Street roots., March 20, 2015, Page 8, Image 8

Page 8
Street Roots • March 20-26, 2015
N ew s
PH O TO G RA P HE R: A D A M H U N G ER
Rep. Barney Frank speaks at a news conference announcing that he would not seek a 17th term in Congress, Nov. 28, 2011.
BY E M ILY GREEN
STA FF W R IT E R
T T Then Grace Badik answered the
l / l / phone at the Street Roots front
V V desk, the caller wasted no time
with pleasantries.
"Barney Frank. ”
Nothing more. Nothing less. With that
voice, you almost don’t need the name.
The former congressman from
Massachusetts has adopted the habit of
omitting small talk such as “hello” and
“goodbye” from his phone conversations. He
got the idea when he read« biography about
Sherman Adams. The chief of White House
staff to President Dwight D. Eisenhower
estimated that eliminating small talk saved
him an hour or two every day.
Known less for his social prowess than for
his quick wit, sharp tongue and
characteristic mumble, Frank served as one
of Congress’ most prominent members for
22 years, retiring in 2013.
Depending on whether your political
views lean toward the left or the right,
Frank is either an outspoken champion for
civil rights and social programs, or a
scoundrel who promotes big government
and contributed to the housing bubble burst
of the late 2000s by promoting affordable
housing policies.
1973: Frank introduces,
A brief timeline of B arw Frank
1980: Franforunsfor a seat in the U.S. House
wins.
Em ily Green: Your book chronicles your
career in politics as it spanned from working
on Adlai Stevenson’s presidential campaign in
1956 to serving as a member of the U.S House
of Representatives until 2013.1 got the sense
from reading it that you have a deep
understanding o f - and respect for - the rules
involved in playing the political game that
takes place in Washington D.C. In what ways,
for better or for worse have you seen the rules
of that game change since the early 1980s
when you first became a U.S, representative?
B arney Frank: There are no political
Frankis reelected with 66 percentof the¡vote.
1994: Don't A sk Don’t Tell is instituted in the
place of the military t a n d f liG B T people. Frank
writes, “It differed sharply from the provision I
had advocated."
1954: At age 14, Frank realizes his sexual
mix. He decides to keep his sexual orientation a
iirstiwo
increase in antigovernment opinion.”
gay-rights bills,
personal life with excerpts from his book,
"Frank: A Life in Politics from the Great
Society to Same-Sex Marriage”
orientation and desire to be a politician do not
But behind the public figure who
authored sweeping financial refonns and
tirelessly pushed for gay equality and
increased housing for low-income
Americans, is the story of a man who
purposefully put his political career before
his own personal happiness for many years.
Frank will be at Powell’s City of Books on
Saturday, March 28, at 4 p.m. to discuss and
sign copies of his new book, “Frank: A Life
in Politics from the Great Society to Same-
Sex Marriage.”
He sums up his book by calling it “a
personal history of two seismic shifts in
American life: the sharp drop in prejudice
against LGBT people and the equally sharp
Frank during the debate over holding
impeachment hearings on President Clinton.
“secret forever,” he writes.
T a x Reform Act in exchange tor a beefed-up
1994: First introduces the Employment Non-
tax credit for affordable housing. “I was happy
Discrimination Act, which would protect
to sacrifice my ideological purity to improve
employees from discrimination based on their
legislation that was going to become law with or
sexual orientation. The bill has been introduced
without me,” he writes.
in almost every session of Congress since.
rights, strong environmental laws, and the
1972: in his first political campaign for state
cause of the United Farm Workers.” He wins
1987: Frank becomes the first member of
1994: At Frank’s request, President Bill Clinton
office, Frank rides in a car at Boston’s second
election to the Massachusetts House of
Congress to voluntarily announce he is gay.
urges Janet Reno to release an order granting
Gay Pride Parade. His platform this year
Representatives, where he serves for eight
1990: Despite a highly publicized scandal
refugee status to people persecuted for their
includes “the legalization of marijuana, gay
years.
resulting from his dealings with a prostitute,
sexual orientation or gender identity.