December 31st, 2012
Well I have to admit I’m shocked. Barney Frank and I agree on something.
Retiring gay Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) announced on Monday that he strongly opposes the nomination of Chuck Hagel as defense secretary based on the former senator’s 1998 anti-gay comments and record on LGBT issues.
And even more surprising is that it goes against my impression of him as the ultimate partisan hack (or, as the blade put it):
Frank has a reputation for being a loyalist to the Democratic Party and President Obama, so the statement against Obama’s potential pick for defense secretary is particularly noteworthy.
Well maybe I’ll have to keep a bit more of an open mind about Barney.
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TampaZeke
December 31st, 2012
Truth be told, he never was the ultimate partisan hack.
Lucrece
December 31st, 2012
He was partisan, no doubt, but he also liked to call on bullcrap every now and then.
And Hagel’s rather timely semi-apology didn’t cut it for me. Not that Democrats give a shit — they only care about us so longs as it doesn’t conflict with their greater agenda or much larger voting blocks.
Neon Genesis
December 31st, 2012
I’m not a big fan of Hagel so far but I’m curious if Barney Frank has apologized for his own transphobic comments.
tim
December 31st, 2012
Barney Frank is leaving the House. So of course he will no longer tow the party line. But that doesn’t make up for his partisonship, general overall ethical failures, his laps of judgements and, more recently, his bitterness.
Faster he is out of public eye the better. But my fear is that partisan houses like the HRC and GLAAD will drag him out at every sad event.
David Roberts
January 1st, 2013
You equate “loyalist” with “ultimate partisan hack”? You can’t even agree with the man without inserting a backhanded insult. Rather a waste of your platform, isn’t it?
Happy New Year everyone.
Matt Kennedy
January 1st, 2013
Considering that Hagel was a Republican Senator when he was in office, I think Barney’s partisan hack qualifications still stand. :)
Jim Burroway
January 1st, 2013
I’m quite sure that Barney Frank’s reaction would be VERY different if Hagel had a (D) after his name.
chiMaxx
January 1st, 2013
Well, this will make it all very interesting when Frank is appointed to sit in the Senate for two years to fill out Kerry’s term.
chiMaxx
January 1st, 2013
And it seems as if Barney Frank has had the smae sort of late reversal on Chuck Hagel that the LCR’s (then current now former) head R. Clark Cooper had. Just two weeks ago, Frank told Politico “he did not object to what has become one big point of contention about Hagel: an allusion to the ‘Jewish lobby,’ in reference to advocates for Israel in Congress and elsewhere.
‘I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having Portuguese lobbies, Jewish lobbies, Greek lobbies,’ Frank said. ‘I think he’d be very good. … You need someone intelligent to help cut that budget.’â€
http://www.politico.com/story/2012/12/chuck-hagel-allies-fire-back-critics-push-for-michele-flournoy-85336.html#ixzz2GkODg6Sz
Rob in San Diego
January 2nd, 2013
It’s a good thing he’s retiring so we never have to listen to him again.
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