BernieHund: The Political Watchdog

And?

This morning, reading a piece in the Washington Post that spoke of the working relationship between Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Henry Paulson, Secretary of the Treasury, I was surprised and somewhat dismayed that the paper found it necessary to say on at least two occasions that Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts is gay.  What does that have to do with the housing crisis?

The article began by comparing Paulson’s background to that of Frank:

One is a free-market Republican from Wall Street with roots in the rural Midwest and a passion for bird-watching. The other is a rumpled, union-hall Democrat from Bayonne, N.J., who once famously described himself as “a left-handed, gay Jew.”

So the statement appears to be true, but I do believe Frank should be given credit for his work, not for his sexual orientation regardless of how he “once famously described himself.”

As the article progressed it spoke of how Paulson had been impressed with Frank.

“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.”

Such praise from the Treasury Secretary seems a bit odd perhaps since they work from different sides of the fence.  The one common ground is that both men are Harvard educated.  And, now it seems that the men are working together to forge a bill that will aid the homeowners in crisis.  They probably do not agree on all the ingredients of the bill, but they are both working to meet on common ground in a bill that will hopefully garner President Bush’s signature.

The article continued.

Such praise may seem surprising for one of the most liberal lawmakers in Washington, a man who was the focus of Republican attacks during the 2006 campaign. With Democrats poised to take control of Congress, Vice President Cheney warned that Frank could become a powerful committee chairman, and “I don’t need to tell you what kind of legislation would come.” Rep. John Hostettler, an embattled Indiana Republican, ran a radio ad charging that a Democratic takeover would “put in motion [a] radical plan to advance the homosexual agenda, led by Barney Frank,” Washington’s first openly gay lawmaker.

Excuse me?  Exactly what does that paragraph have to do with two men working together to get something good done for our country?  I thought we were talking about Paulson and Frank working together.  And, oh, by the way….

Two years later, Hostettler is gone, Cheney is on his way out and Barney Frank has hardly lived up to the hype. The investment banks, mortgage lenders and other powerful industries subject to his committee’s scrutiny give him mostly glowing reviews.

The article that began by trying to show a joint effort by men of different backgrounds coming together to help resolve the major housing crisis that is forcing families from their homes started out on the correct foot.  Unfortunately, the article concluded on the “right” foot, once again trying to turn history into news.  Anyone who keeps up with politics in general has known that Barney Frank was gay for so long that it may have already made the seventh grade history books.  This isn’t news.

Perhaps, I’m overreacting.  But, I’m getting sick and tired of hearing that Condi Rice was the first black female Secretary of State, that Barack Obama is the first black candidate running in a presidential campaign who just may have a chance, and let us not forget that Hillary Clinton is the first woman who may sit in the chair behind the desk in the Oval Office.  How about for once… just once… let’s not spend the day analyzing whether a gay man can do his job, whether a black man is qualified to be president or if we can elect a white woman. 

Our national problems are bigger than race, gender, and sexual orientation.  Maybe we should concentrate on ideas and solutions rather than continuing to interject little jabs and stabs that aren’t worth the time it takes to write the words.  And, now I have wasted my time as well.