I’ve always like Barney Frank. As a liberal Dem, he seems to be effective and helpful. He tries to get stuff done.
Lately, his enemies have been out to get him. In this case, it is not the Repukeliscum. Nope, it’s gay groups, upset that Barney Frank is not being gay enough, and supporting gay causes with every breathe he has.
From the NYT:
They are angry because Mr. Frank has removed specific language about “gender identity” from the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a bill that would protect gay men and lesbians in the workplace and that gay rights advocates say would now leave transsexuals and transgender individuals vulnerable.
“There is a tendency in American politics for the people who feel most passionately about an issue, particularly ones that focus on a single issue, to be unrealistic in what a democratic political system can deliver,” Mr. Frank said, “and that can be self-defeating.”
This is becoming a serious problem, IMHO. There is NO CHANCE that we will end the war while Bush is in office. He has the veto. If we cut off the money, he has the mighty Wurlitzer of the Right Wing Noise Machine, and the onslaught would be ferocious.
We control Congress. We control the agenda. That allows us to increase the minimum wage, renew S-CHIP and do other important work. No, it does not allow us to do everything. But it is better than what would have happened with Repukeliscum control.
So, my point? My point is that we should support with a tough love approach, but with less criticism. In a previous diary, someone expresses a desire to “put an icepick in …”; this is not helpful. Pelosi has her faults, but she is certainly a vast improvement over Hastert. Reid is a tremendous guy, and much better than Frist.
In the contemporary American political scene, stuff happens at a glacial pace. People can become impatient, and that is depressing. We need to show patience and support the right side.
Most importantly, I see nothing coming out of this Congress. Nothing. And that’s a positive thing. I don’t expect much, and we are not going to get much. We can hold our breathe until we turn blue, and STILL nothing will come out. Bush holds the whip hand right now. It’s called the veto pen.
We should focus on the election and stop saying things like “stick an icepick…”. Focusing on the election is positive.
