In his three decades as member of the U.S. Congress, Representative Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts) has been one of the few lawmakers who has articulated the need to cut the defense budget. Along with that, Mr. Frank has argued against cuts in entitlement programs and for a tax system in which the wealthy pay their share.
Now, just as he announces that he will not run again, Barney Frank finds himself in the crazy position of winning. It’s all about the consequences of the Super Committee fail.
[H]ere’s the situation. They, the right wing, which has dominated the Congress since the election in 2010, dominated the House and had a lot of influence in the Senate, they’ve been successful because they can keep things from happening.
Inertia has been on their side. So, people said, well, why were you guys outmaneuvered? Because the people willing to cut the baby in half beat the people who don’t want to cut the baby in half.
But now, by a train of events that was probably, I give the president credit for, probably maybe serendipitous, here’s where we are: if nothing happens in the next year, that the next year of Congress is no more productive than this past year, two things were happen. All the Bush tax cuts will expire and military tax spending will be seriously cut.
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In other words, inertia has switched sides. It’s now our ally. I don’t want to see all the Bush tax cuts expire. I don’t think people in the middle income ought to have taxes raised right now. I don’t want to cut as much necessarily as a sequester would to the military.
But they have to deal with us now, and I hope the president will stay firm. I think he is taking this position. He will not sign a bill that re-extends all the Bush tax cuts and he won’t sign a bill that alters the sequester to cut Medicare and Social Security instead of the full hit on the military.
That means they’ve got to negotiate with us.
Also, and maybe this is just me, but did anyone else think Mr. Frank looked like a new man last night, like the weight of the world has been lifted from his shoulders? By popular request, the TRMS version of Mr. Frank’s greatest hits is after the jump.
The video clipper is being a little hinky just now, so please forgive the rough cut.
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