Fmr Dem Rep. Barney Frank Dies

Former Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Barney Frank, who was one of the most recognizable members of Congress for over three decades due to his mastery of financial policy, liberal politics, and acerbic wit, has passed away at the age of 86.

Jim Segel, Frank’s former campaign manager and close friend, verified that the popular lawmaker had passed away late Tuesday.

“I have been trying to decide, by the way, personally, whether it’s better to be an icon or an emoji,” Frank, with his caustic wit, told CNN’s “State of the Union” in a May 3 interview while in hospice for congestive heart failure.

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He disclosed before his death that his condition had left him with little energy and relatively low pain.

“Essentially, after 86 years, my heart’s just wearing out,” Frank, who appeared gaunt, told Jake Tapper.

Frank served 16 terms as the representative of Massachusetts in the House from 1981 to 2013, during which time he was appointed chairman of the House Financial Services Committee during the 2008 financial crisis.

After the housing market collapse and the near-failure of the U.S. financial system, his name was associated with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, a comprehensive 2010 law that he co-authored with then-Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn.

While receiving palliative care for congestive heart failure in Maine, Frank cautioned Democrats against straying too far to the left.

The law, which was signed by President Barack Obama on July 21, 2010, established new regulations for consumer protection, derivatives, mortgage lending, and significant financial institutions.

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The most consequential financial regulatory reform since the New Deal, Dodd-Frank was the most significant for its supporters.

It was an attempt to curb Wall Street excess and prevent another taxpayer-funded rescue of large institutions.

It became a symbol of regulatory overreach for Republican critics, including President Donald Trump. In 2018, it was partially repealed, which provided regulatory relief to community and mid-sized banks.

Frank regarded it as the culmination of a career that was founded on a commitment to legislative detail, unapologetic liberalism, and a readiness to engage in public discourse.

Frank was also a trailblazer in the realm of American politics, advocating for homosexual rights.

In 1987, while already serving in Congress, he publicly disclosed his sexual orientation as homosexual, becoming the first sitting member of Congress to do so voluntarily.

Later, in 2012, he married his longtime partner, Jim Ready, and became the first sitting U.S. representative to enter into a same-sex marriage.

After more than 30 years in the House, he departed from Congress.

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Barnett Frank, born on March 31, 1940, in Bayonne, New Jersey, graduated from Harvard University in 1962 and subsequently obtained a law degree from Harvard Law School.

He was employed by Boston Mayor Kevin White and Rep. Michael Harrington before his election to the Massachusetts Legislature in 1972.

While there, he served until his election to Congress in 1980.

Frank’s inaugural legislation as a Massachusetts legislator was designed to prohibit discrimination in housing and employment based on sexual orientation.

This legislation served as an early indicator of the civil rights activism that would dominate his public life.

Frank later cited the gay rights movement’s incremental strategy as a paradigm for other causes, despite the fact that the bill failed.

Frank acknowledged that the Democrats and the broader left had made strides in bringing inequality to the forefront of the national agenda.

However, he cautioned that contentious cultural issues could potentially divide and dominate the party.

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His book, which is scheduled for publication on September 15, was composed before his admission to hospice care.

“The Difficult Road to Unity: The Reason We Must Reform the Left to Restore Democracy.”

America has, he postulated, “enabled people who wanted to use that as a platform for a wide range of social and cultural changes, some of which the public isn’t ready for.”

“Even when I agree with them on the end, I think they make a mistake by taking the most controversial parts of the agenda and turning them into litmus tests,” he added.

Even in hospice, Frank remained politically engaged and characteristically unsparing, rejecting the biggest, newest voices in the Democratic Party for turning America away from the standard bearers.

“I am concerned that, among some in my party, there has been a flavor of the month tendency, so that someone who is new and hasn’t been able to do much is somehow preferred over people who understand the importance of hard work to get controversial things adopted,” he said.