Maybe we won't lose Barney, after all

Since Barney Frank is retiring from the House, I was already lamenting the loss of him as a witty commentator to political reporters.

Now there are rumors that he may become a television commentator himself.   I would imagine MSNBC would snap him up, at the least, as a frequent guest on other talk shows.

In a final interview before he leaves office, Barney was his usual candid self.   He's for legalizing both prostitution and marijuana.   He defended the free speech of the Westboro Baptist Church people:  "Free speech means supporting the right of people to say vicious things you strongly disagree with."   Yes, let them say it;  but can't they be kept away from the families as they bury their innocent dead?

On marriage equality, he is of course for it, having recently married his partner.   But he thinks the Prop8 case is arriving at the Supreme Court prematurely.  He makes the same prediction I do:  that they will decide it narrowly as applying only to California, leaving a more sweeping decision for a later time.

But here was the prize (IMHO):   In reference to a recent anti-gay remark made by Justice Antonin Scalia, Frank said:

“I was glad that he made clear what’s been obvious, that he’s just a flat out bigot. . . I’d previously said he was a homophobe.  And Fox and the right wing said, ‘Oh just because he’s not for same-sex marriage?  And I said, ‘No, let me be very clear. That’s not it.

This is a man who has said you should go to prison for having sex.’ It was an extraordinarily abusive sentiment and it was dead wrong.  And, by the way, for a guy who is supposed to be so smart [Scalia] -- quite stupid.  This young man said to him, ‘Why do you compare sodomy to murder?’ And he said, ‘Well because I have a right to say if I think something is immoral.’ Well the question wasn’t about his right. The question was:  By what morality is expressing your love for someone in a physical way equivalent to killing that person? It makes it clear that the man is an unreconstructed bigot, and given that you have a bigot on the Supreme Court like that, it is useful to know.”

Now that is the kind of talk that makes me admire Barney -- and makes me so glad that we may still be hearing from him.  Maybe even more than we did before.   Just tell me when and where to tune in.

Ralph

PS:   Now that John Kerry has been nominated to be Secretary of State, his senate seat will be open.   It would be great if he decided to run for that.