There has never been much debate that Barney Frank is one of the smartest members of Congress. In another era his wit would’ve made him a daunting court philosopher who could’ve put Machiavelli to shame, or a sharp-tongued jester. Washington social rags have consistently named him one of the “funniest,” “wittiest” or “smartest” members of Congress over the years. He is one of the few congressmen I’ve seen reduce reporters to tears, mocking stupid questions in scrums or press conferences, or tersely turning a cold shoulder to queries he simply didn’t want to answer. From his rumpled appearance to his refusal to peel his eyes off his blackberry whilst on national TV, Frank made it clear that there were some things worth his time and other things – most things – about which he couldn’t care less.
News came out today that Rep. Maxine Waters is pushing vehemently to have the Standards Committee report on her case released asap and her trial be held before the elections. Given that Congress is coming back next week to vote on $27 billion in funding for first responders and teacher, there could be a window [...]
As Adam notes, early this morning negotiators wrapped up work on the most sweeping overhaul of the rules that govern Wall Street in a generation. While the conference didn’t make for must see TV, conference chairman Barney Frank did provide a certain amount of comedy relief with his biting set-downs of the opposition. A look [...]
They’re nearly done and when they are it’ll be a big, much needed victory for Dems and President Obama. But, there are still a few key sticking points. In case you haven’t been glued to C-SPAN3, a look at what’s happened so far in the conference and why this week is crucial. The thing I [...]
“We feel like we’ve been pregnant for 17 months, let’s get on with it already.” Those were the words of Democrat Rep. Louise Slaughter, chairwoman of the House Rules Committee, on Saturday, as she moved health reform one step closer to the finish line. Well put. After all the hearings and debates and town halls; [...]
Politicos on the Hill are hyperventilating about revelations that Rep. Eric Massa, a New York Democrat who yesterday announced his retirement due to a reoccurrence of life-threatening cancer, allegedly sexually harassed a young male staffer. Dems – and maybe they know more about Massa’s sex life than I do, especially since he denied the allegations [...]
Sarah Palin and Barney Frank were the featured speakers at last night’s winter dinner of the Gridiron Club. The event also marked what could be the beginning of a new era for the 124-year-old club, which is an institution where traditions die hard. (It was only five years ago that they decided to open up [...]
