I don’t personally like or dislike Frank, but I do note that he’s been, in my estimation, wrong about the consequences of most policy issues he spoke about, so I can hardly find this unwelcome news.
Massachusetts seems to have lost its collective mind over the past few years. Frank leaving is a disaster for the state and for Congress.
mr frank was not one to suffer fools. this last congress may have just put the last nail in the coffin for him.
i will miss him and i sincerely hope some network picks him up as a polital consultant. he is so fast on his feet, and has a quiver full of quips.
Does Barney Frank have a strange accent or an odd speech impediment? I have always wanted to know, but have been to shy to ask.
Substitute “Pubs” for “Dems” and “Jesse Helms” or “Strom Thurmond” for “Maxine Waters.” Of course a repeatedly-re-elected pol can be an embarrassment.
He does have a speech impediment. I don’t know how to describe it, although I found one poster on another message board who described it as verbal apraxia.
Translation: Being in the minority sucks, and there is almost no chance the Democrats will regain the House next election. Might as well bail.
Dana Milbank points out what many people in Washington, friends and foes of Frank, already knew - that he was extremely rude and abrasive even by Washington standards, and that this kept him from achieving more in his years on the Hill.
Apparently Joseph Kennedy III might run for Frank’s seat.
Be careful if you’re running for Frank’s seat, BTW, his BF gets jealous.
Her district covers some of the poorest parts of Los Angeles County. Just to put it in perspective. So if she bases her votes on what her constituents want, she’s always going to be in favor of some form of wealth redistribution.
What perspective is that supposed to put anything in? It’s completely irrelevant.
I have always wondered how Frank became the Teflon Don of the House. He hired a male prostitute who became his boyfriend and wasn’t there something about the boyfriend running a prostitution ring out of the home? And don’t forget that he basically refused Bush Jr.'s call to reform Fannie and Freddy before the mortgage failure. I’m not saying that these actions seem to be condoned or ignored, but it seems that the reaction is, “Meh.” while Larry Craig’s “wide stance” got an OMFG!!!1111ONEONEONE from everyone and do we even need to rehash the blame game for the mortgage meltdown?
So what is it? Why does he withstand things that have brought other politicians down? Is it a Democrat thing or does he have some gravitas going on?
It is much easier to find more colorful politicians in the House, especially from districts safe for one party.
He’s from Massachusets, Land of the Speech Imediment. It’s on the state seal in small letters: Pahk the cahr in tha yahd.
The big deal with Craig wasn’t his homosexuality itself, but the hypocrisy. When you spend your career railing against gays and then turn out to be one yourself, that’s news (not very surprising news, but news). When you come right out and admit it right from the outset, meh.
Guess who led the effort to move to censure Frank and expel him from the House after the prostitution thing came to light. Really, take a guess.
The general answer to Saint Cad’s question is that Frank’s constituents decided the personal failings were not that important. Frank was censured for the prostitution issue. His relationship with the prostitute started before he was elected and the House was convinced he did not know about the prostitution ring. I am not sure that Saint Cad’s summary of the Fannie and Freddie issue is accurate.
Don’t you think that poor people are more inclined to support wealth distribution?
I think poor people probably support social program like that, yes. But I think very few people of any income bracket support Congress redistributing taxpayer money to their own families and using their offices to get ahead financially. It’s such a different circumstance that I’m not sure why anybody would make the comparison.
Are you referring to the toward-the-top redistribution we’ve had ever since Reagan? There are quite a few poor people who staunchly support the GOP, and therefore the answer is yes.
You misspelled “Bayonne, NJ”. And “Massachusetts”. And “impediment”.
Brave talk there, considering they’re all up for re-election, including the teabagger freshmen who’ve done so much to discredit themselves.
Not in Maxine Waters’s district, which is what we’re talking about.