Conservatives have long complained that public broadcasting prefers their conservatives with a "pseudo" prefix -- as in David Brooks or David Frum. On his blog FrumForum today, Frum announced he was resigning his spot as the right half of debates with liberal academic Robert Reich on the public-radio show Marketplace.
Frum acknowledged how far he has drifted from his old colleagues, but the question remains: will American Public Media, the producer of Marketplace, replace Frum with an actual conservative? Regardless, Frum honestly gave up a prominent and paid spot on a national radio show:
Over the past three years, this format has put me into some awkward positions.
So long as the topic is “green jobs” or NLRB regulations or immigration, my thinking aligns reasonably congruently with the current conservative consensus.
But on the issues that today most passionately divide Americans – healthcare reform, monetary policy, social spending to aid the unemployed, and – soon – the American response to the euro crisis, I have to recognize that my views are not very representative of the conservative mainstream.
When speaking wholly and declaredly for myself, I can shrug off (admittedly – with some regret) the distance I have drifted from old comrades. When I’m called on to do point-counterpoint, I can’t deny that there is something false about the situation. The many listeners to Marketplace who share the consensus conservative view are entitled to hear somebody articulate that view as well as it can be articulated. The listeners who do not share the consensus conservative view would benefit even more from a strong presentation of that alternative opinion.
If I can’t or won’t do that job, then I should make way for somebody who can and will.
Accordingly, I have resigned my role on the Marketplace program, nominating potential replacements from closer to the present GOP consensus. I may not agree with that consensus, but I cannot deny its existence and importance.
Frum said he would record a last interview with Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal for airing on Wednesday night. Conservatives will hope for the best for a replacement (and, for his sincerity, some interviews for Frum as well.) The next question becomes: Why can't David Brooks be this honest?
