Tag: Barney Frank

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Barney Frank – US Senator?

It appears Barney Frank might be interested in hanging around Washington, D.C. just a bit longer, Politico reports:

Barney Frank, one day out of Congress, said on Friday that he has asked Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick to send him back as an interim senator when Sen. John Kerry becomes secretary of state.
“A month ago, or a few weeks ago, I said I wasn’t interested,” Frank said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “It was kind of like you’re about to graduate, and they said: ‘You gotta go to summer school.’ But [the fiscal cliff deal] now means that February, March and April are going to be among the most important months in American financial history.”
He added, “I’ve told the governor I would now like, frankly, to do that [serve as interim senator].”

Franks says he would not run for Kerry’s seat in a summer special election.

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Congressman Barney Frank marries longtime boyfriend

Congrats to Rep. Barney Frank, who got married in Newton, Massachusetts last night to Jim Ready: a welder, carpenter, and small-business owner who’s exactly 30 years Rep. Frank’s junior. (That makes Mr. Ready 42.) The ceremony took place on the banks of the Charles River.

The pair met at a fundraiser in 2005. Mr. Ready was involved with his long-time boyfriend, Robert Palmer, who was suffering an unspecified, terminal ailment. Mr. Frank was impressed with Mr. Ready’s devotion to his partner. After Mr. Palmer died, the congressman and the welder became friends, and then more.

On their many days apart, Mr. Frank and Mr. Ready watch the same TV shows while speaking on the telephone.

Mr. Frank is the first member of the United States House of Representatives to marry a member of his own gender.

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Chris Matthews plays ‘hardball’ with Tony Perkins


LGBT activists have been waiting for this day for a long time. Finally someone confronts Tony Perkins on his anti-gay rhetoric and doesn’t stand down.

Congressman Barney Frank and Chris Matthews do not let Tony Perkins “off the hook” here.

The only show I can honestly say I don’t miss is HARDBALL with Chris Matthews. I think he’s smart, fair and experienced. I like him and I like his clarity.

Loved seeing this happen. Tony Perkins throws out phrases like “the social science doesn’t conclusively show…”

Blah, blah, blah… it’s all his own lies because there are enough people in the world that IF they hear something enough, then they believe it must be true.

One point I have to make here: Perkins says over and over again that social science shows children do better with a mother and a father as opposed to two mothers or two fathers – and he’s wrong. At the Prop 8 trial, over and over experts testified that studies show children of lesbian or gay couples develop and achieve just as well as the children of heterosexual couples. Tony Perkins’ “social science” is made up of the lies he WANTS to believe.

Enough Mr. Perkins. Enough.

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Congressman Barney Frank will not seek reelection

From CNN: Massachusetts congressman Barney Frank, a prominent 16-term liberal Democrat and arch-enemy of political conservatives nationwide, will announce Monday he does not intend to seek re-election in 2012, according to a statement from Frank’s office.

The Massachusetts Democrat is one of four openly gay members of Congress. The other three are Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and David Cicilline (D-R.I.) Baldwin is leaving her seat to pursue a run for U.S. Senate, but gay candidate Mark Pocan is seeking to replace her.

Frank, 71, was first elected in 1980 and serves as the ranking Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee. When Democrats held control of the House during the 111th Congress, he led the way as a chairman of the committee for the passage of major financial reform legislation known as Dodd-Frank.

Reactions from across the political spectrum:

President Barack Obama: “This country has never had a Congressman like Barney Frank, and the House of Representatives will not be the same without him. For over 30 years, Barney has been a fierce advocate for the people of Massachusetts and Americans everywhere who needed a voice. He has worked tirelessly on behalf of families and businesses and helped make housing more affordable. He has stood up for the rights of LGBT Americans and fought to end discrimination against them. And it is only thanks to his leadership that we were able to pass the most sweeping financial reform in history designed to protect consumers and prevent the kind of excessive risk-taking that led to the financial crisis from ever happening again.”

Human Rights Campaign: “Barney Frank has exemplified true leadership over his more than 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. As the first openly gay Member of Congress, Barney defied stereotypes and kicked doors open for LGBT Americans. Repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act would never have happened without his leadership.”

Freedom To Marry: “As a public servant, Barney Frank has been an inspiration and a giant in an age where we’ve had few, and losing him as a leader in Congress and in public debate will be a painful blow for the country. Barney’s excellence in shaping legislation and unparalleled voice in battling many of the wrong turns the country has taken have made extraordinary contributions to the history of our times.”