Barney Frank
The Diplomat
People, composure and the difficult conversation held well.
Barney Frank is a seasoned political leader known for his pragmatic approach to governance and his ability to navigate complex political landscapes. This interview highlights his commitment to transparency, cooperation, and the importance of addressing systemic issues through dialogue and compromise.
“No, no, absolutely right. I had been interested in politics for my teenage years, but in my teenage, even before I got to college, it became clear to me that I could never get elected to anything because I knew then that I was gay. I realized that when I was 13. And being gay then was just despised.”
“So I became, just as I became the head gay rights active advocate, I became kind of the leading liberal in Massachusetts in part by process of elimination. Nobody else felt like taking it on.”
“And I picture that I had taken with him a punchlight of an old joke from the catchgills of a name dropper, and he shows up at the Pope and people say, who's that with Gobert? So the poster was, who's that guy with Barney Frank? And it was me and McGovern.”
“Bob Joyden had been the Dean of Boston College, who was a brilliant legal scholar, and he was a prodigy who got elected, he got named a dean. He was in his 30s. And then in 1970, he had become active in politics. He was a great civil rights advocate.”
The Axe Files with David Axelrod — Ep. 82 - Barney Frank
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