Longtime Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., announced Monday he is not seeking re-election, saying that redistricting has made it too strenuous to continue to campaign. One of the best parts of retiring is "I don't have to pretend to be nice to people I don't like," he said, adding that he will continue to be an advocate of public policy, for instance, on gay rights issues and debating the Defense of Marriage Act against opponents like former House Speaker and 2012 Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. Barney Frank Announces He Will Retire At End Of Term | Fox News
This means that Maxine "My People" - "The TEA Party Can Go Straight To Hell" - "We Do Not Have a Crisis At Freddie..or Fannie" Waters will step in. Sweet, I'm sure the congressional approval rating will skyrocket.
That will be nothing new.....Barney Frank is one of the most nasty, obnoxious, bitter, and spiteful people to ever hold elected office. His "victory" speech in the 2010 election was bizarre.....you could barely tell that he won, because he was so angry and bitter about having to face a serious challenger (Sean Bielat) who actually questioned him about Fannie, Freddie, the banking bill, etc.; Barney Frank says his win proves political irrelevance of Boston Herald - YouTube
And according to Judicial Watch, Barney Frank is as well one of the most corrupt. Judicial Watch Announces List of Washington's Barney Frank
It's common knowledge that he retired because of redistricting and he was bound to lose in the next election. With the recent election of Scott Brown, I expect that the Republicans are drooling over the prospect of taking over that seat in Congress. Hopefully they'll put up someone with some brains and not just another corporate drone.
The last Republican challenger was Sean Bielat, who gave Barney a run for his money, and would be a very credible candidate next year with impressive credentials; former Marine Corps officer and current Marine Corps Reserve officer, undergrad from Georgetown, M.B.A. from Penn-Wharton, and a M.P.P. from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. http://seanbielat.org/meet-sean
If Sean Bielat stays on the strait and narrow as a congressman, with his business and military experience, he could eventually seek an executive position in a republican administration. Does he have any skeletons in his closet? Something that another party can use against him?
The only thing I can think of is that after the last election, he moved to Pennsylvania, and just moved back when Frank announced his retirement. However, several Democrats have moved to qualify for Congressional elections, so it shouldn't be a major issue.
He shocked everyone by getting 45% in the old Congressional district; now that the district lost several liberal-leaning towns and picked up Republican-leaning towns like Attleboro, North Attleborough, and Wrentham, I can't see him losing next year.
Sean Bielat interviewed after Barney Frank decided to skip a scheduled debate; Sean Bielat "Debates" Barney Frank - YouTube