One reason that liberal icon Barney Frank is retiring from Congress is because he was “stripped of the power to torment and humiliate others” when Republicans took control of the House and he lost his position as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Karl Rove writes in an Op-Ed published at
FoxNews.com.
“Brilliant, but acid tongued and generally unpleasant, Mr. Frank ruled with an iron gavel, ran over critics with delight and treated committee members and especially Republican colleagues as lesser forms of life,” Rove writes.
Frank announced Monday that he won’t run for re-election next year, after 32 years representing his Massachusetts district.
“Mr. Frank’s departure in January 2013 will remove from the House one of its more offensive members. Until then, this petulant, abrasive and downright nasty Congressman will keep making his presence known.”
Rove, a former top adviser to President George W. Bush, likened Frank to a bully who has lost his power to bully. Frank should be leaving the House in shame for the damage he caused in stopping the “reform of Fannie and Freddie while there was still time to avert the disaster that almost took down the American economy,” Rove writes.
Frank blocked reform in 2003 proposed by the Bush administration and again 2007 and when the two “went belly up” in 2008, ended up voting for the very same reforms, Rove writes. The reason for opposing reform was that “Fannie and Freddie provided ‘grease’ for the Democratic political machine through hundreds of millions in charitable contributions to left wing community and advocacy groups that are critical to Democratic get-out-the-vote efforts.”
“Mr. Frank is incapable of feeling shame, regret or a sense of personal responsibility,” Rove concludes. “These are emotions for lesser beings. He’s leaving because of redistricting or to avoid having to raise money or facing those nasty little voters every two years. The House will be a better place for his departure.”
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