"I know Barney and I learn something every time I talk with him.  In fact, I sometimes steal his lines.  His current responsibility for rethinking and remaking our system of financial regulation is critical if we are to come our of this recession stronger and more able to prevent another financial crisis.  His hard work, piercing intellect, and well-honed political skills are exactly the tools the task requires and we are lucky to have him there."

"As Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee since 2007, Barney Frank is in a critically important position, dealing with the financial crisis that has so impacted our economy.  Fortunately, he brings the brains, legislative experience, and independence of judgment to look beyond the narrow political and vested interests that resist necessary reforms."

"It’s no small feat that Congressman BARNEY FRANK swept this category, given that Bostonians can’t actually cast “official” votes for the long-time, outspoken, and out-of-the-closet rep from Newton. . . But some of the best praise around comes from our own city residents, like Caitlin of Boston who posted this on a local site: “I wish I could vote for Barney Frank, I love the guy he’s my sunshine on a rainy CSPAN day, but I live in Boston. . ."

House of Representatives

Brainiest -- Barney Frank #1

Funniest -- Barney Frank #1

Most eloquent -- Barney Frank #2

Workhorse -- Barney Frank #3

"If you look on both sides of the aisle in both houses of Congress, you won't find a better or more knowledgeable advocate for housing, He is a consistent affirmative voice for housing." [Doug Bibby, president of the National Multi-Housing Council]

"He is a master legislator. In a Congress that is otherwise marked by hostile partisanship, he's managed to do a great deal of work and get things through his committee on a bipartisan basis...The country is very fortunate to have Barney Frank in Congress. [Sheila Crowley, president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition]

"Barney didn't just wake up one morning and decide that housing was going to be his most important issue. He's distinguished himself across his career as a very active leader in the areas of housing production and particularly housing preservation. (Conrad Egan, president and CEO of the National Housing Conference]

[All three of these quotes are excerpts from "A Master Legislator", by Jerry Asciento, Affordable Housing Finance, September 2008.

[Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson] commended Frank...as a market-savvy pragmatist who consistently "looks for areas of agreement because he wants to get things done."

"Barney, I think, is in many ways unique in that he really grasps" the forces behind the housing crisis and its reverberations in global markets, Paulson said. "I thought it was remarkable when I came down here to find someone who had not been in the private sector and the capital markets who understood the capital markets as well as Barney Frank did." [Comments of Secretary Paulson, as reported in May 5,
2008 Washington Post, "On Economy, Unlikely Allies Forge Winning Strategy," by Lori Montgomery and David Cho]

"On July 30, 2008 President Bush signed into law a bill he threatened to veto. The turnaround represents the creative work of Barney Frank, Chairman of the Financial Services Committee, did to shepherd the legislation through the House, through conference and his working so thoroughly and professionally with Treasury Secretary Paulson. Frank's work with Paulson made it possible for Paulson to persuade Bush in spite of punitive congressional Republicans blasting help to people facing foreclosure of their homes.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), who chairs the Senate's counterpart committee, played a key role in working with his Republican counterpart Senator Richard Shelby to overcome the perpetual Republican filibusters. These filibusters are designed to obstruct public problem solving…

Miracles happen because of professional politicians serving creatively in the Congress, Hats off to Barney Frank and Chris Dodd, who in columnist David Broder's words, show 'both professionalism and conscience' and thereby make a difference that will improve the lives of many poor people" [Excerpt from August 1, 2008 blog by David Cohen entitled "Leadership From Congress; Barney Frank and Chris Dodd]

"If a politician had a bad position, and they've changed that to a good position as a result of public pressure, that's a good thing, and we should sing their praises, in the hope that they will be joined by others. Come on over to our side. You'll be much happier over here…Let us therefore praise Representative Barney Frank.

Frank is one of more than 200 Members of the House of Representatives who have cosponsored a resolution (H. Con. Res. 262) that effectively calls for a blockade of Iran, an act of war. But when peace activists complained, he did something that, to my knowledge (and I eagerly look forward to being corrected ), none of those other Members of Congress have done.

He publicly admitted that he was wrong. Last week Frank told the Northampton Massachusetts Valley Advocate:

"I'm all for stricter sanctions against Iran, but the blockade part goes too far…I'm going to call the sponsors and tell them I'm changing my vote."

…This country urgently needs more Members of Congress like Barney Frank, who are willing to state forthrightly that they made a mistake.

“Frank listens to others’ arguments and engages them in his inimitable rapid-fire delivery. In the 2006 Washingtonian poll of staffers, he was voted the brainiest, funniest and most eloquent member of the House. He is admired even by Republicans for his intellectual rigor and honesty; at the same time he is a wily political operator. He does not profess to be a political theoretician, though few in the House exceed him as such.” Almanac of American Politics 2008

It is a red-letter day when Congress is able to fight off the special interests, put aside partisanship and actually address a serious economic problem. That’s what the House of Representatives did last week with passage of a bill reforming the mortgage lending industry.
The bill sets national standards, outlaws fraudulent and abusive practices, and requires investment bankers to exercise a minimum duty of care in packaging and securitizing mortgage loans. The lion’s share of the credit goes to the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, whose focus, knowledge and knack for dealmaking make him a rarity in the House these days. The Washington Post 11-18-07 By Steven Pearlstein

Finally in a chair to match his powerful command of policy, Frank pushes for pet causes that were suppressed by the Republican ex-majority…The pro-labor Democrat has been acting more business friendly than usual, but that won’t stop him from trying to rein in executive compensation. He’ll play a major role in ongoing legislative debates over gay marriage. And, he continues to take his formidable debating skills on the airwaves, appearing regularly on Real Time With Bill Maher, where he makes no bones about his ideological opponents. Frank recently called Mitt Romney “the most intellectually dishonest human being in the history of politics.” 02138 Magazine September, 2007

"Barney Frank, the Massachusetts liberal known for his sharp tongue, was widely expected to be a scourge of business in the new Democratic Congress."

"Instead, he has forged multiple alliances with key Republicans and steamrolled his legislative agenda through the House, making him an exception in an increasingly partisan institution, a successful compromiser. This has made him a pivotal figure in Washington’s response to the subprime mortgage meltdown, a topic that has consumer the House Financial Services Committee since he became chairman, alongside other issues from executive compensation to affordable housing." Dow Jones 12-10-07 By Damian Paletta

“Congressman Frank has dedicated his life to serving this state and region. He is an outstanding example of the best in public service. His leadership, keen and thoughtful analysis, and ability to create and move policy forward are unmatched. And his commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all is unwavering. New England is a better place because of him.” Remarks of James Brett, President and CEO of the New England Council 10/01/2007

“[Frank’s] thinking is what today’s liberalism looks like when organized by a first class mind.” George F. Will, January 21, 2007 (Washington Post).

“Rep. Frank’s principled leadership as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee is making a difference not only for Main Street America, but for our entire nation…[he] is a strong advocate for maintaining the diversity and safety and soundness of our financial system, and keeping it free of conflicts of interest. His advocacy benefits small businesses and families and helps keep local communities and economies strong.” James P. Ghiglieri, Jr., Chairman of the Independent Community Bankers of America, in a statement honoring Frank with its Main Street Hero Award. Reported in Fall River Herald-News on April 27, 2007.

"[A] crafty liberal... Frank couldn't have written a better bill for the Democrats if he were Financial Services Chairman..."

-- Wall Street Journal Editorial, June 14, 2005 on Fannie Mae legislation

"Barney Frank...is one of the intellectual and political leaders of the Democratic Party in the House - political theorist and pit bull all at the same time. In Washingtonian's biannual polls of House staffers he is consistently voted the brainiest and funniest member of the House by wide margins...[He] quickly gained a reputation as one of the smartest talkers and best debaters in the chamber - maybe one of the best of all time."

-- The Almanac of American Politics - 2006

"I'm used to being in the minority," he told The New York Times Magazine after the GOP took charge. "I'm a left-handed, gay Jew. I've never felt, automatically, a member of any majority.' "The comment is quintessential Barney Frank: candid, self-deprecating, combative and clever, too. After 11 terms in the House, he has amassed an encyclopedic knowledge of public policy and parliamentary rules, which he employs with precision in his battles.... Frank was named funniest and smartest member of Congress in the 2000 Washingtonian magazine poll of Capitol Hill aides. "It is easy to see why. In an era when floor "debate" is often just a recitation of boilerplate rhetoric, Frank is spontaneous combustion, passionately making his liberal case with off-the-cuff, rapid-fire - and tightly reasoned - arguments."

-- CQ's Politics in America 2004

"Some members of Congress, especially senators, have mastered the art of courtly nonspeak - they sound wonderful, but when you parse their sentences, they've said nothing. Others sound so much like policy wonks that they almost seem to forget that the issues they're debating affect human lives. Then there are the faithful who spout the party line.

"Then there's Barney Frank. A native of Bayonne, N.J., Frank, 63, went to Harvard and got involved in local politics in Massachusetts, first in Boston and then as a staffer and later a legislator in the statehouse. During his eight years in the legislature he completed a J.D. at Harvard Law School. He came to the House in 1981.

"Along the way, Frank acquired a reputation for speaking his mind and not couching matters in double-talk. There's no doubt which side of the political aisle he sits on. He sprinkled much of his comments in ABA Banking Journal's interview with him with sniping at the Republicans and especially the Administration. Among his strongest interests on the House Financial Services Committee has been affordable housing.

"However, he tends to look at issues with a pragmatic eye as well as a political one. While he's no slouch at promoting government involvement in commerce, he also describes himself as a 'free-market guy.'

"'That comes from looking at the world,' Frank explains. 'You see the market works well at some things, but not others.'

"Frank builds on this theme. 'It's very clear that people are reluctant, on my side, to say that inequality is a good thing, but it is. Of course it is. You need inequality,' says Frank

"(Right about now, you may be thinking, 'This is a Democrat?')

"'If you don't have inequality, the market doesn't work,' says Frank. 'People are going to get paid more than others. People who are smarter have got to make more money. If I make the right guess about where consumers want to put their money, I should make more than the guy who doesn,t. Inequality is how incentives work.' But Frank doesn't favor complete laissez faire - not by a long shot.

"'Left entirely to itself, the market will create more inequality than is necessary for efficiency or than is healthy,' says Frank. 'The job of the Democrats is to reduce inequality where it,s not socially healthy, without getting to the point of losing efficiency.'"

-- Excerpt from ABA Banking Journal -