Roll Call: 'House leaders plot gay rights agenda'

Dumb Question

as I'm fairly new to all of this:

Is Barney Frank ALWAYS this much of an asshat? I'm about to "lobby" him with a rolled-up weekend Boston Globe!

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by: Louise @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 08:53:13 AM CDT

It is an asshatty comment

In his defense, I can just imagine Frank's sarcastic tone, he aims it at many different groups. We frequently like it, when when he was mocking pouting Republicans:

"I'll make an offer," he added. "Give me those 12 people's names and I will go talk uncharacteristically nicely to them and tell them what wonderful people they are and maybe they'll now think about the country."

http://www.boston.com/news/pol...

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by: Clarknt67 @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 09:05:38 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

There's the thing, Clarknt67

I've watched him many times on C-SPAN and honestly, I like the way he argues his points and takes no bull on the floor.

But when I was first made aware of how he was willing to parse the transgender portion out of ENDA, it was a mind-boggling moment and my whole perception of the man changed- dramatically.

This... more of the same out of him, it seems. And it's inexcusable.

I repeat, asshat. And I really don't like saying that at all.

Barney, grow the eff up and WAKE UP.

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by: Louise @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 10:34:56 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

I agree.

I suspect that Frank, in addition to often being the smartest guy in the room, is often the most caustic.  We love our gay men when their snark dovetails with our own views.

Also, I note that the Roll Call headline could have just as easily said:

House Leaders Strategize Gay Rights Agenda
or
House Leaders Discuss Gay Rights Agenda

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by: Pollyanna @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 16:14:30 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Do we need The Peter's take? Sounds like he wrote it

"plot" has a very nefarious sound to it.

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by: Clarknt67 @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 08:58:05 AM CDT

Nah

Had he written it, "plot" would have been preceded by "evil", "nefarious", "under-handed", "sneaky", "devious", "family-destroying" etc (or combinations)- and it would have been "homosexual", not "gay".

But I agree otherwise! ;)

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by: Louise @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 10:37:19 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

BTW, anyone notice the Howard Dean story

(him dropping out of the fundraiser) hasn't been picked up outside of the gay press at all? Aside from Ben Smith at Politico who was the original source, it hasn't shown up on CNN, ABC, not even the NY Times.

I find it hard to imagine the headliner of fundraising event for another group could drop out and not rate even a passing mention in mainstream news.

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by: Clarknt67 @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 09:01:57 AM CDT

Compliment

"They are a powerful financial institution."

That's quite a compliment in the beltway. I'm going to be doing a lot of recruiting at Seattle Pride this weekend, it'll be good to tell people that these strategies are winning. When people think Something is possible they tend to work harder for it.
Winning = interest

protestforhumanrights.com

Time to Stand! ProtestForHumanRighs.com

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by: Enigmas @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 09:06:37 AM CDT

I'm not giving Democrats a dime more until they achieve some real goals.

I'm furious with Obama for his anti-environmental policies, his nasty digs at GLBTQ accompanied by no action, and his hiding and ignoring evidence of torture and illegal behavior by the previous administration (not to mention probable continuation of that torture and illegal behavior toward prisoners by his own adminstration).

I sent Obama a fair amount of money and supported him in my state's primary. I knew that he was a centrist and didn't expect much, but I certainly didn't expect him to be as bad as he is. Oh, did I mention his tepid, wimpy health care plan?

And I'm furious with Congress for their vapid, weak, narcissistic behavior. Apparently everybody in D.C. cares more about being reelected than anything else on earth. Literally.

I'm fed up with the Democratic Party and I will be supporting and voting third party even if I have to write it on the ballot. They don't want me and other progressives. They can get along without me until they remember their base.

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by: night owl @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 09:17:50 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Compliment

"They are a powerful financial institution."

That's quite a compliment in the beltway. I'm going to be doing a lot of recruiting at Seattle Pride this weekend, it'll be good to tell people that these strategies are winning. When people think Something is possible they tend to work harder for it.
Winning = interest

protestforhumanrights.com

Time to Stand! ProtestForHumanRighs.com

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by: Enigmas @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 09:08:36 AM CDT

sorry

didn't mean to post twice

Time to Stand! ProtestForHumanRighs.com

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by: Enigmas @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 09:10:04 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

No prob

It's a point WELL worth repeating!

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by: Louise @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 10:38:03 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

The Sodom and Gomorrah Savings and Loan

is closed.

I tell you Chica that no greater abomination exists than women denying their spirit of sisterhood and instead becoming the oppressor. -Rebeca, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

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by: MauraHennessey @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 14:53:55 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Sensibly my ass

"the transgender community stopped yelling at me and [Pelosi] ... and started lobbying sensibly," Frank said.

As if any oppressed minority in the history of culture ever managed to secure its rights by acting "sensibly".  Each and every one has had to hoot and holler and disrupt a whole lot of things in order to get the equality they were being unjustly denied by a bigoted majority that flat out refused to deal with them sensibly, and Frank knows it.  It's just offensively disingenuous.

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by: Rev Jane Ignatowski @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 09:29:23 AM CDT

What's up with Alcee Hastings?

Hastings said he hasn't heard back from the White House yet, but predicted he will soon. He also clarified his own sexuality: "Now, I'm not gay. I've chased more women than the law allows."

In fact, much of this Roll Call article seems to drip of homophobia from the headline on down.

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by: kevinchi @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 09:29:32 AM CDT

What I would normally find funny

(if it weren't so tragic) is that these homobigots (Obama) and professional politicians (Pelosi, Frank et al.) are reacting to an uproar against backroom deals by...wait for it...trying to craft more backroom deals.

It's 2009, and the civil rights movement for GLBT Americans has moved beyond the backroom deal stage.  These folks either can't see that or, in the case of Obama, might see it and want to contintue to deprive GLBT Americans of their rights.  

Enough with this stuff.

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by: dk @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 09:31:48 AM CDT

Another vaguely homophobic gem from Roll Call

Democrats also see the power of the gay community's purse.

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by: kevinchi @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 09:36:05 AM CDT

Oh the Peter's gonna run with this quote

They are organized. They work hard. They vote and they have money,Nevins said. They are a powerful financial institution.

Pam,

Oy. Can he ever sound like he's not picking a fight?

Barney "Gruff" Frank :)

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by: Donna @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 09:37:07 AM CDT

Let "The Peter" whine...

The more the homophobe extremists "come out" and show their batsh*t crazy, the uglier they look. As long as we keep educating people about the need for these bills and lobby our Congresscritters to pass the bills, we'll make it happen.  

Act on Principles and make equality happen.  

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by: atdnext @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 09:48:18 AM CDT

Did "The Peter"

sign off on the justice dept.'s DOMA brief?  No.  But Obama did.

When we talk of homophobe extremists, I think we should keep that in mind.

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by: dk @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 09:51:19 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Who is the editor at Roll Call?

Here's another gem:

The high-level huddle comes less than a week after President Barack Obama threw a bone to the gay community by extending some federal benefits to same-sex couples.

Now I would expect a sentence like that on a blog or something, but in a newspaper that advertises itself as "The Newspaper of Capitol Hill?"

Come on, now.

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by: kevinchi @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 10:11:31 AM CDT

At least he's calling the situation as it is

It WAS a bone-toss.

It beats how other media have unquestioningly described the "benefits" as extending partner benefits, scarely noting, "Well, really if your employer gave you this package you'd say the benefits totally sucked."

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by: Clarknt67 @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 11:07:29 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

True.

It's just that I'm probably a little snobby as to how a Capitol Hill newspaper should be reporting this.

it just...doesn't seem right.

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by: kevinchi @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 11:16:03 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

You're just reacting to the fact that they say

"bone toss" gleefully, rather than indignantly or with resignation as we do!

;-)

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by: Clarknt67 @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 11:23:47 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Yeah, that whole article is seething

with homophobia and contempt for the gay community from the headline on down. It's gay baiting, really.

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by: kevinchi @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 11:29:03 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Frank-ly

my dear, I think your attempt to divert transfolk from pissing on you and Pelosi for your prejudice only worked because we are holding you accountable and you fed us the HRC.

I will now point out that if I were to say something like that about gay people, I'd be excoriated.

Of course, gruff isn't usually applied to women, so what was the word they used for that kinda woman?

(uh huh)

Sorry, Barney.  You're still not getting a pass.

http://www.dyssonance.com  Breaking all the rules...

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by: dyssonance @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 19:28:16 PM CDT