The Cellar - Congress has lost its mind...

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An article from Salon on Barney. Admittedly Salon is as far left as they come.
Still this is not the most endearing piece written on someone so many see as Mr. Wonderful.

Link

Short of purchasing the book, Reckless Endangement,
I have been reading reviews of it, and surfing for items
about Barney Frank and the F&F's.

There's a lot of talk about the financial crisis, but when it comes to accusations,
there is little or nothing being said to justify labeling Frank as being "on the take"
or causing F&F to fail, or even having a causal role in the financial collapse.

It's clear he drives the GOP and WSJ crazy, but maybe that's not all bad.
The link you cite above is typical in content to what I have read.
Of course, there is the option is to reject the content based upon the source.

To wit:

Quote:

As Dodd-Frank crept through Congress, it was steadily weakened.
The Senate voted down a ban on a pernicious derivative, naked credit default swaps.
An attack on “too big to fail” — explicit size limitations for financial institutions
— was also kept out of Dodd-Frank,
even though the humongous size of financial institutions made necessary
the bailouts that Congress supposedly despised.
There was no serious limit on executive compensation, even though lust for bonuses
was also a direct cause of the recklessness that nearly sabotaged the economy.
<snip>
Obviously, Frank can’t be faulted for the majority of the shortcomings of Dodd-Frank.
No congressman, no matter how skilled a negotiator, could have made Dodd-Frank
into the market reform mechanism that it was never destined to be.

Quote:

Of course, there is the option is to reject the content based upon the source.

Its from Salon - They would paint him in the absolute BEST light possible.

That the point ... the option is with the reader.

wait what? Salon is very liberal. I'm not getting your point.

Classic, I'll get back to you... probably by PM

One of Barney Franks greatest legacies will be his relationship to a guy who ran a prostitution ring out of his house.

I couldn't care less about that part. His relationships with Fannie/Freddie whom he was supposed to be overseeing and the Countrywide Execs will last far longer and mean much more to me than what some other guy did while Barney was away.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMercenary (Post 777066)

One of Barney Franks greatest legacies will be his relationship to a guy who ran a prostitution ring out of his house.

Wikipedia - whether you chose to believe this source or not

Quote:

In 1985 Frank was still closeted. That year he hired Steve Gobie for sex,
a male prostitute, and they became friends more than sexual partners.[24]
Frank housed Gobie and hired him with personal funds as an aide, housekeeper and driver
and paid for his attorney and court-ordered psychiatrist.[24]
In 1987 Frank kicked Gobie out after he was advised by his landlord that Gobie
kept escorting despite the support and was doing so in the residence.[24][25]

Later that year Gobie's friends convinced him he had a gay male version of Mayflower Madam,
a TV movie they had been watching.[24] In 1989 Gobie tried to initiate a bidding war
for the story between WUSA-TV (Channel 9), the Washington Times, and The Washington Post.[24]
He then gave the story to The Washington Times for nothing, in hopes of getting a book contract.[25]

Amid calls for an investigation Frank asked the House Ethics Committee
to investigate his relationship "in order to insure that the public record is clear."[26]
The 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;
they recommended a reprimand for Frank using his congressional office
to fix 33 of Gobie's parking tickets and for misstatements of fact in a memorandum
relating to Gobie's criminal probation record.[27]
The House voted 408–18 to reprimand Frank.[28][29]

The attempts to censure and expel Frank were led by Republican Larry Craig,
whom Frank later criticized for hypocrisy[30] after Craig's own arrest in 2007
for lewd conduct while soliciting gay sex in an airport bathroom.[31][32][33]

Frank won re-election that year with 66 percent of the vote,
and has won by larger margins until the 2010 Mid-term elections
when Frank only won by eleven points.[34]

Lamp - In fairness, I was the one that didn't like the Wiki.
I still don't like the way this one is written.
For example,

Quote:

In 1985 Frank hired Steve Gobie, a male prostitute, for sex.

Opinions aside. (no I don't really care.) This is still illegal.

Quote:

In 1987 Frank kicked Gobie out

So ... for two years he knew nothing about what Gobie was doing?
Ignorance, is highly unlikely and almost worse than knowing.

Then the shit hit the fan with Gobie going public ...
Frank was not the best judge of character apparently.
Yet he still paid for his psychiatrist and attorney out of his own pocket.
Yes, thats better than using tax dollars, but still smells fishy.

Quote:

Frank asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate his relationship
"in order to insure that the public record is clear."

IIRC Frank was all but forced to do so.

Quote:

Frank used his congressional office to fix 33 of Gobie's parking tickets.

Abuse of power?

Quote:

and for misstatements of fact in a memorandum relating to Gobie's criminal probation record

.
could also have been stated as "Frank lied to the court/congress/whatever."
Simply put - He lied. Yes he was punished for it with a reprimand which we all realize is not a damn thing in the long run.
I'll stop now.

So submit your edits to Wikipedia, and ask them to fix it.
.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lamplighter (Post 777200)

- whether you chose to believe this source or not

I do not. Wiki should not be trusted but for only the basic and benign facts that are completely accepted by all. Frank was a sexual predator and the Dems gave him a pass. Good ridden's to the MoFo.

Not new - from October I think, but what a great rant!

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMercenary (Post 778676)

I do not. Wiki should not be trusted but for only the basic and benign facts that are completely accepted by all. Frank was a sexual predator and the Dems gave him a pass. Good ridden's to the MoFo.

And that's a perfectly good justification for why your character assassination isn't listed in Wikipedia. Such a statement is not basic, not benign, and not accepted by all. You make his point.

I wonder if you have other sources to back up your claim. Do you?

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigV (Post 779149)

People like that fool have legions of followers who manipulate Wiki entries for the very purpose of ensuring the message it delivers. Ask UT about his experience with it. When it comes to controversial statements or one that may cast a high profile person, no less a sitting Congressman, I don't think anything you put up that would be slightly negative would last but a few hours.