The Rachel Maddow Show: Barney Frank on Compromising With Republicans
By Heather Thursday Sep 10, 2009 12:00pm
Rachel Maddow talks to Congressman Barney Frank about the President's speech, the Republican response and whether there's any point in negotiating with them given how far to the right the Republican party is now.
Some of the better parts of this interview- Frank on Joe Wilson’s outburst:
I’d say what Wilson did was a mark of their frustration and you know, Barack Obama is a big boy. I think I must say that any Republican, particularly a Joe Wilson who’d want to get into a debate with Barack Obama is tugging on Superman’s cape and pulling the Lone Ranger’s mask, but if that’s what he wants to do… free country.
On bipartisanship:
The Republicans represent an extremely conservative faction and the notion that those of us who won the election with a solid majority should compromise 50/50 with those who won’t… well then why have elections?
[…..]
[T]his annoys me a little bit, this kind of like, I’m above the battle. I think the President underestimated when he came into office exactly how right wing the Republicans are and I’m glad he asked them today to join. I have no great hopes for it because they are in the control of the most conservative, knowing how right wing the Republican party has become, my only bad moment with Barack Obama during the campaign was when he said he was going to be post-partisan, and I got post-partisan depression, because I knew that that meant dealing with these people.
[…..]
Again, I think they forced him to get to the basics. I think he may have thought that they were more reasonable than they are. This collection of loons that you scrolled down there, I’ve got to say those people, if anybody needs a health plan in America, it’s those people who are in severe need of mental health services.
On some Republicans now complaining about their party's fringe:
I noticed last week in the New York Times that the responsible conservatives are starting to complain now that the arguments against the Obama plan and against our effort to do health care are being dominated by the crazies. Well, that’s their fault. They were very happy to have the crazies getting out there doing Hitler stuff and etc. But I think the Republicans, they don’t have good arguments. When people make ridiculous arguments against something, it’s because that’s all they’ve got.
Login or Register to post comments.
You turn their own playbook against them.
Minimalize them. Make them appear out of the mainstream.
Easy to do. The material writes itself.
I know the symptoms.
Kick ass!
He would be the perfect successor to Senator Kennedy, and I love how he dishes the ReThug's own shyt right back at them.
I, too, got post-partisan depression when I heard Obama say that shyt after he got elected. I hope he sees how far that's gotten him, to the point he just goes with the majority he has to get shyt done and leave these nuts pissing in the wind with Joe Wilson.
I think anyone that has declared the GOP as their political affiliation is basically admitting to a pre-existing condition and should henceforth be denied all coverage.
And that ladies and gents, is the zinger o' the day!
Chapeau! Tip of the hat to you sir...
Guess Mr. Frank is a Jim Croce fan....
;o}
Now THAT takes me back! Thanks!!
Jim is one of my favorites and it still shocks me he was only 30 when he was killed in that plane crash. Such talent.
Gotta love Frank and his "take no prisoners" smackdowns that he is accustomed to delivering. Toward the end of the interview, he makes a very simple point that puts it all into perspective..."If people are making ridiculous or crazy arguements against you, then that's all they've got"...i think that pretty much sums up what the Republican Party stands for today. A lot of hot air and no ideas!
rep. frank points out what some of us know to be true. the right wants president obama to fail in the name of their party. the (r) understand and fear they suffer from an identity crisis. they also suffer from the BUSH legacy. they're very concerned with the fact that some type of health care reform will be passed that will help republicans as well as dems./independents. although most of us know the bill won't be perfect. of course we will be reminded of that by many ....some on this site but this legislation could be the start of breaking the health care insurance monopoly strategies. something i believe was miscalculation of how nasty/deceitful the opposition is/can be. the right can't deny there's a major problem brewing in health care cost. they know some of their constituents are suffering from no health care ins. the problem is wallStreet/(r) is more concerned with their china porfolio/wealthy/elite constituents than business in the u.s. health care ins. cost reform could have a major economic impact for this country. it could help us become more competitive in the global economy but unfortunately there are those that don't want us to be competitive in the global economy...... at least not yet.
50/50 capitulation vs what was elected ........... now there is a novel idea.....
Doubt it will happen though.
And to think the US is still way right of most of the real world, so the right in the US are far beyond the deep end !
(Quote) "The brownshirts who worked us over at town hall meetings at the behest of the healthcare industry would not be so easy on us next time, given what's at stake for the capitalist overclass."
The elections are just for show. The policies are dictated by the owners.
It is inverted totalitarianism which results in junk politics.
In other words a managed democracy.
Must hear clips from the work of the late (d 1988) Australian sociologist Alex Carey
CORPORATIONS AND PROPAGANDA
The Attack on Democracy
Part 1 - history through WWII
Part 2 - history after WWII
You mean the american dream them .........
line in the sand you can't cross or it's certain political suicide.
Barney Frank talks a good talk, he is extremely smart, otherwise he would not be in there. He certainly wouldn't stay in there.
That doesn't mean he will stand up with great conviction to say, enough is enough, we are going to start investigations of the Wall Street Mafia and we expect indictments afterwards.
Beyond the line in the sand would be quicksand and he would disappear without a trace.
Check opensecrets on his contributors and you will know everything you need to know, about him.
Listen to the Carey links, the first and so far the only scientifically drawn history of the Corporate propaganda war.
i somewhat agree but i wonder what the consequences would be. this is not a challenge. i'm just saying maybe the consequences are more than we know. these people are very powerful
the wall street mafia that is.
The consequences so far are that they (the wall street mafia) have gotten away with the greatest heist in the history of the world.
$12.8 trillion and counting.
We are in the eye of the hurricane presently.
Consider this:
Zero Hedge here
i agree with the theme of this article. i'm also very interested in the why? i suppose it can be said because... they can. it seems to me we will soon find out how imperfect the religion of capitalism is.
Also this from Zero Hedge
here
The point is, THIS IS BARNEY FRANK'S BEAT.
inverted totalitarianism is one of the most important concepts for americans to grasp if we are going to climb out of this neoliberal ditch.
Fox, the last refuge of the scoundrel.
Murdoooock!
There's an unwritten rule around here that says whenever you post something about Stossel it must be accompanied by this clip!
me say these guys (wrestlers) do some serious hitting and slamming out there putting on a show.
wow
Shultz really smacked him. Stossel sued the WWF and settled for $425,000.
though. If that guy was really pissed he could have sent Stossel to the morgue with one punch or with a broken neck at minimum.
I posted it earlier... but Stossel getting bitchslapped by a man in speedos and a bad per never gets old.
to piss off a 6'6" 289lb professional fighter that's obvious.
Stossel obviously lacks street smarts.
Of course when you lived in a protective bubble shielded from reality (and your own screw ups)your entire life that's no surprise.
Its an oxymoron. All this hysteria over the past several months represents the unveiled, rotting core of conservative ideology. It has always been this way, and it won't ever be anything else.
trust me when i say i'm very concerned. you may not know this but i often read your links/info. although, not as sophisticated in my writing my theme is very similiar. we are currently very vulnerable. where i may differ is that we were vulnerable before obama. when inflation/hyperinflation hits there will be hell to pay. printing money to buy bonds/pay debt is not going to work much longer. investors have been and will continue to invest in commodities as a hedge which will further create economic turmoil. sometimes i feel it's a strategy of some sort. why? because amongst the chaos it seems to be a "perfect storm". i encourage people that want to lay the deficit on obama to take a closer look at the so-called frugal BUSH "conservatives". the BUSH TAX cuts come to us i mean the top 5% at a cost plus interest.
http://www.ctj.org/pdf/bushtaxcutsvshealthcar...
You can always count on Barney for telling the truth and the way it is with the crybaby, loser Reslugs.
but I could listen to Frank talk politics all day.
Finally, someone with a real voice has said this: "bipartisanship" is anti-Democratic.
The premise of bipartisanship is that political parties, not voters and their duly elected representatives, are the primary players in our democracy.
The people do not vote for a party. We are not parliamentary. We vote for individuals and we expect those individuals to do the job we elected THEM to do.
We do not expect them to look for ways to appease the losers.
Bush/Cheney and the Republicans seemed to understand this simple point. Wonder what's taking the Democrats so long to get there.
Wow, wit, intelligence and candor with an edge.........where do you find more of him
The more I learn about Frank and hear him speak, the more I like him. He is one of the few who cuts through the BS. He makes a lot of sense.
C'mon, I hate Stossel as much as the next guy on this site but there is NOTHING as cowardly and chicken-shit as sucker punching another person. I'm sure Vince McMahon was real happy about forking out the lawsuit money. And the last laugh goes to Stossel, who happily cashed the check then and probably is getting a fat raise to do the Glen Beck thing on FOX.
"When people make ridiculous arguments against something its because that's all they've got."
"The very weakness of their argument is testimony to the strength of ours."
!
I wish we could clone Barney Frank and send the copies out to every dumbass pundit show on TV. This man argues the issues better than anyone I've seen in a LOT of years. He knows the facts, knows the counterarguments, is nimble and quick, and doesn't take shit from ANYONE. THIS is the guy we need.
Think there's any chance of him running for President someday? 'Cause I'd vote for him in a hot minute.
Compromising With Republicans.
BARNEY STILL HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR.
;>)
Rachel was once the best interviewer on radio. No she is the best on TV. No one is a close second.
so often. All the GOP has is idiotic hectoring and fear-mongering; this tactic reveals a lack of any notion on how to govern. And that's my beef with contemporary conservatism: why would you put an anti-government party in charge of the government? It would be like hiring an alcoholic to manage the bar. The Dems. just need to pedal to the metal and govern like they were elected to do.
Barney Frank makes perfect sense. The loonies have no argument so they bring arguments that rile the loony base up and make news. Keep the real debate at a minimum. Keep progress at a minimum, just what the 1950's thinking conservatives find uplifting. One thing I've noticed about this weird conservative wing is, it gained power as women gained power in this country. This group will give up on our the health of our future just so they can have their control.
fight to hang onto power is b/c they want to keep control over everything, including women and our reproductive capacity. That's why they're so against abortion. Gotta keep 'em barefooted and pregnant.
If Christianity didn't say that the man is supposed to rule over the woman, it wouldn't have as many adherents. If Jesus had been a woman, there'd be no such thing as Christianity. MHO.
I love Barney Frank!!
If I were gay he could take me to diner! As things are I hope we could just be good friends!
...he isn't really gay, but his boyfriend is.
An old joke, I know, but I heard him say it once (to Jon Stewart?) and it really cracked me up, truly he is a hoot.
Login or Register to post comments.