First he made it clear that he will not co-sponsor the Respect for Marriage Act because it's destined to fail, now he's saying the National Equality March is useless:
Barney Frank believes the march this weekend and rally on the mall are "useless" and don't put pressure on the White House. "I literally don't understand how this will do anything," he said. "People are kidding themselves. I don't want people patting themselves on the back for doing something that is useless." Besides, he says, "Barack Obama does not need pressure." He says we should model ourselves as lobbyists on "the National Rifle Association." He says people should not come to Washington and should stay home and lobby their members of Congress. "Nobody in Congress even knows they're there, he says, and he is not attending the March: He is going to California to raise money for himself and other Democrats.
Many seem puzzled by his vocal opposition to causes dear to the community, although few has expressed the same level of outrage when Rep. Frank excluded transgender people from the EDNA.
But the reason behind all of this might be simple: As reported by the book Barney Frank: The Story of America's Only Left-Handed, Gay, Jewish Congressman , Frank is looking to cap his political career by becoming the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which would make him the first openly gay cabinet member. It's unlikely that Frank would make his ambition public unless he was 100% sure he'd get the job, which means the Obama Administration probably has assured him that the job will be his.
And there are signs that Rep. Frank is "in" with the White House too. President Obama recently singled him out for praise at an event, probably because Rep. Frank has been very protective of his administration, to the point of defending the indefensible DOMA Brief filed by the Justice Department.
We should have known then that he is no longer interested in being our advocate, if he ever was one.
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