Mediaite’s resident Fox News wanna-be Noah Rothman went after David Frum this morning for making sense and not being a blind ideologue.
Frum is one of those guys who doesn’t see the world through the “me first” political generation filter, a Joe Scarborough-Republican who holds conservative views and occasionally believes stupid things (like us all) but won’t ignore reality when it presents a negative narrative for his party.
Rothman seems like he’s auditioning for Rush Limbaugh’s job most days, with less overt racism, but still a human being built like a commercial enterprise whose profit is the domination of American society with conservative policies that can never, ever be wrong.
David Frum doesn’t toe the party line when he thinks it’s wrong, and all too often the result of that are these RINO (Republican in name only) attacks and accusations of not being a true conservative.
It’s persecution and hubris and I don’t think any of that is in dispute.
Rothman believes that Frum is what’s wrong with the Republican Party, the same “Republicans aren’t conservative enough and we have to get rid of the moderates” excuse and complaint you hear every single time a Republican loses an election.
That may even sometimes be true, but is it true with David Frum?
I don’t think so. Noah Rothman is what’s wrong with the GOP, and his type’s inability to accept being wrong or even being disagreed with, while David Frum is the kind of Republican that can win national elections because his message still has appeal and he’s capable selling it without being a dick.
That said, I’m not urging Frum to run for office. My point here, from a predicable direction, would quickly be dismissed by conservatives. Of course I agree with Frum, I’m a Democrat, and that makes Rothman’s point for him. Doesn’t it?
Perhaps, so then don’t take my word for it.
Consider this: I agree with David Frum on a lot of his criticism of the GOP, but I’d much rather see Noah Rothman win the argument with his peers. If Rothman wins, in my mind, that means the GOP will stay lost in words, fighting against popular issues like some moderate gun control, immigration reform, and economic support, which will continue to hand elections to Democrats regardless of what policies Democrats actually have.
If Frum is right, his ideas would result in a stronger GOP which is a threat to my political interests. If I agree with him but want Rothman to win the debate, what does that say about Rothman’s ideas?