Frank's sneering insults won't be missed
BARNEY FRANK may be the only member of Congress who has ever made headlines for not acting like a jerk.
When the longtime Massachusetts
representative found himself last year facing -- for the first time in
decades -- a surprisingly strong Republican challenge,
journalists noticed something strange: He wasn't being as nasty as
usual. He wasn't responding to questions with his trademark put-downs.
He wasn't condescending to critics with quite as much sneering contempt.
"Barney Frank reinvents himself as a nice guy,"
wrote Jonathan Strong in a story for The Daily Caller. The Boston
Herald's Margery Eagan, "bracing to get hammered" when she asked Frank
some questions, was amazed when, instead of insulting or berating her, he answered her questions "almost diplomatically."
But Frank's unwonted restraint vanished on election night. In what may have been the most graceless victory speech
in US congressional history, he savaged the Herald, accused Republicans
of engaging in "vituperation [and] anonymous smears," and proclaimed
his re-election "a victory for a concept of government which eschews
anger and vitriol."
Which was quite a proclamation, coming from
someone who is as renowned for his invective and browbeating as for his
liberalism and smarts. When Frank eventually goes to his eternal reward
– and I wish him many more years of activity and good health – it's
safe to assume that the words "He eschewed anger and vitriol" will not
be engraved on his monument.
Frank said last week that he plans to retire
when his current term ends at the end of next year. That made him the
24th House incumbent to announce that he won't seek re-election. But
only in Frank's case did the media coverage include printing roundups of
his "oftentimes acerbic comments," or collecting tweets from "the many journalists who have felt his wrath," or posting a greatest-hits reel of Frank on the House floor, belittling and excoriating his Republican colleagues.
Politics and passion have always gone
together, and all other things being equal, a quick-witted congressman
with strong views and the ability to defend them is preferable to a
colorless drudge. No one has ever doubted Frank's intelligence or wit,
and it isn't only liberals who could appreciate his gift for wry
retorts. ("My colleagues on the other side have decided to adopt a
Marxist idea," he said during one House debate. "The Marx in question,
of course, is Chico.")
But it's one thing to be a quotable curmudgeon. It's something quite different to be a bully.
Frank has long been "one of the most notorious bullies" on Capitol Hill, remarked Dana Milbank in The Washington Post.
The Massachusetts Democrat will be remembered not just for his
left-wing politics or as the first openly gay member of Congress, but
also for his "gratuitous nastiness," as Milbank put it – the public
tongue-lashings, the spiteful mockery, the caustic abuse of aides, the
almost routine willingness to tell people how stupid they are. This
isn't just impatience; Frank plainly takes a certain pleasure in
publicly humiliating his victims. It isn't hard to find stories of Frank
berating someone to the point of tears. But I have never heard of him
apologizing for it afterward.
Ironically – or maybe it's just human
nature – Barney Frank has no trouble condemning in others the ugly
behavior to which he so often resorts. He has been unsparing toward Newt
Gingrich, for example, describing him
as having "made a career out of attacking people around here and trying
to rip them apart." I have heard him caution his allies on the left
about the importance of "showing a bit of respect for cultural values
with which you disagree," and admonishing them not to "call people bigots and fools just because you disagree with them."
But when Frank – who often condemns the
sour tone in Washington and Congress -- was politely asked on NBC's
"Today" show last week whether he might have contributed to the
bitterness in the Capitol, his answer was no. Instead, he nastily scolded the anchor for her "negative approach."
Frank, who has been my congressman for
nearly 30 years, comes from a family of outspoken, opinionated, liberal
Democrats. His sister, Ann Lewis, was a senior Democratic Party strategist and an adviser in the Clinton White House, while their mother, the late Elsie Frank,
was president of the Massachusetts Association for Older Americans.
Over the years, as it happens, I had the opportunity to participate in
debates or other public forums with each of them. In my experience all
three were skilled advocates, quick on their feet and passionate in
their views. But neither Mrs. Frank nor her daughter felt it necessary
to make cutting insults about anyone's intelligence, or to treat a
disagreement about politics as an excuse for vituperation.
I wish I could say the same about their son and brother.
(Jeff Jacoby is a columnist for The Boston Globe. His website is www.JeffJacoby.com).
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