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| I like black balls over white balls. I can suck on them better. | |||
| {{Future election candidate|article|Frank, Barney}} | |||
| {{Infobox Congressman | |||
| | name =Barney Frank | |||
| | image name =Barney_Frank.jpg | |||
| | imagesize = 171px | |||
| | date of birth= {{birth date and age|1940|3|31}} | |||
| | place of birth= ] | |||
| | death_date = | |||
| | death_place = | |||
| | state = ] | |||
| | district = ] | |||
| | term_start = January 5, 1981 | |||
| | preceded = ] | |||
| | succeeded = Incumbent | |||
| | party = ] | |||
| | religion = ] <ref></ref> | |||
| | alma_mater= ] and ] | |||
| | spouse= | |||
| | occupation= Attorney | |||
| | residence= ] | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Barnett "Barney" Frank''' (born March 31, 1940) is an American ] and a ] in the ] representing {{ushr|Massachusetts|4|}} since 1981. He is the chairman of the ] and is known for his support for ]. In 1987 Frank became the first ] gay Representative and, at that time, the most prominent American politician to ] as ]; he has continued to advocate for ] issues.<ref></ref><ref></ref> | |||
| ==Early life== | |||
| Frank was born to a ] family in ] and was educated at ], where he resided in ] and then ], graduating in 1962. He taught undergraduates at Harvard while studying for a ], but left before completing the degree in 1968, to become ]'s mayor ]'s Chief Assistant, a position he held for three years. He then served for a year as Administrative Assistant to Congressman ]. | |||
| ==Political career== | |||
| ] | |||
| In 1972, Frank was elected to the ], where he served for eight years. During that time, he entered ] and graduated in 1977. | |||
| While in state and local government, Frank taught part time at the ], the ] at Harvard and at ]. He published numerous articles on politics and public affairs, and in 1992 he published ''Speaking Frankly'', an essay on the role the Democratic Party should play in the 1990s. | |||
| In 1979, Frank became a member of the Massachusetts Bar. A year later, he won the Democratic nomination for the seat of Father ], who had left Congress following a call by ] for priests to withdraw from political positions. In 1982, ] forced him to run against ] ]. The newly configured district retained Frank's district number — the 4th — but was geographically more Heckler's district. The 4th district includes many of ]'s western and southern suburbs — such as ], ], and ] — as well as the ]. Initially a heavy underdog, he focused on Heckler's initial support for President ]'s tax cuts, and won by 20 percentage points. He hasn't faced credible opposition since, and has been reelected 12 times. Frank is facing ]. | |||
| ===Steve Gobie reprimand=== | |||
| In 1990, the House voted to reprimand Frank when it was revealed that Steve Gobie, a ] whom Frank had befriended after hiring him through a personal advertisement, claimed to have conducted an ] from Frank's apartment when he was not at home.<ref> </ref> Frank fired Gobie earlier in 1990 and reported the incident to the ] after learning of Gobie's activities. After an investigation, the Ethics Committee found no evidence that Frank had known of or been involved in the alleged illegal activity and dismissed all of Gobie's more scandalous claims.<ref> , which cites the ']'', 7/27/1990, as well as the Ethics Committee's report, 7/20/1990.</ref><ref>Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, Page 37 -"In numerous instances where an assertion made by Mr. Gobie (either publicly or during his Committee deposition) was investigated for accuracy, the assertion was contradicted by third-party sworn testimony or other evidence of Mr. Gobie himself."</ref> The committee recommended that Frank receive a formal reprimand for his relationship with a prostitute.<ref>Richard L. Berke, '']'', , July 20, 1990. Retrieved November 29, 2006.</ref> Attempts to expel or ] Frank, led by Republican member ] (who himself was later embroiled in his own ] ]), failed.<ref>"What to do about Barney Frank // Congress faces nasty confrontation on handling sexual misconduct", Rowland Evans, Robert Novak. ''Austin American Statesman''. Austin, Tex.: Oct 17, 1989. pg. A.8 "Word spread through the GOP cloakroom that Rep. Larry Craig of Idaho was standing firm inside the Ethics Committee."</ref><ref>"Frank reprimanded for aiding prostitute" Elaine S. Povich, '']'' Chicago, Ill.: Jul 27, 1990. pg. 4 "The ethics committee, officially known as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, had unanimously recommended that Frank be reprimanded and Frank did not contest the charge. But the committee was severely split, took months to make up its mind on the punishment, and during the vote Thursday three GOP members of the panel — Reps. ] of Wisconsin, Larry Craig of Idaho and ] of Utah — voted for censure, the more severe sanction."</ref> Rather, the House voted 408-18 to reprimand Frank who later won re-election in 1990 with 66 percent of the vote, and has won by larger margins ever since.<ref></ref> | |||
| ===Political initiatives and positions=== | |||
| ====LGBT issues==== | |||
| Frank has been outspoken on many ] issues, including ]. In 1987, he publicly ] as ].<ref>{{citation |title=Representative Frank Discloses He Is Homosexual | |||
| |date=], ] |accessdate=] |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE4DE163AF932A05756C0A961948260 |periodical=] }}</ref> He said in a 1996 interview: "I'm used to being in the minority. I'm a ] gay Jew. I've never felt, automatically, a member of any majority." In 1995, then-Republican ] ] famously referred to Frank as "Barney ]" in a press interview. Armey apologized and said it was "a slip of the tongue". Frank did not accept Armey's explanation, saying "I turned to my own expert, my mother, who reports that in 59 years of marriage, no one ever introduced her as Elsie Fag."<ref>{{Citation| last =Rich| first =Frank| author-link =Frank Rich | title =Journal; Closet Clout | newspaper =]| year =1995| date= February 2, 1995| url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE6DF113AF931A35751C0A963958260}}</ref> | |||
| In 1998, Frank founded the ], the national ], ], ], and ] (]) Democratic organization. In May 2007, Frank was one of two openly gay members of Congress, along with ] of Wisconsin. | |||
| Frank is known for his ]ty, self-deprecating sense of humor. He once famously quipped that he was unable to complete his review of the ] detailing President ]'s relationship with ], complaining that it was "too much reading about ] sex".<ref>{{cite web | title =Frank Part of Starr Review| publisher =]| date= 1998-09-09| url =http://www.planetout.com/news/article-print.html?1998/09/09/5 | accessdate = 2007-10-25}}</ref> In 2004 and again in 2006, a survey of Capitol Hill staffers published in '']'' gave Frank the title of the "brainiest", "funniest", and "most eloquent" member of the House.<ref> , 01 September 2006. Retrieved November 29, 2006.</ref> | |||
| Frank's stance on ] ] Republicans has become well publicized. The "Frank Rule" holds it acceptable to out a ] person who uses their power, position, or notoriety to hurt ] people.<ref></ref> The issue became relevant during the ] of 2006, during which Frank clarified his position on ]'s '']'' - "I think there's a ]. But the right to privacy should not be a right to ]. And people who want to ]ize other people shouldn't then be able to go home and close the door and do it themselves."<ref>{{cite web| title = "Episode Guide - episode 86"| publisher = ]| date = October 20, 2006 | url = http://www.hbo.com/billmaher/episode/2006_10_20_ep86.html| accessdate = 2008-02-26}}</ref></blockquote> | |||
| ====Medical marijuana==== | |||
| In Congress, Frank is an ardent supporter of ]. He was the author of the States' Rights to Medical Marijuana Act (H.R. 2592), an attempt to stop federal government from intervening with states' medical marijuana laws.<ref></ref> Frank consistently voted for the Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment, annually proposed by ] (R-]) and ] (D-]), that would prohibit ] from prosecuting medical marijuana patients.<ref></ref> As of March 2008, he is trying to pass the ] (HR 5843), which would decriminalize small amounts of the drug.<ref>NJ.com, </ref> | |||
| ====Online gambling rights==== | |||
| Frank has also partnered with ] in support of online gambling rights. In 2006, both strongly opposed H.R. 4777, the Internet Gambling Prohibition and Enforcement Act, and H.R. 4411, the ]-Leach Internet Gambling Prohibition Act.<ref></ref><ref></ref> To restore online gambling rights, in 2007 Frank sponsored H.R. 2046, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act.<ref></ref> This bill would have established licensing and regulation of online gaming sites. It provided for age verification and protections for compulsive gamblers. In 2008, he and Paul introduced H.R. 5767, the Payment Systems Protection Act, a bill that sought to place a moratorium on enforcement of the ] while the ] and the ] defined "unlawful Internet gambling". As a result of these efforts, Frank (who does not gamble) has become a hero to ] players and online gamblers, including many Republicans.<ref>{{Citation| last = Viser| first = Matt| title = Unlikely ace for online gambling| newspaper = ]| year = 2008| date = July 13, 2008| url = http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/07/13/unlikely_ace_for_online_gambling/?page=1}}</ref> | |||
| ====Free speech==== | |||
| In 2006, Frank was one of only three Representatives to oppose the ], which restricted protests (notably those of ]' ]) at soldiers' funerals. He opposed the bill, which passed unanimously in the Senate, on ] and ] grounds. Frank said of the vote, "I think it’s very likely to be found unconstitutional. It’s true that when you defend civil liberties you are typically defending people who do obnoxious things... You play into their hand when you let them provoke you into overdoing it. I don’t want these thugs to claim America is hypocritical."<ref>{{cite web| author=Anna Margolis, Anna | work= HubPolitics.com | url=http://www.hubpolitics.com/archives/000572.php | title=Rep. Frank Votes Against "Respect for America’s Fallen Heroes Act" | date=May 11, 2006 | accessdate = 2006-11-29}}</ref> | |||
| ===House Financial Services Committee=== | |||
| In 1991, Frank pushed for reduced restriction on two- and three-family home mortgages.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,432501,00.html |title=FOXNews.com - Lawmaker Accused of Fannie Mae Conflict of Interest - Politics | Republican Party | Democratic Party | Political Spectrum |publisher=Foxnews.com |author=Bill Sammon |date=Friday, October 3, 2008 |accessdate=2008-10-05}}</ref> | |||
| In September 2003, Frank, then the ranking Democrat on the Republican-led Financial Services Committee, opposed Bush administration proposals for increasing oversight of ] and ] by creating an independent agency to supervise. The proposal would have moved oversight from Congress and the ] to the new agency. Frank stated in 2003, "The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06E3D6123BF932A2575AC0A9659C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |title=New Agency Proposed to Oversee Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae - New York Times |publisher=Query.nytimes.com |author=Stephen Labaton |date=Published: September 11, 2003 |accessdate=2008-10-05}}</ref> Frank stated that the bill would potentially " the bargaining power of poorer families and their ability to get ]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06E3D6123BF932A2575AC0A9659C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |title=New Agency Proposed to Oversee Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae - New York Times |publisher=Query.nytimes.com |author=Stephen Labaton |date=Published: September 11, 2003 |accessdate=2008-10-05}}</ref> | |||
| As ] of the ], beginning in 2007, Frank "sits at the center of power".<ref name=Advocate>John Gallagher, "Politics: A Broader Bully Pulpit: As Congress grapples with solutions for a faltering economy, Barney Frank sits at the center of power," '']'', September 9, 2008, p. 24.</ref> Frank has been a critic of aspects of the ] system, partnering with some Republicans in opposition to some policies.<ref name="nytimesmagazine">{{cite web |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/magazine/22Paul-t.html?ex=1186459200&en=bf8dec405a435ea7&ei=5070|title= The Antiwar, Anti-Abortion, Anti-Drug-Enforcement-Administration, Anti-Medicare Candidacy of Dr. Ron Paul|accessdate=2007-08-05 |author= Caldwell, Christopher|publisher= ''New York Times''|date= 2007-07-22}}</ref> Frank says that he and Republican Congressman ] "first bonded because we were both conspicuous nonworshipers at the Temple of the Fed and of the High Priest ].”<ref name="nytimesmagazine"/> | |||
| In 2008 Frank supported passage of the ] intended to protect thousands of homeowners from ].<ref name=Advocate /> This law, {{USBill|110|H.R.|3221}}, was one of the most important and complex issues on which he worked.<ref name=Advocate /><ref></ref> Frank was also instrumental is the passage of {{USBill|110|H.R.|5244}}, the ] Act of 2008, a measure that drew praise from editorial boards and consumer advocates.<ref>, New York Times editorial, March 29, 2008</ref><ref> New York Times editorial, May 3, 2008</ref><ref>. Accessed August 22, 2008.</ref> | |||
| In July 2008, Frank stated Fannie and Freddy were fundamentally sound and not in danger of going under, cautioning however, that they were "not the best investments these days"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view/2008_10_04_Barney_Frank__Bill_O_Reilly_turn_nasty_in_on-air_battle/srvc=home&position=also|title=Barney Frank, Bill O’Reilly turn nasty in on-air battle|date=2008-10-04|accessdate=2008-10-17|last=Heslam|first=Jessica|publisher=Boston Herald}}</ref> In October 2008, Frank called Republican criticism of the ] in light of the nation's housing crisis a veiled attack on the poor that's racially motivated.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| |url=http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D93LAKT01&show_article=1 | |||
| |title=Frank says GOP housing attacks racially motivated | |||
| |first=Glen | |||
| |last=Johnson | |||
| |publisher=Associated Press | |||
| |date=2008-10-06}}</ref> | |||
| Frank has been criticized for campaign contributions from ] and ]—$42,350 between 1989 and 2008–which some claim have influenced his support of their lending programs. Frank's former partner, Herb Moses, was an executive at Fannie from 1991 to 1998, where Moses helped develop many of Fannie’s affordable housing and home improvement lending programs. Frank and Moses' relationship ended around the same time Moses left the company; Frank's support of Fannie and Freddie predated and continued past that relationship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2008/20080924145932.aspx |title=Media Mum on Barney Frank's Fannie Mae Love Connection |publisher=Businessandmedia.org |date= |accessdate=2008-10-05}}</ref> | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{reflist|2}} | |||
| {{refbegin}} | |||
| *Johansson, Warren & Percy, William A. Harrington Park Press, 1994. pp. 106, 139, 143, 154, 157, 188-9, 228, 231, 235, 291 | |||
| * {{cite web |last=Rapp |first=Linda |title=Frank, Barney |work=] |year=2004 |accessdate=2007-08-16 |url=http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/frank_b.html}} | |||
| {{refend}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{Wikiquote}} | |||
| {{commons}} | |||
| * U.S. House website | |||
| * Campaign website | |||
| {{CongLinks | congbio = f000339 | fec = H0MA04036 | opensecrets = N00000275 | votesmart = H1751103 | ontheissuespath = MA/Barney_Frank.htm | legistorm = | surge = | govtrack = | findagrave = }} | |||
| * at ] ] | |||
| ===Articles=== | |||
| * , ''The New York Times'', May 13, 2008. | |||
| * , ''The Bilerico Project'', September 28, 2007. | |||
| * , ''In These Times'', ] | |||
| * , ''Buzzflash'', July 22, 2003 | |||
| * ''Metro Weekly'', March 20, 2003. | |||
| * , ''The Hoya'', October 19, 2001. | |||
| * , ''keithboykin.com'', 1999. | |||
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Revision as of 03:14, 29 October 2008
I like black balls over white balls. I can suck on them better.