Member of the Week: Barney Frank – Representing Massachusetts’s 4th District
“I saw Barney Frank on the metro, wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants.” The visual in itself causes laughter. Yet this quote, overheard this past weekend at a BBQ, exposes our approach to politicians in D.C. Residing in different stratospheres of social power, members of Congress become the butt of quick comedic jabs when seemingly being “normal.” Barney Frank has been a prominent figure in this demented political/social scene of Washington D.C. since 1981, representing Massachusetts’s 4th District. Eccentric and blunt, Barney Frank is our member of the Week.
Born as Barnett Frank to a Jewish family in Bayonne, New Jersey, Frank was one of four children. His father, Sam, ran a Jersey City truck stop and served a year in prison during Barney’s childhood for refusing to testify to a grand jury against Frank’s uncle. Despite his parent’s blue-collar upbringing, education was emphasized within the family. Frank graduated from Harvard with a B.A. in History in 1962 and taught undergraduates at Harvard while studying for a PH.D. He left school in 1968 before completing his degree to become Boston major Kevin White’s Chief Assistant, a position he held for three years. After serving as White’s top aide, he became the Administrative Assistant for Congressman Michael J. Harrington.
A self-prescribed political junkie, Frank was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1972. During his eight-year tenure, Frank achieved statewide fame as a defender of Boston’s notorious red light district, the Combat Zone. In an attempt to deal with crime in the area, Frank introduced a bill into the Massachusetts General Court that would have legalized the sex-for-hire business but kept it quarantined in a red light district, which would have been moved to Boston’s Financial District. Though the bill had the support of Boston’s Police Commissioner, it never came up for a vote. As a state representative, Frank not only taught part time at the University of Massachusetts Boston, the John F. Kennedy of Government at Harvard and at Boston University, he also graduated from Harvard Law School in 1977.
Barney Frank’s political aspirations were given a boost by John Paul II in 1979. Due to a papal prohibition declaring that clergy members should not hold political positions, Father Robert Drinan stepped down as the representative for the 4th District. Frank, with 51.3% of the vote, won the Democratic primary held on September 16, 1980. In the General Election, he fared only slightly better, winning with 51.9% of the vote. In 1982, Barney faced his only serious re-election challenge. In that election, redistricting forced him to run against Republican Margaret Heckler. Though the district retained Frank’s district number it was geographically more Heckler’s district. In spite of the challenge, Frank won by twenty percentage points.
Frank’s sexual orientation – in 1987 he became the second openly gay member of the House of Representatives – was at the forefront of the controversy surrounding his reelection bid in 1990. Shortly before that election, a male escort named Stephen Gobie told the Washington Times of his relationship with Frank. As Frank’s driver, Gobie had secretly run a prostitution service out of Frank’s Capitol Hill apartment until Frank fired him. After the revelations, public uproar followed. The Boston Globe called for Frank to resign, but instead he took the case to the House Ethics Committee, admitting what he had done while denying other details. The Committee found no evidence that Frank had known of or been involved in the alleged illegal activity. Attempts to censure and expel Frank were inconsequential and he won reelection with 66% of the vote.
A social liberal, Frank has voted with the Democratic Party nearly 95% of the time. He is a strong advocate for gay rights and combating homelessness. Frank has been an advocate for the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana and the prohibition of prosecution of medical marijuana patients by the Department of Justice. Moreover, he is a supporter of environmental issues, such as the increased regulation of contaminants in water, and has a strong pro-choice voting record.
As the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee from 2007 to 2011, Frank was influential in the controversial financial bailouts. In 2008 he was dispatched by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to determine whether the government should have the authority to continue bailing out financial companies. He played a key role in passing the Trouble Asset Relief Program (TARP) but became a critic of the implementation of the act when it was relieved that the provided funds were funneled into banks for capital infusions.
A smart eloquent workhorse known for his quick wit, Barney Frank is widely considered to be one of the most powerful members of Congress. His grip on the 4th District is airtight and his place in the upper echelons of national power is concrete. Yet it is this role that he plays in our society – that of a politician – that makes his descent into normalcy, as seen through the opening quote, the catalyst of friendly conservation and comedic retrospect.
–Amendment202
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If you like articles, like Barney Frank, check out our other members of the week posts!
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