Barney Frank: Retirement Not Related To Democratic Prospects For Retaking Control Of The House

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Barney Frank says he's retiring because his Massachusetts district has changed so much he'd have to spend too much time campaigning for re-election.

Frank tells NBC's "Today" show his decision has nothing to do with Democratic prospects for retaking control of the House.

Asked what people should think, the 71-year-old Frank says: "This does not mean that we're not going to take back the House."

But he says redistricting has given him 325,000 constituents he doesn't know. Because of this, the veteran Democrat says, he was afraid he'd have to spend too much time next year raising money and campaigning in the district.

When pressed on this point by his interviewer, Frank said the media are too negative, complaining that "it's gotcha this, it's gotcha that, it's gotcha journalism."

 

 

Comments

[Huck Klmdia]

03:03 PM on 11/30/2011

So now Barney Frank's seat is open? Wasn't it always?

[Sweet Liberty]

11:03 PM on 11/29/2011

Good-bye Barney Frank. Between you, Paulson, and Dodd, you stunk it up the most.

[Chester Chipmunk]

07:43 PM on 11/29/2011

Let's just all be grateful the jerk is leaving & won't cause any further damage.

[MrBrownstone]

02:20 PM on 11/29/2011

Thank you for your service Mr. Frank, but it was time for some new fresh blood, and time for term limits...

[PDinCA]

02:22 PM on 11/29/2011

Term limits would solve nothing. The problem is campaign financing.

[franksnmail]

01:09 PM on 11/29/2011

Barney is a FINE example of why we NEED term limits!
If he had been voted out YEARS ago or "termed out", our housing market may not have had such a dramatic decline. His constant fight against auditing and oversight of F&M were a major contribution to the failure of the Mortgage industry.

[chriss0114]

01:42 PM on 11/29/2011

yeah those helpless Repubs who WERE IN CHARGE AND IN TOTAL CONTROL OF BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS FOR 12 SOLID YEARS could not overcome Super Barney!

[franksnmail]

04:35 PM on 11/29/2011

u weren't counting the last two Bush years were you? I don't recall seeing 12 years of Republican control... Lease we forget Obama Gang had total control for 2 years and accomplished nothing but deeper debt and The Obamacare joke....

[gbp91]

02:02 PM on 11/30/2011

omg you are not right. dems had control of congress way before bush left office....i know it is hurt full for you but bad left liberal democratic policies caused this mess....period

[PDinCA]

02:15 PM on 11/29/2011

"F&M"? You sound like you're right on top of that issue...

[franksnmail]

04:41 PM on 11/29/2011

get my initials mixed up - lol

[Geo44]

01:08 PM on 11/29/2011

You can be sure Barney will be instrumental to whomever succeeds him. Sorry republicans...

[cabinetmaker]

01:08 PM on 11/29/2011

he retired cuz his support for FANNIE/FREDDIE will come up

he can't defend F&F anymore (the media gotcha!)

[Chester Chipmunk]

12:54 PM on 11/29/2011

Frank 'retiring' has nothing to do with chances of re-election? Uh huh - and that iceberg had nothing to do with the Titanic.

[1johnf]

01:17 PM on 11/29/2011

Nice acronym...probably fits. How many others do you own?

Frank's decision probably reflects a rarity...a sitting , 71 yr old Congressman has decided that he's just not interested in pursuing representative for life status. Compare that to, say, a Dick Armey.

The district is probably still a safe Democratic seat, especially with the weakness of any of the flavors of the month who wind up winning the game of musical chairs that is the GOPer presidential primary. And the large Democratic turnout that Elisabeth Warren will bring to the polls.

Besides, if you knew your history, the President of the White Star line, by putting time demands upon the Captain to set a new speed record, had more to do with the loss of the Titanic than any other factor.

But then, facts probably don't interest you.

[Chester Chipmunk]

02:02 PM on 11/29/2011

Well, the fact is that Franks is responsible for forcing banks to make irresponsible loans. That fact interests me. It's a good thing for Old Barn they stupidity is not a crime.

[cristoballs]

12:54 PM on 11/29/2011

i see the moderators are out in full force removing any comments that mention mr. frank running a male prostitution ring in his home in the late 80s, which allegedly involved minors. good work folks. keep the masses ignorant.

[chriss0114]

01:45 PM on 11/29/2011

yes, attempting to smear people based upon lies and innuendo

good work indeed

[eddiefi]

12:26 PM on 11/29/2011

I ran out of words in my original post but thank you Mr Frank for all of your hard work and for trying to do what is right for the majority of people in this country even in the face of bigotry by people who want the government out of their life but want the government to intrude on yours and on others that they do not agree with. I am sure you will still be supporting causes that are for the greater good for the majority of people in this country and not the elite. Thanks again Barney!

[franksnmail]

01:14 PM on 11/29/2011

YUP Barney! thanks for not helping to regulate F&M and for all the foreclosures and upside down mortgages! YOUR LEGACY will be in the hearts of MILLIONS for years to come! I'm sure those "elite" first time buyers are thanking you today!

[eddiefi]

12:20 PM on 11/29/2011

Looks like all the bigots who like to get on HP and harass the liberals(they also probably like to hang out side of LGBT establishments and scream out taunts and insults)have gotten on today to show their lack any knowledge to why we are in the mess we are in today. They cannot remember that we were on the quick road to a DEPRESSION when Obama took over and how he was able to avert that with no help at all from the right and in fact did it with them actually doing all they could to allow it to happen and the right did it all for political gain. It worked for 2010 but hopefully all the people who legitimately voted for repubs in 2010 because they felt like they had to make a statement have had time to realize what is going on and the dems who stayed home to protest that Obama was not able to do all he promised have realized what this president has been up against the last 3 years. The repubs really don't mind making people suffer to get political control and if they do get control who knows where it might lead. They are already trying to get rid of voting rules that will block voters who they know are not their supporters. And the Tea Party thought that the dems wanted to become dictators!

[DevRock]

12:14 PM on 11/29/2011

The gotcha journalism is only a fraction of the problem. he's right. But only nailed 20% of the problem.

[ekim anif]

11:56 AM on 11/29/2011

He didn't "retire"--redistricting retired him.

He lacked the requisite courage to face voters in his newly organized district, and to pursuade them of the correctness of his ideas.

Knowing that the intellectual, ahem, framework that undergirded his Fannie/Freddie debacle, and the ironically named Financial "reform" Act is bankrupt, he chose the course of least resistance--RETREAT.

[ikesambobby]

12:24 PM on 11/29/2011

At 71 if I was Barney Frank I'd retire and enjoy the rest of my life too. Can you imagine listening to those Repug/Baggers day in and day out?

[ekim anif]

04:58 PM on 11/29/2011

Better than the shrill, fey voices that play in his own head...

[1johnf]

01:20 PM on 11/29/2011

You sir, are a goof. The one thing that during hi governmental career that Mr. Frank has not lacked is the requisite courage. It's only pissants like your self, ahem, that are phoney intelectuals.

[ekim anif]

05:00 PM on 11/29/2011

I can spell "intellecutal", ahem...

And for the record, Mr. Frank addressed the issue of fundraising, pusuading new constituents and his own desire to "tweak" his opponents as reasons for not running. HIS excuses repudiate YOUR excuse-making.

[nicko68]

11:55 AM on 11/29/2011

on the note of Freddie and Fannie......and bringing down wall st.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?Franklin Raines was a Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Fannie Mae,Tim Howard - Was the Chief Financial Officer of Fannie Mae. Howard "was a strong internal proponent of using accounting strategies that would ensure a "stable pattern of earnings" at Fannie. Jim Johnson - A former executive at Lehman Brothers and who was later forced from his position as Fannie Mae CEO.
FRANKLIN RAINES? Raines works for the Obama Campaign as his Chief Economic Advisor.
TIM HOWARD? Howard is a Chief Economic Advisor to Obama under Franklin Raines.
JIM JOHNSON? Johnson was hired as a Senior Obama Finance Advisor and was selected to run Obama's Vice Presidential Search Committee.

[Wow Unbelievable]

12:01 PM on 11/29/2011

Interesting isn't it! Shame the MSM doesn't try to connect the dots.

[Chase Chevalier]

11:45 AM on 11/29/2011

It may take 20 years to undo all the damage Mr. Frank has done to our economy through irresponsible handling of Freddie and Fannie but atleast we have a fighting chance without him. Things are looking up!

[franksnmail]

01:17 PM on 11/29/2011

If I was religious i'd say "Amen"! What the heck - AMEN!!!

[floridaviolinist]

01:37 PM on 11/29/2011

did you not hear in the news of Mr. Newt Gingrich who back in the late 90s and 2000s took almost 2 million dollars from Fannie and Freddie for "consulting and advice"?