Recently, former Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher. Now correct me if I’m wrong but was he always such a hectoring, filibustering, establishment hack? He wouldn’t let anyone get a word in.
He kept interrupting Alexis Goldstein and then insisting she let him speak whenever she raised a point he disagreed with. At one point Maher had to tell him to stop badgering the witness because Frank wouldn’t quit insisting that “all the blacks he talked to had no problem with Stop and Frisk and wanted more police on the streets.”
His entire spiel when they got onto the NSA’s surveillance activities was so what as long as we’re safe it doesn’t matter. And when Goldstein called him out on his role in the financial meltdown in ’08 Frank all but threw a temper tantrum.
How dare she question the great representative, whose signature piece of legislation, the Dodd Frank Act, was so watered down it did nothing to stem the damage when the economy collapsed.
And bonus points to Jay Z for calling out Frank for trying to speak on the life of black folks. The chutzpah of this guy who has never known a life of poverty talking about life in the projects to a guy who grew up there was so tone deaf and the height of arrogance.
I don’t know why Maher allowed the blowhard bully to talk over everyone and just spout crap that was demonstrable false. Like that Goldstein and other critics of the increasingly militarized police forces around the country hate cops and only a few bad apples spoil it for everyone.
Right, because the fact Tea Party protesters were left alone, while the federal government coordinated with local police forces to shut down and arrest OWS protesters isn’t suspect at all. And it most definitely wasn’t a clear violation of their civil liberties, because Frank said so.
Seriously if he always thought like this then should have retired long ago. But of course this was just a dress rehearsal for when Frank becomes a lobbyist like every politician does after they retire. So don’t be surprised if you see old Barney shilling for some think tank or another in the near future. Given his performance last night on Maher’s show he’d fit right in with any number of pro business outfits.
I guess a centrist now a days means an old school republican.