Best Barney Frank Quotes & Sayings

In this view, the role of the great majority of Americans is simply to buy the products produced, work happily for their wages, and leave all of the significant economic decisions to the capitalists. — Barney Frank

In the debate between those who believe in essentially unregulated markets and others who hold that reasonable regulation diminishes market excesses without inhibiting their basic function, the subprime situation unfortunately provides ammunition for the latter view. — Barney Frank

The problem with the war in Iraq is not so much the intelligence as the stupidity. — Barney Frank

I'm used to being in the minority. I'm a left-handed gay Jew. I've never felt, automatically, a member of any majority. — Barney Frank

When community action was put into federal law in the early sixties as part of the effort to combat poverty and social injustice, I supported it intellectually. — Barney Frank

The best antidote to prejudice is reality. — Barney Frank

We all have the right to call each other names. Rudeness is a deeply held constitutional value. — Barney Frank

Southern racists were able to protect murderers only because their legislators exploited fears of centralized power. — Barney Frank

I should have voted for the first Iraq war. George Bush did that one very well. I had been skeptical. I was afraid that George Bush was going to treat the first Iraq war the way his son treated the second. — Barney Frank

We were giving advice for the single-worst idea to come forward from a group that's been rife with them, it would be this: The idea is this: Let's make the tax code of America better for very rich people; let's give substantial tax relief to the richest people we can find. Forget about the person making $40,000 a year and paying Social Security payroll tax. Forget about all those other people paying income tax; we're here to give tax relief to the richest 2% of America. — Barney Frank

And unless you think there is a serious chance you're going to jail, don't listen to your lawyer. — Barney Frank

People are entitled to the presumption of innocence. — Barney Frank

But here too it should be noted that the President's approach was to first ask the repressive and brutal Taliban to surrender Osama bin Laden to us, and only after that government refused to do that did we invade. — Barney Frank

Television is apparently the enemy of nuance. But nuance is essential for a thoughtful discussion. — Barney Frank

Community action is as valuable a principle on the international level as it has been domestically. — Barney Frank

The rights of the people who have done terrible things are hard to defend. You have to keep pointing out, the question is the process to determine whether they've done the terrible things. — Barney Frank

We've got to be prepared to stop these guys if they ever try to use their economic power once again, to hurt the economy, and to hurt so many Americans. And my plan, Paul Krugman, Barney Frank, a lot of experts who understand what the new challenges might be, have said I am exactly on point, and the Wall Street guys actually know that. — Hillary Clinton

This bill is the legislative equivalent of crack. It yields a short-term high but does long-term damage to the system and it's expensive to boot. — Barney Frank

I think that the new models of Chevrolet should have Barney Frank as a hood ornament. — Sean Hannity

The best humor is offered up by the stupidity of your opponents. — Barney Frank

Nothing in the world is as mobile as capital. It can move anywhere in the world instantaneously. — Barney Frank

I am very proud of the role I played in getting legal equality for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, and in helping get rid of the prejudice by being visible about it, helping to block the conviction of Bill Clinton of impeachment. — Barney Frank

There's a lot to be said for not displacing people. — Barney Frank

I'm antisocial - there's no question about it. — Barney Frank

Increasing inequality in income distribution in this country has broader policy implications, and there is also the growing problem of perverse incentives that result from executives receiving grossly disproportionate compensation based on decisions they themselves take. — Barney Frank

It wasn't until after I was reelected in 1982 that I thought of myself as a long-term member of Congress. — Barney Frank

And I think there is too much bloviating around from politicians. — Barney Frank

Bob Dole used to be really funny. Barney Frank can be kind of funny. Bob Kerrey has a good sense of humor. — Al Franken

Legislators have a formal set of responsibilities to work together, but there's no hierarchy. — Barney Frank

Excessive partisanship is the problem. There has never been a democracy in the history of the world in a polity of any size where you didn't have political parties. Even sometimes over the objections of the people who started it. — Barney Frank

If you care deeply about a cause and you are then engaged on behalf of that cause in an activity that makes you feel very good and very brave and you're really in solidarity with all your friends, and you're enjoying it, you're probably not advancing the cause very much, because you're spending all your time with people you agree with cheering each other on and not engaging. — Barney Frank

It seems to me that politicians ought to use the same words as other people. — Barney Frank

They appear to have become so attached to their outrage that they are even more outraged that they won't be able to be outraged anymore. — Barney Frank

One of the first members of Congress I met when I was first elected in 2008 was Barney Frank. — Chellie Pingree