Barney Frank, the GOPs’ favorite villain, to retire
Barney Frank casts his mysterious spell over House Republicans.
Barney Frank, 71, will reportedly announce this afternoon that he will not be running for re-election next year.
On the hand, that will deprive the Republican noise machine of one of its favorite stock villains. On the other hand, it will quickly identify someone else to replace him. Elizabeth Warren, another Massachusetts liberal, comes to mind.
It will also occasion another rehash of claims that Frank, as a minority member of the U.S. House at an era time when Republicans ran the place with an iron fist, somehow managed to singlehandedly bamboozle the GOP majority into backing the destruction of the U.S. housing industry. And as always, they will have no explanation of how such a thing is possible.
As the Boston Globe reports:
“A close adviser told the Globe today that the new district in which Frank would have to run next year was a major factor in his decision. While it retained his Newton stronghold, it was revised to encompass more conservative towns while Frank also lost New Bedford, a blue-collar city where he spent a lot of time and became a leading figure in the debate over fisheries.”
– Jay Bookman
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143 comments Add your comment
kayaker 71
November 28th, 2011
11:48 am
Jm,
Maybe she was a past member of the Atlanta Public School system.
Stevie Ray
November 28th, 2011
11:48 am
JM,
The argument that Elections are term limits has no traction. Incumbents have such an advantage in the areas of contributions and other cash that is akin to the reason the Yankees are always in the hunt every October…
The Permanent Political’s need specific term limits in order for anything to change.
Kamchak
November 28th, 2011
11:48 am
The silver bullet that y’all are painfully groping for is — campaign finance reform.
But just like term limits, the very people that is in charge of changing the laws, ain’t a-gonna do it.
Doggone/GA
November 28th, 2011
11:48 am
“but as long as we have districts where there is absolutely no oppostion we will just get clones of the ones we term limit”
And even that doesn’t really matter. If the “system” is corrupt, then the system will corrupt ANYONE who runs for office.
Jm
November 28th, 2011
11:49 am
Kay
Could be….
Jm
November 28th, 2011
11:50 am
Stevie 11:48 I agree 110%
getalife
November 28th, 2011
11:51 am
As a matter of fact, I gave up speaking out on the culture of corruption during the w disaster because you cons were cheering it on.
Baby steps.
We are their bosses and instead of worshiping corrupt pols we should act like bosses and fire them for their horrible performance.
kayaker 71
November 28th, 2011
11:52 am
Kamchak,
Since the SCOTUS ruled that corporations can contribute as persons to anyone’s political campaign, it was a major step backward to much needed reforms and provided a death blow to future efforts.
USMC
November 28th, 2011
11:52 am
Getalife,
Congrats, LSU finally made it to the SEC Championship game.
Now you have a tough task of playing the Bulldogs! Go Dawgs!
Occupy Congress (aka The Tea Party)
November 28th, 2011
11:52 am
Term limits, now. Balanced budget amendment, now. Smaller less corrupt government, now.
stands for decibels
November 28th, 2011
11:53 am
Jay, as to that “deprive the GOP of their stock villain” bit–they still attack Ted Kennedy.
And he’s (still) dead.
getalife
November 28th, 2011
11:54 am
“If the “system” is corrupt, then the system will corrupt ANYONE who runs for office”
Exactly.
Lord Help Us
November 28th, 2011
11:55 am
I say put Jack Abramoff front and center…he looks ready to talk and probably has proof of just the kind of ‘pay to play’ corruption and cronyism so many here are collectively against.
There is a guy named Darrell Issa that could subpoena Abramoff, gather evidence and run a lot of corrupt politicians out of Washington.
Wonder why he hasn’t…
getalife
November 28th, 2011
11:56 am
USMC,
I think LSU will win out the save the BCS system and leave no doubt who are the Champions.
stands for decibels
November 28th, 2011
11:57 am
USMC – Your level of ignorance is astounding.
Lumping pedophiles and gays together is not only wrong, but viciously so.
Midori, I just want to clarify a point/determine whether you intended something to be taken literally–do you really think this guy is ignorant of how vicious this conflation really is?
I don’t. I think it’s likely quite purposeful, myself. I would like to be wrong.
Occupy Congress (aka The Tea Party)
November 28th, 2011
11:58 am
Smaller government= less corrupt government
It is the only real tool to stop them
Strawman
November 28th, 2011
11:59 am
“And as always, they will have no explanation of how such a thing is possible.”
Care to proffer and explanation of how Frank paid Stephen Gobie for sex, hired him as a “personal assistant”, and then had his house used as a base for Gobie’s escort service and yet was not even censured by House?
Former Marine
November 28th, 2011
11:59 am
USMC
You are a disgusting pig and a disgrace to the Corps.
Normal
November 28th, 2011
11:59 am
Late for the party…oh well,
I will be sorry to see barney go, he is/was a doer. Got things done. Bet Elizabeth Warren will have this next. Life is good.
Doggone/GA
November 28th, 2011
11:59 am
“Smaller government= less corrupt government”
Not a given
Peadawg
November 28th, 2011
12:01 pm
“Lumping pedophiles and gays together is not only wrong, but viciously so.”
Sandusky is a pedophile, true. But isn’t also gay since he likes men/boys?
Welcome to the Occupation
November 28th, 2011
12:02 pm
Jm: “And a different quality of people than OWS. Oh wait, they’re called the Tea Partiers. ”
But the TP got co-opted and folded into the Republican party. In other words, the existing corrupt two-party system. Which means: it failed.
Jay
November 28th, 2011
12:03 pm
sheets
USMC
November 28th, 2011
12:03 pm
“USMC – Your level of ignorance is astounding.
Lumping pedophiles and gays together is not only wrong, but viciously so.”
Midori, “Men” who have “sex” with “boys” are GAY.
You have no way around that one, but I do agree with you that it is sickening and a sad reality in life.
My heart goes out to the victims and their families.
getalife
November 28th, 2011
12:04 pm
“Wonder why he hasn’t…”
Because the people are just now admitting their precious party is corrupt and did not demand it.
You get what you vote for and we got a thoroughly corrupt system of government.
The solution is simple with a few rule changes.
It is not complicated and it is not too late.
JamVet
November 28th, 2011
12:06 pm
Barney Frank is the homophobic-heavy, neo-con movement’s worst nightmare – extremely smart, informed, very well spoken and always willing to stand up to bullies in wide variety of arenas – civil rights, women’s rights, gay rights, worker’s rights. etc.
He is everything the fake conservatives are not – he stands up to criminals and systemic injustice while our Republicans stand with them.
His record is very mixed, but one thing has remained constant since the early 1970s – neo-cons will do everything in their power to smear and lie about him and his record.
“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never has, and it never will.” ~Frederick Douglass
Former Marine
November 28th, 2011
12:08 pm
USMC,
No you idiot, men who have sex with underage children, be they boys or girls, are mentally ill. Their predilections have nothing to do with sex or sexual orientation, they have to do with dangerous mental disorders that have power and control as their root.
Basically, you have taken someone with whom you disagree politically and painted him with the same brush as pedophiles. I really hope you’re one of the poser Marines as I’d hate to think I served with someone so totally devoid and lacking in honor and respect.
Peadawg
November 28th, 2011
12:12 pm
“No you idiot, men who have sex with underage children, be they boys or girls, are mentally ill.”
True. But men who have sex w/ boys are also gay.
Jay
November 28th, 2011
12:14 pm
Using predators such as Sandusky to smear gay adults is like using predators like Ted Bundy to smear heterosexuals. It makes no sense whatsoever and serves only to excuse weak-minded bigotry.
Former Marine
November 28th, 2011
12:16 pm
Peadawg,
That would be true of the abuse was truly about sex but, while the abuse may be preferential it’s not sexual in nature. It is a mental disorder that has no real cure or treatment. To compare the two may serve a political agenda but it ignores the facts and research on the subject.
Peadawg
November 28th, 2011
12:17 pm
“Using predators such as Sandusky to smear gay adults”
For the record, I wasn’t doing that. I’m just pointing out that Sandusky showed homosexual behavior, i.e. attracted to the same sex.
Bill Orvis White
November 28th, 2011
12:26 pm
I woke up to the joyful sound of this great piece of news that my prayers do get answered. Bawney Frank is the root cause of The Hussein Obama Malaise-January 2009-present. Now, that I know that there is a God, I am totally certain that Hussein Obama will be leaving Washington in January 2013. But, people like Bawney Frank have destroyed this once-free nation through secularism, debauchery and fiscal incompetence. That’s treason, pure and simple. Hopefully, “he” will be taken to a court of law to answer for his anti-American activities while “serving” in the U.S. Congress. God-willing there will be a good conservative to replace that nightmare up there in Godless New England and someone to the right of Sen. Brown.
Amen,
Bill
Tommy Maddox
November 28th, 2011
12:27 pm
Thanks for nothing Barney. Good riddance.
Granny Godzilla
November 28th, 2011
12:30 pm
Rep. Frank
Thanks for your service!
Tommy Maddox
November 28th, 2011
12:32 pm
Yep – looks like the temple’s collapsing…
Barney Frank Will Retire From Congress – ABC News (blog) | Political News Today
November 28th, 2011
12:41 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
willydoit?
November 28th, 2011
12:55 pm
I’m just going to miss his funny looking wee little mouth when he talks.
How can a guy with a mouth that small be gay??
Crenshaw8
November 28th, 2011
1:03 pm
The only reason Frank has been able to serve for thirty-two years (too damn long) is all the gerrymandering that goes on in Massachusetts. Massachusetts is 45% conservative. Representation does not reflect or represent that truth.
The Democrat Congressman Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, fought successfully against the Bush administration’s attempts to rein in improvident financing by the Government Sponsored Enterprises. In 2003 he told Congress: “I do not want the same kind of focus on safety and soundness [in the regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac] that we have in the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Office of Thrift Supervision. I want to roll the dice a little bit more in this situation towards subsidised housing.”
I take BF at his word–he wanted to roll the dice and WE THE PEOPLE paid for his gambling ventures.
Good riddance to bad rubbish!
Adam
November 28th, 2011
2:11 pm
too little time: Barney Frank’s consistent, incremental weakening of housing lending standards to get poor people into homeownership is well documented.
I, like Bosch, am waiting for you to present this “well documented” evidence, since it’s so easily at your fingertips. Surely a copy and paste isn’t too much to ask?
….thought not. No such documentation exists, and you know it.
Calling out this kind of crap is fun!
Paulo977
November 28th, 2011
3:00 pm
Midori
November 28th, 2011
11:34 am
USMC – Your level of ignorance is astounding.
Lumping pedophiles and gays together is not only wrong, but viciously so.
____________________
And we have been led to believe that recent immigrants need to learn the English language!!!
Mighty Righty
November 28th, 2011
3:26 pm
Adam
November 28th, 2011
2:11 pm
For your enjoyment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=cMnSp4qEXNM&NR=1
JKL2
November 28th, 2011
6:53 pm
jamvet- neo-cons will do everything in their power to smear and lie about him and his record
Hard to smear someone so intelligent he didn’t know he had a gay brothel in the basement of his own house. Unlike obama, we can say he knew how to create jobs…
Junior Samples
November 28th, 2011
10:09 pm
a true liberal hero…corrupt in every bit of his dna