The Gay Patriot blog poses an interesting question-whether the media's failure to consider Rep. Barney's Frank conflict of interest (his then partner, when Frank was serving on the House Banking Committee and defending Fannie Mae from calls for more regulation, was a Fannie Mae exec) shows that the media don't consider gay relationships subject to the same scrutiny (and thus the same respect) and heterosexual relationships.
An exception: Fox News, which reported: "Unqualified home buyers were not the only ones who benefitted from Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank's efforts to deregulate Fannie Mae throughout the 1990s. So did Frank's partner, a Fannie Mae executive at the forefront of the agency's push to relax lending restrictions."
Many liberals, I'm sure, will find the Fox News account "homophobic," but isn't not reporting on Frank's conflict of interest a sign that gay relationships aren't seen as "real"?
More. Another factor: the media's lock-step narrative blaming the crisis on Republican deregulation and Wall Street greed, right out of the Obama playbook, while giving a pass to Democratic malfeasance (e.g., Frank and friends' success at protecting the big-government fiefdoms of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from Republican efforts to rein them in, while threatening lenders that failed to extend increasing amounts of credit to low-income families).
The SNL skit that NBC pulled from its own site (while it lasts).
Still more. And now Frank is playing the race card. Lovely.
15 Comments for “Not Scandal-Worthy?”
posted by Michigan-Matt on
Barney Frank, Democrat, somehow involved in the appearance of corruption and backroom wheeling & dealing -cozy with fat cat corrupt former Democrats?
Barney Frank’s sex partner tied to questionable job outside his ability or capacities? (Hope this time is wasn’t in ol’ Barney’s basement)
Barney Frank’s lover hired for his sacking out with the big squeeze? (At least this isn’t a call service this time, pheww)
MSM skips the story? Gee, wanna ya want? The NYTimes just did Obama chum and unrepentant terrorist Bill-Bomber-Ayers after 19 months of silence on the issue.
Nawh, can’t be so.
Hey look, over there, McCain wants to bomb Iran!!! Palin’s daughter is preggers!
posted by Jorge on
Oh, come now. If Barney Frank had been a Republican…
posted by BobN on
Wow! I had no idea Fox actually put such garbage in print, erh… pixels.
posted by Pat on
It’s hard to say if everything else was the same, except Frank’s partner in Fannie Mae was the opposite sex, if that would have been reported. No, this does not excuse Frank at all. He should have recused himself from anything that involved Fannie Mae as a conflict of interest. But we’re talking as if Frank was the only member of the House Banking Committee, or that he had full control of it, and no one else on the committee had a say. Maybe that was the case for the past 1 1/2 years while he was chair of the committee, as unfortunately, chairs of committees have too much power, when they should have the same exact power as anyone else on the committee. I saw the you tube video showing how Democrats, including Frank, were defending Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac way back in 2004, while others, including Republicans who controlled Congress, saw there was potential problems. Why wasn’t anything done then? If it was Frank that somehow preventing measures from being done then, well again, shame on Frank. But shame on us for giving one person in Congress too much power. The senility (oops, seniority) status in Congress has to go.
posted by Michigan-Matt on
Pat, agreed. Maybe the best lesson is that the political culture in DC is corrupting irrespective of who is in power… it isn’t the seniority system or committee system –we had both in the 1950s & 1960s but still had solid, credible lawmakers who wnated to conduct the peoples’ business, not enrich themselves for personsal gain.
The BarneyBigSqueezeFrank story is just one of dozens that can be discussed since the Democrats supposedly “took back” the Congress for “America” and sent greed & corruption a’packin. Barney’s sex-related conflict of interest is no different than Commerce Chair John Dingell -whose committee is supposed to regulate the auto industry- having a trophy wife who is the chief lobbyist for GM.
Or LyinJoeBiden’s son being a fat cat lobbyist who regularly shook-down CEOs of companies Biden’s committee regulated for personal and business loans.
Or BarryO being the #1 hand-out (given his time in office and the extent of the “contributions”) of FreddieMac and FannieMae.
And the conservative Republicans in the last few Congresses were just as bad… just as corrupt. They helped make the modern mold –some of the Democrats are improving on the design.
posted by Pat on
Matt, fair enough. That’s great that the seniority system was not abused in the 1950s and 1960s. But it doesn’t seem that it was needed then, and it clearly is not needed now. All we have to do is look at Byrd who was able to be king of the pork, and some how his bloviations on the Senate floor had to be taken more seriously then any of the other 99 members.
As much as I believe that Byrd is a reprehensible creature, I would have no problem with him in the Senate if he was an equal. He could then be elected for 10 more terms for all I care.
posted by Throbert McGee on
Since I can hardly ever pull myself away from the computer screen in order to watch TV, I just had to say thanks for posting that YouTube link to the SNL sketch — awesomely brutal!
posted by ETJB on
I think many of these types of problems would be solved, or at least better dealt with, if (1) we have more competitive elections, (2) PBS was more akin the BBC and (3) the average voter carred beyond what might help or hurt their party.
I suspect that had Frank been a Republican, FOX News probably would dealt with it differently. Gay Republicans would have dealt with it differntly.
posted by Michigan-Matt on
ET zooms in from outer space with this one: “I think many of these types of problems would be solved, or at least better dealt with, if (1) we have more competitive elections, (2) PBS was more akin the BBC….”
Barney Frank’s lover getting a high paid job at FannieMae and the two of them bilking America for hundreds of millions wouldn’t have happened if there were competitive elections???
Or the ultra-liberal PBS was more like the uber-liberal BBC???
ET, get your nose away from the exhaust fumes -it’s affecting your judgment.
posted by ETJB on
Los pol
posted by Michigan-Matt on
ET, get your nose away from the exhaust fumes -it’s affecting your judgment
posted by ETJB on
Dado usted defensa ciega, lujuriosa y odiosa de todo Partido Republicano de cosas, parecer
posted by Mike Airhart on
Acting in my capacity as webmaster for IGF, and with the consent of the editors, I have banned ETJB and Michigan-Matt for repeated namecalling.
IGF prides itself on minimal interference with comments. However, namecalling and trolling have significantly reduced the quality of discussion. I trust that everyone else will behave themselves just a bit better, going forward.
We are grateful to you, our readers and commenters, for your understanding and your ongoing involvement.
posted by stan grohowsky on
Check google for the NYT article and WSJ article last Friday that explains that it wasn’t the loans Freddie and Frannie wrote — it was the bankers and wall streeters that turned them into commodities to be traded that caused this crisis. Maybe when things cool down a better narrative can be written about the involvement from all parties over the years. I heard an audio of GWB praising Fannie Mae and how his administration was pushing for them to write loans to prop up the construction industry so Bush could claim X number of housing starts, etc. I think it has to be explained why when a loan is written how it gets to be sold and re-sold and re-sold multiple times without any of these bank and hedge fund braintrusts realizing that there was no money to be made at the end of the day? The market is a ponzi scheme to begin with and now they are selling ponzi derivitatives, etc. WTF
posted by Jorge on
Well, I don’t mind the flaring tempers and snide disdain considering people from all over the political spectrum post here, but constant trolling is a bit too much.
Anyway, I don’t like Barney Frank. He strikes me as a narcissist and overall nasty person. I lost a lot more respect for him what with his reaction to being called out on the housing crisis–you know, sometimes I’m actually WRONG about politicians.