First we have a Globe article today where Jeff Jacoby lambasts Barney about his involvement in the Freddia/Fannie mess. A telling exerpt…
Frank, who chairs the House Financial Services Committee, has always been ardent in his defense of Fannie and Freddie. In 2003, he insisted that the two mortgage giants were not “facing any kind of a crisis.” In July 2008, just weeks before they collapsed and were taken over by the federal government, he publicly maintained that “Fannie and Freddie are fundamentally sound – they are not in danger of going under.” Frank recently told the Boston Globe’s Donovan Slack that “he missed the warning signs [in 2003] because he was wearing ideological blinders,” while in 2008 “he was deliberately trying to reassure the public.”
Brian McGrory starts off his story about Barney as follows…
Just about every Democrat in Massachusetts has a Barney Frank story, and very few of them would earn him the Citizen of the Year award.
Frank belittles members of Congress. He berates Capitol Hill staffers. It’s not that he doesn’t suffer fools; he doesn’t really suffer anyone.
And Barney is not taking his supposed lead for granted as he recently loaned his campaign $200,000 for a last press for reelection and had former President Bill Clinton come into town to stump for him. These are not the acts of a candidate with a solid lead.
Thomas Sowell of Investor’s Daily had a nasty article on Barney today …
Among longtime politicians who are being seriously challenged for the first time this election year, Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts best epitomizes the cynical ruthlessness that hides behind their lofty rhetoric.
… which he blames Barney for not only being part of the cause of the problem but then incredulously pointing his finger in the other direction…
When federal regulators uncovered irregularities in Fannie Mae’s accounting, and in 2004 issued what Barron’s magazine called “a blistering 211-page report,” Frank lashed out – not at Fannie Mae, but at the regulators who uncovered Fannie Mae’s misdeeds.
Will Barney Frank learn anything from this mess? I doubt it. If I were a betting man (Oh wait, I am a betting man…), I would still say Barney wins this race, but that is one bet I’d love to lose.
are you ready to un-endorse Jeff Perry? http://bmg.ma/b9ruyh
I assume you don’t live in the 10th district. What would you tell a friend who lives there to do on Nov. 2?
which the diary was not about, I get accused of “highjacking” the diary and other charges. So I posted about Barney and you’re talking about Perry, are you highjacking my diary? Hmmmm…
But it’s my blog. đŸ˜‰
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p>Thank you for your honest answer, by the way.
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p>Way to buck up the troops, JD!
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p>With friends like these. Heh.
don’t confuse what you “want” to happen with what is “going” to happen. Don’t we all experience that feeling everyday? I tried talking about this Freddie/Fannie issue here on BMG in August but nobody bit.
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p>Of course I want Bielat to win just like you want many others Dems (who are going to lose) to win. But unless he pulls a Scott Brown (which is exactly what I think Barney is afraid – note his last minute frenzy…), then I think there are too many left wing droids in his district to pull it off. The middle makes the difference in every race. Barney supporters will vote for him regardless and his detractors will vote against regrdless, but the middle makes the choice and I frankly think there aren’t enough “middle” people in the 4th.
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p>My “long shot” hope is riding on Barney’s last minute frenzy (Clinton and a $200K campaign loan) indicating some weakness and this data from January showing Scott Brown support in the 4th district…
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p>http://cache.boston.com/bonzai…
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p>No “middle people” on BMG, just supporters and detractors as far as I can tell.