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Barney Frank

Barney Frank Quotes

Former U.S. Representative

Barney Frank was a distinguished U.S. Representative from Massachusetts, serving for 32 years. He was a leading advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, financial regulation, and economic equality. Frank was a pivotal figure in the 2008 financial crisis and played a crucial role in the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

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Famous Barney Frank Quotes

“The public is ready now for a safety net for the middle class, something not just for the poor, but for everyone who will need help, from time to time, in order to own a home, educate their kids, keep themselves healthy or have something to retire on.”

Needs Helping Home Kids Order Poor Class Middle Ready Healthy Safety Middle Class Retiring Educate Need Help Safety Net

Author:Barney Frank

“If Bob Barr (conservative republican congressman from Georgia) caught on fire and I was holding a bucket of water, it would be great act of discipline to pour it on him. I would do it, but I'd hate myself in the morning.”

Ifs Would Be Hate Water Morning Fire Discipline Republican Caught Conservative Bob Georgia Buckets Congressman Hate Myself

Author:Barney Frank

“I have this fear that one day there's going to be a fire in the Senate and there are only going to be 57 senators there and they’ll all die because they won't have 60 votes to allow themselves to leave the building.”

Dies Fire Building One Day Vote Senate Senators

Author:Barney Frank

“Whenever people are being intellectually dishonest in debate, it is an implicit concession they have lost the fight”

People Fighting Lost Debate Implicit Concessions

Author:Barney Frank

“[Democrats] are trying on every front to increase the role of government.”

Trying Government Roles Fronts Increase Democrat Role Of Government

Author:Barney Frank

“I wouldn't want [gay marriage] to go to the United States Supreme Court now because that homophobe Antonin Scalia has too many votes on this current court.”

Want States United United States Gay Vote Court Currents Supreme Supreme Court Gay Marriage Homophobes

Author:Barney Frank

“Today, many people take for granted the notion that people whose lives are going to be very heavily affected by public policies should have a say in how they are formulated and carried out.”

People Should Today Policy Should Have Notion Granted Affected Public Policy

Author:Barney Frank

“There was a degree of interventionism in American foreign policy, the notion that we must be the superpower and we have to intervene everywhere, that I think makes no sense.”

Thinking Policy Degrees Notion Foreign Policy Superpower American Foreign Policy Interventionism

Author:Barney Frank

“NATO was a wonderful idea. It was formed in 1949. We are as far away from NATO as NATO was when it was done in time from the presidency of Grover Cleveland.”

Ideas Done Wonderful Far Away Presidency Nato Cleveland Grover

Author:Barney Frank

“I am not aware of any specific provision that mandates any tightening of lending to small business other than a requirement that people who lend and then sell that loan be prepared to take a part of the risk. And I'm proud of that.”

People Risk Proud Sells Prepared Be Prepared Requirements Small Business Loan Provision Mandates Lending

Author:Barney Frank

“I don't think Donald Trump is the right person because I very much disagree with him.”

Thinking Persons Trump Disagree Right Person

Author:Barney Frank

“I think there were two criticisms you can make of Donald Trump`s involvement in the Health Care Bill. First of all, there were times when he wasn`t being helpful. Secondly, there were times when he was trying to be helpful. I`m not sure which one did more damage.”

Thinking Trying Care Criticism Health Care Not Sure Helpful Involvement

Author:Barney Frank

“I can tell you about health care and also about the financial reform bill. The Barack Obama, the President personally and his administration officials at his direction were very much involved.”

Care President Financial Barack Health Care

Author:Barney Frank

“Ronald Reagan got a lot of democrats. I wish he hadn`t. I got to Congress with Reagan coming to the Whitehouse. The Reagan Program, a very radical one, a very drastic one passed because he had a lot of democrats. He worked at it personally and also because Reagan retained a popularity.”

Wish Program Democrat Radical Popularity Drastic

Author:Barney Frank

“One of the striking things and Donald Trump is right, he gets no Democratic votes. It`s interesting there were Democrats from states some of them more conservative states that voted him, Indiana, Missouri, West Virginia, Montana, North Dakota. They`re not afraid of Donald Trump those Democratic Senators because they know more than he knows and know what the people want.”

People Interesting Vote Democratic Democrat Conservative Not Afraid

Author:Barney Frank

“There is parallels these two great men John McCain and Ted Kennedy of great impact in the Senate, you don`t agree with everything they did but certainly they had major impacts as senators. Their one major political failure not to be elected president but that didn`t stop them from having enormous impact and at roughly the same age, exactly the same disease. It`s kind of a poignant sad parallel.”

Men Kind Age Political President Agree Great Men Mccain Poignant

Author:Barney Frank

“Can I say one other thing that`s very important? I`m indebted to Donald Trump for a long time, we`ve had this problem that people disliked government. And the health care bill has shown reminded people and Donald Trump has shown people there is something a lot worse than government. It`s not government. That as bad as they might have thought the government was on health care, it`s now created people that the absence of government healthcare is even worse.”

People Long Important Problem Care Absence Health Care Healthcare

Author:Barney Frank

“Donald Trump has done more for getting people to understand the importance of public policy that respond to public needs in an affirmative way than anything we could have done on our own.”

People Done Policy Importance Public Policy Affirmative

Author:Barney Frank

“Alec Baldwin has done this great Donald Trump. I wish somebody would hire Leslie Jordan to play Jeff Sessions. The only way is to put the two of them out there. it is the most bizarre, pathetic silliness I can imagine at what should be the most serious deliberations in the American government.”

Done Wish Imagine Serious Bizarre Pathetic American Government Silliness

Author:Barney Frank

“They have to convert our agenda into something aggressive. Two guys wanting to be happy together are invading their marriages. Helping a kid who's getting beaten up in school is promoting homosexuality. If you gave me a million dollars, I wouldn't know how to promote homosexuality.”

“Regarding homophobia in general, the good news is that there is a lot less of it than there used to be. The bad news is that it ever existed in the first place, and the worse news is that it remains far stronger than is healthy for a society dedicated in theory to equality under the law.”

Firsts Law Used Culture Justice Theory Healthy Diversity News Stronger Social Justice Remains Used To Be Dedicated Good News Bad News Homophobia Equality Under The Law

Author:Barney Frank

“There were a lot of Romneys. There's the Romney who was going to be better on gay rights than Ted Kennedy; now there's a Romney who checks with Rick Santorum on that issue.”

Issues Rights Gay Checks Romney Gay Rights Ted Kennedy

Author:Barney Frank

“The single most important thing you can do politically for gay rights is to come out. Not to write a letter to your congressman but to come out.”

Writing Important Can Do Rights Gay Letters Important Things Gay Rights Congressman

Author:Barney Frank

“I do not believe that the federal government should treat adults who choose to smoke marijuana as criminals.”

Should Believe Government Adults Treats Criminals Smoke Marijuana Federal Government

Author:Barney Frank

“These two entities—Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac—are not facing any kind of financial crisis.”

Kind Two Crisis Financial Entity Macs Financial Crisis Mae

Author:Barney Frank

“The problem with the war in Iraq is not so much the intelligence as the stupidity.”

War Problem Iraq Stupidity

Author:Barney Frank

“Conservatives believe that from the standpoint of the federal government, life begins at conception and ends at birth.”

Believe Ends Government Birth Conception Federal Government Standpoint

Book:Frank: A Life in Politics from the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage

Source: Frank: A Life in Politics from the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage

“But on those occasions when I do strongly disagree with the Democrats and I don't say anything, I think I forfeit my right to have people pay attention to me when I say the things that I don't like about what Republicans are saying.”

People Thinking Pay Attention Republican Democrat Occasions Pay Attention Disagree Say Anything Forfeit

Author:Barney Frank

“I do not think that any self-respecting radical in history would have considered advocating people’s rights to get married, join the Army, and earn a living as a terribly inspiring revolutionary platform.”

People Thinking Self Rights Married Army Radical Revolutionary Platforms Advocating Joining The Army

Author:Barney Frank

“I'm used to being in the minority. I'm a left-handed, gay Jew. I've never felt, automatically, a member of any majority.”

Used Left Felt Gay Members Majority Jew Minorities Gay Pride Left Hand Left Handed

Author:Barney Frank

“And I think there is too much bloviating around from politicians.”

Thinking Too Much Politician

Author:Barney Frank

“But it is also clear that left entirely untouched by public policy, the capitalist system will produce more inequality than is socially healthy or than is necessary for maximum efficiency.”

Left Clear Policy Produce Healthy Inequality Capitalist Efficiency Maximum Public Policy

Author:Barney Frank

“Community action is as valuable a principle on the international level as it has been domestically.”

Has Beens Action Community Levels Principles International Valuable Community Action

Author:Barney Frank

“Particularly marijuana, I think is a great hypocrisy. I think frankly it contributes to a good deal of the sense of unfairness you have among younger people who are told they shouldn't do this because it’s got all these negative effects, but then older people are engaging in all kinds of things that probably have a greater impact on people.”

People Thinking Kind Deals Greater Effects Negative Impact All Kinds Hypocrisy Marijuana Engaging Older People Unfairness

Author:Barney Frank

“I smoke a cigar or two a day. I did have a brownie once. It made me sleepy.”

Made Two Smoke Cigar Sleepy Brownies

Author:Barney Frank

“Moderate Republicans are reverse Houdinis. They tie themselves up in knots and then tell you they can’t do anything because they’re tied up in knots.”

Republican Ties Tied Reverse Moderates Knots Tied Up

Author:Barney Frank

“I think there was an absolute, deep gap between consensual relations between adults, which people may like or dislike, and people who physically impose themselves on children or misuse their authority to impose on children.”

People Thinking May Children Authority Adults Relation Absolutes Gaps Dislike Misuse

Author:Barney Frank

“Serving in Congress is like having a second shot at high school.”

School Political High School Shots Congress Serving

Author:Barney Frank

“When I was here there was still a requirement that students had to swim 50 yards to graduate...because Harry Elkins Widener had drowned with the sinking of the Titanic. And it made me very grateful at the time that he had not gone down in a plane crash.”

Made Stills Gone Students Grateful Planes Swim Graduates Crash Yards Requirements Sinking Funny Graduation Plane Crashes

Author:Barney Frank

“People are entitled to the presumption of innocence.”

People Innocence Entitled Presumption Presumption Of Innocence

Author:Barney Frank

“I hope we will not so characterize religious people as being so narrow and so biased towards people not of their own religion that they cannot even work with them in this common cause to which you say they are committed.”

People Causes Religious Common Prejudice Committed Biased

Author:Barney Frank

“When community action was put into federal law in the early sixties as part of the effort to combat poverty and social injustice, I supported it intellectually.”

Action Law Social Community Effort Poverty Injustice Combat Sixty Social Injustice Community Action

Author:Barney Frank

“The best antidote to prejudice is reality.”

Reality Prejudice Antidote

Author:Barney Frank

“It is because the fight against the harshest aspects of unrestricted capitalism is therefore a political problem and not an intellectual one that community action remains so essential.”

Problem Action Political Fighting Community Essentials Intellectual Capitalism Aspect Remains Aquariums Community Action

Author:Barney Frank

“Ridicule is about the most powerful weapon possible.”

Politics Powerful Weapons Most Powerful Ridicule Powerful Weapons

Author:Barney Frank

“Lawyers are very, very good at keeping you out of prison, but they will sacrifice your reputation and credibility to do so.”

Sacrifice Prison Very Good Lawyer Reputation Credibility

Author:Barney Frank

“And unless you think there is a serious chance you're going to jail, don't listen to your lawyer.”

Thinking Chance Serious Lawyer Jail

Author:Barney Frank

“For most of my life, I have eaten to deal with stress.”

Deals Stress Dealing With Stress

Author:Barney Frank

“I have been mislabeled as a big advocate of low-income home ownership over rental.”

Has Beens Home Bigs Lows Income Coming Home Ownership Low Income Home Ownership

Author:Barney Frank

“I will tell you, I'm a lousy cook, but I think I'm a pretty good judge of a good meal.”

Thinking Judging Cooks Meals Good Meals Good Judges

Author:Barney Frank

About the Author

Born: March 31, 1940
Known for: Former U.S. Representative
Quotes: 105

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