Barney Frank: The Story of America's Only Left-Handed, Gay, Jewish Congressman

Preface

ix Preface This is a biography of perhaps the most fascinating and certainly the most entertaining political figure in washington. it is a portrait of the complex life and career of Barney Frank, an outspoken liberal, Jewish, fifteen-term democratic congressman from massachusetts by way of Bayonne, new Jersey, a colorful, pragmatic, and effective legislator whose political career has been defined by depth of intellect and sharpness of wit, and who happens to be gay. as the chairman of the house Financial Services committee since 2007, he has been a pivotal figure and at the center of the debate on how to deal with the unprecedented economic crisis and challenge facing the nation and the world. i am deeply indebted to so many people who helped make my idea for a book a reality. Barney Frank’s cooperation was invaluable on the project. without it this book would be but a shell. when i first mentioned to Barney the idea of writing a book about him, he was intrigued by the project and suggested that we get together to discuss it. in early February 2004, we met for breakfast. i handed him a ten-page introduction to the book that i had prepared. as he began to read the document, with startling speed, i glanced down at the single-page breakfast menu. he finished reading the document before i got through the juices. he told me it was well written and pointed out two minor inaccuracies. “Start asking your questions,” he said. Thus began the first in a series of nearly twenty interviews with him over a five-year period. These sessions generally lasted between one and two hours, depending on his schedule and attention span on a particular day. There were clearly some subjects that he enjoyed talking about more than others. delving into his personal life was not something he relished doing, because he is essentially a private person, but he did so with characteristic candor and openness . he answered all of my questions, many of which were highly personal or Preface x potentially embarrassing. either there was no area out of bounds or i didn’t cross that line. i am grateful to Barney Frank for generously giving me his time, a very precious commodity to him, and for sharing with me his intimate thoughts, feelings, and recollections. although putting together this book has proved to be a formidable task, it has also been enjoyable and rewarding. it has been a great adventure for me, discovering and learning about somebody i thought i knew. my friendship with Barney spans almost four decades. i first met him during the summer of 1971 when i was an intern for massachusetts congressman michael J. harrington and he was the chief of staff. we soon developed a friendship based on a common interest in politics and sports, as well as a propensity to rely on movies and television shows for purposes of analogy. i had the opportunity to observe Barney from close up as he chaired the house Government operations Subcommittee on employment and housing in the mid-1980s when i was the panel’s staff director and chief counsel. The nonfiction author extraordinaire Gay Talese, during a book-tour stop in washington in may 2006 to promote his memoir, A Writer’s Life, explained that before he starts to write, he always spends a lot of time really getting to know his subject, whether it is the baseball great Joe dimaggio or the mafia chieftain Joseph Bonanno. asked how he could be objective after spending so much time with that person, Talese replied that he writes only about people whom he respects . Talese’s answer rings true for me as well. in the seventeenth century, when the english military commander and political leader oliver cromwell was asked to have his portrait painted, he told the artist, “Use all your skill to paint your picture truly like me” and include “roughness , pimples, warts and everything as you see me.” although this book is an admiring biography of Barney Frank, it shows warts and everything. it does not skirt any issue or controversy and there is no airbrushing of events. The story is not always told as Barney might like it. my wonderful wife, Beth, and our two sons, andrew and eric, deserve special thanks not just for putting up with me but for giving me their understanding , continued encouragement, and support throughout the lengthy process of researching and writing. one of...