Is the Loss of Barney Frank a Bellwether?

       It may be in a few ways. For one it may spell bad news for us Democrats as it could be read as his lack of optimism that the Democrats can retake the House next year.  It may also be a bellwether of how far the quality of our politics have fallen.

      "Former GOP Rep. Mike Oxley, who was chairman of the Financial Services Committee when Frank was the top Democrat in the early 2000s, said Frank won the respect of Republican colleagues because of his reverence for the institution and his legislative skill."

     “He always had a deep respect for the system and how it worked, and I think that’s one of the takeaways that some people, particularly some people on the right, don’t really appreciate,” Oxley said. “If Barney said something, you could take it to the bank

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/69258_Page2.html#ixzz1f6uzp4un

    It's this respect for the system and how it works that seems in such short supply today, as is shown by Oxley, a former Republican Rep. conceding that this quality of Frank is wanting in many on the Right today.

    Frank largely sees Congress as wholly dysfunctional today. This combined with the fact that his district is scheduled to be redrawn going into next year which will force him to campaign in areas of the state he has no history representing and raising lots of new cash, has led the 71 year old stalwart to conclude that he can better serve the liberal cause outside of politics:

    "Frank also leaves the House with a stark conclusion about the political system: The people won’t let Congress do its work."

     "To my disappointment, the leverage you have within the government has substantially diminished,” Frank said. “The anger in the country, the currents of opinion are such that the kind of inside work I have felt best at is not going to be as productive in the foreseeable future and not until we make some changes.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/69258.html#ixzz1f6wOU0m5

     This claim that the people wont let Congress do its work will certainly raise eyebrows and is very provocative when you think about it. But what's clear is that Frank gave his entire adult life to his liberal beliefs and principles and his respect for the system of Congress and he feels that the effectiveness he once had is gone. Viewing the political process as it unfolded this year but especially this year during the four month debate on what should be the routine procedure of raising the debt limit can you say he's wrong?

     This dysfunctional nature of Congress has led me to some very negative assessments of it as well and which explains why it is always so unpopular as a body-though never more so than now.

     http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2011/09/why-congress-is-always-so-unpopular.html

     I think it's fair to say is that the overiding reason for this is it's constantly increasing gridlock.

      What is also kind of provocative and what I would like to hear more about from Frank is his idea that some changes need to be made for Congress to be a productive body again. What kind of changes might he have in mind? I hope he does write as he suggests and that he writes a lot more about this. I do know that he's right on target with the changes he has suggested to the Fed-not "ending it" like a demagogue like Ron Paul talks about but reforming it, taking away it's vaunted "independence" that is to say, making it accountable to the democratic process.