Media Highlight 'Stupid' CNSNews Question to Barney Frank
Some members of the liberal media commemorated Rep. Barney Frank's (D-Mass.) retirement announcement by replaying his testy response to a CNSNews.com reporter about homosexuals showering with straight men in the military. Of course, they included their own eulogies about how much the liberal congressman would be missed.
A nostalgic Martin Bashir expressed his sadness at Frank's departure on his Monday MSNBC show, touting "one of the greatest hits from a man who championed the poor and oppressed, Barney Frank. He'll be sorely missed." He then played the CNSNews.com clip. [Video below the break. Click here for audio.]
Liberal HLN host Joy Behar ripped the CNSNews question as "stupid" as she asked Frank "Are you going to miss the stupid questions people ask you?" She presented the video of the question as an example. At the end of the interview, she told Frank "we're really going to miss you in Congress."
Behar, herself a champion of gay rights, asked the openly-gay congressman straight-up if " there a lot of gays in the closet in Congress these days?" Frank used his answer – "Not a lot. There are some" – to then bash Republicans for their intolerance.
According to Frank, the party difference in Congress is that if a Republican announces he is gay, "as long as he's embarrassed by it, and tries to hide it, and lies about it, they'll tolerate it."
"On the other hand on the Democratic side, we're free to be who we are to bring our partners places," he continued.
A transcript of the segments, which aired on HLN and MSNBC, are as follows:
MSNBC
MARTIN BASHIR
11/28/11
3:37 p.m. EST
[3:37]
MARTIN BASHIR: And as we go to break, one of the greatest hits from a man who championed the poor and oppressed, Barney Frank. He'll be sorely missed.
(Video Clip)
CNSNEWS.COM: Straight military personnel will have to shower with homosexual –
Rep. BARNEY FRANK (D-Mass.): (Mock gasp) Showering with homosexuals? What do you think happens in gyms all over America? What do you think happens in the House of Representatives? Of course people shower with homosexuals. What a silly issue. What – what do you think goes on when people shower with homosexuals? Do you think it's the spray makes it catchy?
(End Video Clip)
HLN
JOY BEHAR SHOW
12/1/11
10:02 p.m. EST
[10:02]
JOY BEHAR: Right. Are you going to miss the stupid questions people ask you?
Rep. BARNEY FRANK (D-Mass.): No, I won't. I guess – I take it back. I'll probably still get the stupid questions, but people won't be filming me when I don't answer them.
BEHAR: That's true.
(Laughter)
BEHAR: Ok. Let me show another example of a stupid question that you had to answer. Watch.
(Video Clip)
CNSNEWS.COM: A straight military personnel will have to shower with homosexual openly –
FRANK: (Mock gasp) Showering with homosexuals? What do you think happens in gyms all over America? What do you think happens in the House of Representatives? Of course people shower with homosexuals. What a silly issue. What – what do you think goes on when people shower with homosexuals? Do you think it's the spray makes it catchy?
(End Video Clip)
(Background Laughter)
(...)
BEHAR: Well, last – you lasted quite a while, so I think you did do the right thing. I wonder, are there a lot of -- you don't have to tell me their names, but are there a lot of gays in the closet in Congress these days?
FRANK: Not a lot. There are some. It`s hard to do – but I`ll tell you there is this difference and I wish it weren`t the case. But it`s a party difference. If you are a Democrat and you`re gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, then you`re pretty free to come out and expect that you will get the support and encouragement of other officials and of the voters.
The closeted people are overwhelmingly Republicans. There are one or two closeted Democrats, and the reason for that is that while there have been some gay Republicans who have come out – two in Congress in particular – in both cases they ran into great opposition in their party.
But frankly, I think the position of the Republicans regarding being gay is this – all but a few of the morons understand that this is not a choice. None of us chooses our sexual orientation. They didn`t choose to be straight. I didn`t choose to be gay. That doesn`t mean I`m sorry about it. It`s just a fact of life.
But what they now say is ok it`s not your fault that you`re gay. So if a Republican who`s holding office is gay, they won`t be upset about that as long as he seems ashamed of it.
BEHAR: Right.
FRANK: That is, as long as he`s embarrassed by it, and tries to hide it, and lies about it, they'll tolerate it. On the other hand on the Democratic side, we're free to be who we are to bring our partners places. I will be at the White House next Monday with my partner Jim. We`ll go to the White House Ball, we`ll have our picture taken with the President, with Michelle.
And so there is that difference. And there are still more closeted Republicans because they pay a price if they`re honest.
(...)
BEHAR: Okay. I want to tell you something, we're really going to miss you in Congress. You know we really need –
FRANK: Thank you.
BEHAR: – people like you to tell them what for, and I'm sorry that you're leaving. And I hope that your next move is not going on "Dancing with the Stars". That's all I have to say.
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Comments
I'd say the Basher pretty
Submitted by killa37 on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 1:29pm.
I'd say the Basher pretty much 'outed' himself when he said that Bawney Fwank will be 'sorely missed'!!!
a gallon of Vaseline might
Submitted by jkwtrading on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 1:47pm.
a gallon of Vaseline might help..
Ya'know - after I wrote that
Submitted by killa37 on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 3:24pm.
Ya'know - after I wrote that and sent it - I was wondering if I should've just taken a pass - but I couldn't help myself!!! And, truth be known, I've got a helluva lot more issues about Barnaby Frump than the fact that he's gay - and I'm sure you know what I"m talking about. But the fact that the guy is a slobbering, spitting, frothing lib who has done (possible) irreversible damage to our country - as well as being a heinous (rhymes with.......) example of a human being, coupled with (can I say that??) the fact that he looks like his Mama (and all of her friends) beat him with an ugly stick (and his attitude and demeanor - DE-MEANER DE BETTER - have probably also had a negative effect on his physical appearance).........AND being an embarrassing example of a gay person - it all adds up to where I think he's fair game for ANY and ALL ridicule and abuse. The guy ought to be going to prison - but he'd probably enjoy some parts of that.
Bawney Fwank is the onus of the anus..............KILLA
Killa, if the market does the
Submitted by jkwtrading on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 5:00pm.
Killa, if the market does the sell down I expect in 2012, then Barney, Obama, Dodd, and many others will be looked at seriously for wrongdoing crimes.
the sell down would open the books on Fannie, Freddie and literally act like an avalanche exposing all of Barney's wrong doings. our current mood of passive towards their wrongdoings could turn viciously vindictive.
The current djia is doing in Elliott wave a series of wave 1 down and 2 is up, wave 1 down and 2 is up, but the lows wave 1 makes are less than previous lows and the highs 2 makes are lower than previous highs...this entire move leads to what we refer to as wave 3 down, or the point everyone sees the smash. a good example of waves 1 down 2 up was almost 9 months of 2008...wave 3 took off to downside for month of October completely convincing everyone , we were smashed. 5 weeks is all wave 3 took to do more points down than the previous 10 months accomplished.
Oughta drive him crazy
Submitted by jon_torlin on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 2:23pm.
I'd love to see someone hire a stripper for Fwank at his retirement party.
A FEMALE stripper. His reaction to that would be priceless.
-Jon
Showering
Submitted by Dirjj on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 1:38pm.
If men ( and boys in school ) already shower with homosexuals, and that's OK according to Frank, and all these idiot Liberals. Then shouldn't it be OK in their minds, for women ( and gilrs ) to shower with men ( and boys ). I'm sure the Teens would love it . . . and real men too. It would be enough for me to re-enroll in college and get on a sports team.
ab
I brought this up with
Submitted by redfish on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 2:01pm.
I brought this up with someone. He asked 'what, do you think all gay men are rapists and they'll rape you?' So I responded, are you assuming that all men are rapists and if men showered with women that all the men would rape the women?
People have different opinions, ok, fine. But they tend to turn off their brains when discussing these issues, because if they're afraid if they sound anything but progressive they'll be a bigot.
An Old Science Fiction Theme and a Reality at Some Hospital
Submitted by Avitar on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 2:13pm.
The uncut versions of the Movies"Robocop" and "Startship Troopers" included group shower sceens.
It will actually work if the culture included proper conduct. In a society where it might happen "What do you say to a naked lady is a question that must have an answer." The US Navy and Army have answered a number of these questions on conduct in mixed groups.
Schools where kids are first learning culture would have to teach conduct. Teachers would have to be trained in culture. Teachers have been very bad at learning American Culture. You can not opt out of Navy or Army training in a free country you must be able to opt out of public school if they hire Muslims.
Ultimately I don't think the
Submitted by redfish on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 2:58pm.
Ultimately I don't think the showering issue should require a policy excluding gays from serving in the military, but there are two important points here:
First, the reason for the policy was never bigotry; the justification is the exact same reason men and women are separated. When it was put in place, it was just seen as the easiest and most direct way to handle the issue and avoid discipline problems. Yet, the whole thing turned into a big campaign to "end hate."
Second, its important that the policy isn't set by the court, because bringing it into the court system would end up tying the hands of commanding officers in situations where they need leeway to handle the issue. Imagine if a commander decides that the gay serviceman is the source of the disruption in the unit, and there's nothing he can point to except the fact that he looks at the other servicemen in a way that makes them uncomfortable. He'll end up with a discrimination charge. Its better that whatever policy changes are being done, its done out of the court.
Anyway, moving to a military culture where men and women showered together would be even more of a social experiment than anything involving gays.
ANY question...
Submitted by DumbCanuck on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 2:28pm.
...that a liberal can't answer, or where misdirection or obfuscation is not effective, is automatically deemed a "stupid" question!
Hope that clears that up...
"There... Are... Four... Lights!"
Bawney's seat
Submitted by Nosmo on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 2:32pm.
Bawney's excited at the thought of having his wide open seat filled by a Kennedy member.
Bashir looks like a
Submitted by LAM SON 719 on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 6:11pm.
Bashir looks like a homosexual, perhaps even a pedophile, I am making this assumption based on the same research criteria used by the drive by media when investigating conservatives.