Self-censorship

For years I’ve listened to rather opposing views on national fiscal matters between Robert Reich and David Frum. They take turns presenting an opinion each Wednesday on the excellent NPR program “Marketplace.” Reeling in a listener like myself with little interest in the marketplace is a testament to the value of the show.

Reich recently wrote about Frum’s departure from the program. The former George W. Bush speech writer presented a more conservative view than Reich, who was part of the Clinton administration. I often disagreed with what I heard from Frum, but he also opened my ears to new ideas to consider. Frum is quitting because he says he no longer represents the views of the political right:

And although I consider myself a conservative and a Republican, and I think that the right-hand side of the spectrum has the better answers for the long-term growth of economy — low taxes, restrained government, less regulation — it’s pretty clear that facing the immediate crisis — very intense crisis — I’m just not representing the view of most people who call themselves Republicans and conservatives these days.

Reich is very disappointed with Frum’s decision and he doesn’t believe that Frum needs to be the representative of the right to expound on his conservative views. Reich said that he sometimes offers comments that those on the left dispute.

Take this link to read more about Frum’s decision. He’s worried about the attitude of those in Washington on the right side of the aisle:

This is not a moment for government to be cutting back. … Right now we’re watching state governments try to balance all of their budgets at the same time in the middle of this crisis. We’ve seen half a million public sector jobs disappear. Now, if these were good times, I would applaud that. We need to see a thinner public sector — especially at the state and local level. But we’re seeing what happens when you do that as an anti-recession measure and you make the recession worse.