Barney Frank Quotes

A collection of quotes by Barney Frank.

Barney Frank is an American politician and former member of the United States House of Representatives. He was born on March 31, 1940, in Bayonne, New Jersey. Frank pursued his education at Harvard College and later earned his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1962.

Frank began his political career in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1972, serving as a representative for a district in the Boston area. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1980 and served as a congressman from Massachusetts for over three decades, until his retirement in 2013.

During his time in Congress, Frank became known as a skilled legislator and a prominent member of the Democratic Party. He held various leadership positions, including Chair of the House Financial Services Committee from 2007 to 2011. Frank played a significant role in shaping financial regulation, particularly during the 2008 financial crisis, and was a key architect of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

Throughout his career, Barney Frank developed a reputation for his sharp wit and debating skills. He was openly gay and became one of the first members of Congress to publicly come out in 1987. Frank consistently advocated for LGBTQ+ rights and was influential in the passage of significant legislation, such as the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the military.

After leaving Congress, Frank continued to engage in public and political activities, serving as a commentator and lecturer on various issues. His tenure in Congress and contributions to financial policy have left a lasting impact on American politics and regulation.

Capitalism works better from every perspective when the econ

Capitalism works better from every perspective when the economic decision makers are forced to share power with those who will be affected by those decisions.

Barney Frank

Power

I am not a great theologian. I know there is a theological c

I am not a great theologian. I know there is a theological concept called invincible ignorance in which a strong enough faith binds you to any facts to the contrary.

Barney Frank

Faith

Before this learning experience, I had assumed that with reg

Before this learning experience, I had assumed that with regard to programs that sought to help people out of poverty, the political world was essentially divided into two camps: conservatives who opposed these for a variety of reasons, and liberals who supported them.

Barney Frank

Experience

I hope we will not so characterize religious people as being

I hope we will not so characterize religious people as being so narrow and so biased towards people not of their own religion that they cannot even work with them in this common cause to which you say they are committed.

Barney Frank

Hope

What would be the nicest thing I could say about Newt Gingri

What would be the nicest thing I could say about Newt Gingrich? He may be one of the great supporters of the humanities, because you have people who don't want to study the social sciences, because it's not profitable, and now Newt, as the highest-paid historian in American history, may be an encouragement to people to study history.

Barney Frank

History

It is, of course, further indication that a fundamentalist r

It is, of course, further indication that a fundamentalist right has really taken over much of the Republican Party, People might cite George Bush as proof that you can be totally impervious to the effects of Harvard and Yale education.

Barney Frank

Education

While I was pleasantly surprised by the relatively high numb

While I was pleasantly surprised by the relatively high number of jobs created in April, the fact is that job creation during this recovery period has significantly lagged both historical experience in recovery, and the projections of the Bush Administration.

Barney Frank

Experience