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Why Romney Lost
WHY ROMNEY LOST is a forthright analysis that offers a bold, hopeful plan for Republican success in the years ahead. David Frum urges a Republican party that is culturally modern, economically inclusive, and environmentally responsible - a party that can meet the challenges of the Obama years and lead a diverse America to a new age of freedom and prosperity.
Kindle Edition
First published November 7, 2012
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About the author
David Frum
26 books163 followersDavid J. Frum is a Canadian American journalist active in both the United States and Canadian political arenas. A former economic speechwriter for President George W. Bush, he is also the author of the first "insider" book about the Bush presidency. His editorial columns have appeared in a variety of Canadian and American magazines and newspapers, including the National Post and The Week. He is also the founder of FrumForum.com (formerly NewMajority.com), a political group blog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
November 12, 2012
A very interesting essay on why Romney lost when everyone around him was so absolutely sure he'd win the election. It was nice to see a moderate Republican call out the Republican party that has changed so much ideologically within recent memory. I liked that he pointed out that the Republicans really need to make an effort to compromise in the upcoming term... that the debt ceiling crisis was created by the Republicans as a way for them to force their will, and that the upcoming "fiscal cliff" was manufactured as well because they were absolutely sure there would be a Republican in office by now. It appears that the author is suggesting that the Republican party return to a more central stance. Certainly not full center, but definitely left of the right where they have been. It was also very interesting for a Republican to say that Fox News and conservative talk radio are doing their fans a grave disservice by either outright lying to them or omitting pertinent facts. Even the so-called "liberal" news media gives more correct information than Fox.
I hope the Republican party takes to heart the results of this election. What they're doing is not working for the majority of Americans. If they want to stay relevant (even Fox News is talking about the changing demographics of the nation), they need to find a way to change with the times. That is not to say that they need to just say what the majority of Americans want to hear (that didn't work for Mitt), because it's likely that such an about-face would be insincere and the American public can figure that out. But a real shift in their most provocative policies is needed or they won't get the majority of the vote.
Oh, and I *loved* it when he wrote:
Women as equal participants in the workplace and possessing autonomy of their bodies: this is a social change that has already happened and will not be rolled back. The same is true for nonwhites who have gained their place in the national story and for gays living unashamed and unafraid. Perhaps there are people who still want to argue against these social transformations. Their place is writing in small journals of cultural critical or niche websites, not running for office as the candidates of a great modern party.
I hope the Republican party takes to heart the results of this election. What they're doing is not working for the majority of Americans. If they want to stay relevant (even Fox News is talking about the changing demographics of the nation), they need to find a way to change with the times. That is not to say that they need to just say what the majority of Americans want to hear (that didn't work for Mitt), because it's likely that such an about-face would be insincere and the American public can figure that out. But a real shift in their most provocative policies is needed or they won't get the majority of the vote.
Oh, and I *loved* it when he wrote:
Women as equal participants in the workplace and possessing autonomy of their bodies: this is a social change that has already happened and will not be rolled back. The same is true for nonwhites who have gained their place in the national story and for gays living unashamed and unafraid. Perhaps there are people who still want to argue against these social transformations. Their place is writing in small journals of cultural critical or niche websites, not running for office as the candidates of a great modern party.
November 18, 2012
While this book could use with more examples and "scaffolding" to support the major talking points, it's still should be required reading for progressives and conservatives. Frum is able to make an intellectual, factual, non-hysterical assessment of the state of the GOP and what it will take to save the party.
The author also makes a cogent argument for what is NOT to like about Obama's policies, and none of it includes where he was born, socialism or any other right-wing conspiracy theory and rightly assesses that the reason the GOP couldn't beat Obama is because they didn't know Obama. He discusses the alternative knowledge system created and sustained by right-wing blogs and Fox news and he acknowledges the hypocrisy of the pro-life movement's obsession with the unborn and the lack of interest in children born into poverty.
I'm giving this book as a Christmas present to all of my conservative family and friends so that they can understand why I've voted for the Democratic nominee for the last three elections.
The author also makes a cogent argument for what is NOT to like about Obama's policies, and none of it includes where he was born, socialism or any other right-wing conspiracy theory and rightly assesses that the reason the GOP couldn't beat Obama is because they didn't know Obama. He discusses the alternative knowledge system created and sustained by right-wing blogs and Fox news and he acknowledges the hypocrisy of the pro-life movement's obsession with the unborn and the lack of interest in children born into poverty.
I'm giving this book as a Christmas present to all of my conservative family and friends so that they can understand why I've voted for the Democratic nominee for the last three elections.
January 16, 2013
This short book was recommended by CNN reporter Fareed Zakaria on his weekly TV show, GPS. It may be the best single summary of why Romney lost in 2012. The most important thing is that this book is written by a staunch if moderately-to-the-right Republican strategist. He saw that Romney would lose the election a month or so before, while other Republican predicted victory, and started putting his thoughts on paper, which explains why this little tome came out so quickly. More importantly, he is right on track. While Romney complains that he lost because Obama gave the 47 percent "gift", Frum discusses how the Republican party lost the middle class and strayed from their more inclusive policies of the 80s' and 90s. This is not a wild eyed gloat by a democrat but someone who is truly worried that his party will no longer be taken seriously by the American public. And judging by the way this new year has started with the GOP sticking to Fiscal Cliff hostage taking and catering to the NRA lobbyists, I'm afraid he may be right.
December 7, 2012
A thoughtful, well-written and compelling piece explaining all the reasons as a Republican, I want to disassociate myself from the current Republican Party. Frum shows how after the loss in 2008, the GOP collapsed in on its standby values, and the Tea Party was born. Lot of good that dogma got us. It's a party that's quickly losing relevance. Frum shows what it needs to shed and what it needs to embrace to keep that trend barreling into an obsolete club for old white men.
November 11, 2012
I hope that Republicans don't take Frum's analysis of the Romney/Republican campaign seriously because his criticisms are spot on. He notes that Republicans are living in an echo chamber taking everything Fox News says about the American people and party politics seriously. That's why Romney, Karl Rove, Bill O'Reilly, et al were so "shocked, shocked" by Obama's rather quick an easy victory on November 6th.
Frum is a Republican who truly wants to help his party gain power, but the way they are doing it now simply is not working.
Frum is a Republican who truly wants to help his party gain power, but the way they are doing it now simply is not working.
November 28, 2012
This is a very short (sixty-odd pages) e-book that was rushed to publication immediately after the 2012 Presidential election. Former George W. Bush speechwriter, David Frum, outlines his reasons why Mitt Romney lost the election to Barack Obama, mainly blaming the Republican party's anti-immigrant stance and right-wing policies on social issues with special blame being assigned to FOX News and radio talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh.
This book was done way too quickly to have any real analytical merit. However, it does give Democrats some good talking points when arguing with Republicans.
This book was done way too quickly to have any real analytical merit. However, it does give Democrats some good talking points when arguing with Republicans.
November 22, 2012
Interesting rant about the failed ideological anger of the conservative entertainment industry and how it has undermined and alienated most of America. While Frum stops short of naming names and totally leveling the critique, instead offering up a sort of conservative stream of consciousness that pleads for a return to the halcyon days before 2008. The root cause is old people, white people, and the Tea Party's uncompromising stagnation. Interesting little article/ebook and incredibly even handed, despite his own disappointment and justified anger at the state of his beloved GOP.
November 20, 2012
A fairly rational Republican look at why Mitt Romney lost the 2012 election. Frum makes a cogent argument that Mitt Romney is a capable and effective administrator who was a political moderate but had to tack so far right to win the nomination he was never able to regain the middle.
August 4, 2019
This is not Theodore White level analysis, but I am a politics junkie and I love this stuff. Like a lot of people, I consider Obama to be the best president so far in this century, and possibly being the best in my adult life. Frum's position in this book is that Romney lost more than Obama winning, which I don't really agree with, but beyond that he pushes the idea the Republican Party has become out-of-touch. I think this is essentially correct, though lately they seem to have gained some traction from outright racism and nationalism. Frum is a life-long Republican who served in W's administration, so his views have some relevance here.
December 13, 2021
Why is the author so horrible though?? Let’s make that a book. I’d probably enjoy that one. This one was garbage, much like the author.
July 25, 2025
Wow! That did not turn out as planned!
David Frum is my go-to sensible conservative. He predicted, accurately, that the Affordable Healthcare Act (Obamacare) would pass, calling it the Republican Party's Waterloo. For this he was drummed out of the party. He remains a conservative in the classic meaning of the word.
In this book, written (or at least published) after Mitt Romney lost the 2012 election to Barack Obama, Frum attempts to tell the Republican Party what it should do to become a modern party responsive to voters. It goes without saying that the Party did not do anything like what Frum proposed. And, in a limited sense, he was wrong: the Republicans won the next presidential election, in 2016, with Donald Trump defeating Hillary Clinton.
There is, of course, much more to say about that, and Frum has indeed said some of it in later works. Why Romney Lost is now mostly interesting as a historical document.
Blog review.
David Frum is my go-to sensible conservative. He predicted, accurately, that the Affordable Healthcare Act (Obamacare) would pass, calling it the Republican Party's Waterloo. For this he was drummed out of the party. He remains a conservative in the classic meaning of the word.
In this book, written (or at least published) after Mitt Romney lost the 2012 election to Barack Obama, Frum attempts to tell the Republican Party what it should do to become a modern party responsive to voters. It goes without saying that the Party did not do anything like what Frum proposed. And, in a limited sense, he was wrong: the Republicans won the next presidential election, in 2016, with Donald Trump defeating Hillary Clinton.
There is, of course, much more to say about that, and Frum has indeed said some of it in later works. Why Romney Lost is now mostly interesting as a historical document.
Blog review.
November 13, 2012
David Frum is a much-needed voice for conservatism in America. He started writing Why Romney Lost six weeks prior to the 2012 election, knowing that his Republican party had already lost, and more importantly knowing why it had lost.
The remarkable thing about this book — really more of an elongated magazine article — is that it simultaneously acts as a manifesto and rallying cry for how things could be different for conservatives going forward, as well as a clear case for why liberal people should consider the brand of conservatism for which Frum advocates. There has been a lot of brash outrage or embarrassed navel-gazing among conservatives since the election, yet this book is neither: it is smart, proud, and to-the-point, making a specific and pointed case for how American conservatism can more forward and how it can actually take a true leadership role again in our country.
I wouldn't necessarily vote for the party that Frum envisions, but I sure would be glad if it existed. Frum accurately claims that the Republican party is "becoming increasingly isolated and estranged from modern America." In this book, he offers the party and conservative movement a way forward. Recommended.
The remarkable thing about this book — really more of an elongated magazine article — is that it simultaneously acts as a manifesto and rallying cry for how things could be different for conservatives going forward, as well as a clear case for why liberal people should consider the brand of conservatism for which Frum advocates. There has been a lot of brash outrage or embarrassed navel-gazing among conservatives since the election, yet this book is neither: it is smart, proud, and to-the-point, making a specific and pointed case for how American conservatism can more forward and how it can actually take a true leadership role again in our country.
I wouldn't necessarily vote for the party that Frum envisions, but I sure would be glad if it existed. Frum accurately claims that the Republican party is "becoming increasingly isolated and estranged from modern America." In this book, he offers the party and conservative movement a way forward. Recommended.
November 25, 2012
interesting book if you are a conservative. Explains why our prescriptions for the modern problems are increasingly irrelevant to many in the voter base. Explains how Reaganism was brilliant for the problems facing their day and age (91% tax bracket for the wealthy, inflation in double digits, regulations on pricing for many industries, etc), but tax-cutting is not always a good prescription -- we should be for smaller government and fiscal responsibility, but know when it's appropriate to cut taxes and when it's appropriate to raise them -- note Reagan raised taxes 11 times after initial tax cut.
He has some views I don't agree with but are interesting. Notably abortion. He explains that there has been 388 laws recorded at the fed and state level restricting the procedures, and now 87% of american counties do not have an abortion clinic. Abortion rates have been dropping for a while and abortion-for-convenience is a very small percentage of abortions. It's usually now due to economic distress. He does not advocate removing abortion from the platform, but de-prioritizing it.
In the end, it's clear that Frum is a neo-con and this is a pretty interesting read to delve into their take on the way forward.
He has some views I don't agree with but are interesting. Notably abortion. He explains that there has been 388 laws recorded at the fed and state level restricting the procedures, and now 87% of american counties do not have an abortion clinic. Abortion rates have been dropping for a while and abortion-for-convenience is a very small percentage of abortions. It's usually now due to economic distress. He does not advocate removing abortion from the platform, but de-prioritizing it.
In the end, it's clear that Frum is a neo-con and this is a pretty interesting read to delve into their take on the way forward.
February 20, 2016
This was a Kindle single from Republican journalist David Frum.
While I disagree with Frum's promotion of conservative politics, I've always found him to be fair, and willing to criticize his own party for stupid mistakes. He gets a wee bit snarky on his Obama criticisms, but he doesn't hold back when it comes to calling out his own party for its shortcomings.
It's hard to argue that they've got a real problem with women, minorities, gays, and the poor. Frum makes a good argument that in order to survive, Republicans must modify their thinking on these groups and work on being a more inclusive party.
Frum has taken a lot of flak from his own party as some sort of "traitor" to the Republican cause, so I think it's a safe bet that they won't pay attention to his ideas here.
A quick read with no real revelations for anyone who is paying attention to politics.
While I disagree with Frum's promotion of conservative politics, I've always found him to be fair, and willing to criticize his own party for stupid mistakes. He gets a wee bit snarky on his Obama criticisms, but he doesn't hold back when it comes to calling out his own party for its shortcomings.
It's hard to argue that they've got a real problem with women, minorities, gays, and the poor. Frum makes a good argument that in order to survive, Republicans must modify their thinking on these groups and work on being a more inclusive party.
Frum has taken a lot of flak from his own party as some sort of "traitor" to the Republican cause, so I think it's a safe bet that they won't pay attention to his ideas here.
A quick read with no real revelations for anyone who is paying attention to politics.
Read
November 11, 2012In this book, Canadian-born conservative pundit David Frum outlines his take on the reasons for the Republican losses in the US elections of 2012, and makes policy recommendations for the future. Rather than focusing on many of the specifics of the Romney campaign, he focuses on what he sees as the shortcomings of the Republican Party in light of the changing demographics of the US. This is a short book, which I read in about an hour, and it is an inexpensive one ($3.99 on Kindle). But, in my view, Frum has some important things to say, and he says them well.
April 4, 2013
I think every person eligible to vote in the USA should be required to read this book. You may not agree with all of Forum's conclusions or characterizations, I certainly do not, but even so you will find this to be a startlingly clear eyed, unflinchingly honest look at politics in the modern USA. Only with such honesty, open mindedness and willingness to compromise will we be able to make progress and leave a better country and world for our descendants than we were given. BTW, I am neither conservative nor Republican.
November 18, 2012
I am a staunch Democrat and find this book fascinating, inspiring, and thought-provoking. It makes me think we Americans are not so far apart that we shouldn't be able to offer each other civility and respect. A surprise read for me. And an Independent friend who read it said Frum's views are fringe Republican, more Democrat.
December 7, 2012
This honest & clearly-written post-mortem will be valuable reading for anyone truly surprised by the results of the 2012 presidential election. Many of the GOP's wounds were self-inflicted, and the author is right to point out that it's possible to apply core conservative principles (freedom, personal responsibility) to policy without alienating large swaths of the population.
August 28, 2014
An excellent quick read. I don't agree with all of Frum's points, but his is a voice worth paying attention to. (Those comments were made in January 2013; re-reading in August 2014, I would be more critical.)
August 8, 2014
Frum make a good argument as to why the GOP lost the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, and how the party must grow and rejoin modernity in order to stay relevant. I'm not sure anyone is listening, however, 2 years later.
November 13, 2012
Really probably 3 1/2 stars. Interesting read, with plenty of excellent points.
November 11, 2012
Well articulated analysis of the latest election and where the GOP is headed if they keep using the right wing news shows and talk shows as their only source of information.
November 23, 2012
Fantastic look into the GOP's problems from a GOP member.
November 20, 2012
Interesting ebook - makes a lot of valid points.
November 22, 2012
Interesting commentary by a Republican writer. Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan need to read this, instead of making excuses. That political pendulum will smack us all sooner or later.
November 22, 2012
It's a good point of analysis. A quick, informative read.
November 28, 2012
My ebook was missing the last couple of pages, so I don't know Mr. Frum's conclusion. I assume he had one.
October 19, 2016
Still relevant four years later.
December 19, 2012
Interesting read, I believe, for everyone. I am fairly liberal and registered as a Democrat, mainly because of the Republican social agenda. David Fromm's closing paragraph is so, so true.
December 24, 2012
A decent read, Frum is a strong writer with ideas that the GOP should embrace if it wants to emerge from its current dark age.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews