 2012 07:01:47

Venezuela's authoritarian president Hugo Chavez is a villain out of a Batman movie: buffoonish and sinister in equal measure.

Why 2013 will be a year of crisisupdated Mon Sep 03 2012 08:50:27

Prediction: 2013 will be a year of serious global crisis. That crisis is predictable, and in fact has already begun. It will inescapably confront the next president of the United States. Yet this emerging crisis got not a mention at the Republican National Convention in Tampa. We'll see if the Democrats do better.

The challenge for cable newsupdated Thu Aug 23 2012 08:10:05

Like many people in the media and political world, I first heard from Twitter the news that Mitt Romney had chosen Paul Ryan as his running mate. The information appeared between 11 p.m. and midnight on a Friday night. The alert was quickly confirmed by multiple news sources on my Twitter feed: TV networks, newspapers, wire services. Like many journalists, I stayed up late that night to write about the decision, filing copy over the next three hours. I was so weary the next morning that I very nearly slept through the broadcast of the actual announcement event in Norfolk, Virginia.

Facebook needs to earn your trustupdated Mon Aug 06 2012 23:21:32

A shrewd Wall Street friend once advised me: "There's all the difference in the world between a great business and a great investment."

Do guns make us safer?updated Mon Jul 30 2012 12:55:04

Do guns make us safer?

Fear drives opposition to gun controlupdated Mon Jul 23 2012 13:39:14

There will be no new gun laws after the Aurora shooting for the basic reason that the American people do not want them.

Paris taxi shortage: It's about jobsupdated Tue Jul 10 2012 14:15:57

The taxi rocked to the pounding sounds of French rap music.

Want to keep AC on? Bury power linesupdated Mon Jul 02 2012 08:36:55

Congratulations: If you're reading this, you have electricity. Unfortunately, more than 3 million Americans this weekend couldn't join you. The sweltering heat wave that roasted the eastern United States was accompanied by terrible storms that have knocked out power lines up and down the seaboard.

Three seeds for America's future economic boomupdated Mon Jun 18 2012 07:36:38

Crisis begets innovation.

Bloomberg's visionary move against obesityupdated Mon Jun 04 2012 08:32:51

Nobody seems to have a positive word for Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposal to ban oversized servings of sugary drinks in New York's food-service establishments.

I'm not a Pakistani spyupdated Mon May 28 2012 10:10:21

That was an interesting week!

How the euro crisis will affect youupdated Mon May 21 2012 08:55:06

The European financial crisis is poorly understood in the United States.

Fear fueling Republican extremismupdated Mon May 14 2012 11:06:35

Last month, two political scientists published one of those rare op-eds that gets the political community talking.

Romney caves to far rightupdated Mon May 07 2012 07:25:30

There is something tragic in the unfolding of Mitt Romney's campaign for president.

Why a pundit wrote a novelupdated Mon Apr 30 2012 16:36:07

Blogger Kathleen Geier observes:

Euro crisis invites political extremism in French voteupdated Mon Apr 16 2012 07:40:08

The French will vote next week to elect a new president.

To most Americans, it doesn't feel like an economic recoveryupdated Mon Apr 09 2012 07:46:37

Friday's weak jobs report is more than a disappointing blip.

After the mandate, government-run health care would growupdated Mon Apr 02 2012 07:36:38

Suppose the Supreme Court does rule that the health care mandate is unconstitutional? What happens then?

Jeffrey Sachs' unlikely quest for World Bank postupdated Mon Mar 19 2012 07:19:36

For the record, I'm not a leading fan of the economist Jeffrey Sachs.

Israel's 'Iron Dome' system isn't enough protectionupdated Mon Mar 12 2012 15:24:16

As Iran rushes ahead with its nuclear program, some foreign policy thinkers urge Israel to accept that it must live with "incomplete" security.

Are we being fair to Rush Limbaugh?updated Mon Mar 05 2012 07:44:30

"It's not fair!"

Romney throws his economic plan overboardupdated Mon Feb 27 2012 08:27:32

Compare and contrast the economic plan Mitt Romney released in September with the speech he delivered Friday in Detroit.

GOP's worst nightmare -- a contested convention updated Mon Feb 20 2012 07:40:16

As John Avlon has recently calculated, there is a real possibility that the Republican primary process could fail to yield a majority winner.

Mitt Romney's 'severely' bad movesupdated Mon Feb 13 2012 07:36:38

Mitt Romney ended a very bad week with a pretty good weekend.

A moon colony is a waste of money updated Mon Jan 30 2012 07:33:05

Newt Gingrich has absorbed a fair degree of ridicule for his campaign proposal to build an American colony on the moon. Before focusing the laughter solely on Gingrich, however, let's recall that it is the declared policy of the U.S. government to return a human being to the moon by 2020, in preparation for sending a human astronaut to Mars. If Gingrich is wrong (and he is), he's not wrong alone.

Obama-GOP battle turns ruthlessupdated Mon Jan 09 2012 10:10:53

Watch the Republican primaries, and you can feel: the American political system is working. The GOP is discarding the unqualified and irresponsible candidates and rapidly converging on the person in the race who could actually do the job of president.

Why we're getting fatter -- and what to do about itupdated Mon Jan 02 2012 07:51:42

Monday is the second day of the year, which means millions of Americans have started new diets. They resolved to lose weight, get in shape, and they are starting strong.

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