The Radio Equalizer: Brian Maloney

30 September 2008

Failed Barney Frank Blames Talk Radio For Bailout Failure

FARR FROM HONEST

Dems Blame Talk Radio For Fatal Political Defeat







After their politically fatal defeat in front of a nationwide audience yesterday, embattled Democratic congressmen are lashing out. In a desperate attempt to shift the blame anywhere else, some have taken to blaming talk radio and cable hosts for the high- profile failure of their bailout bill.

Leading the way is Bay State embarrassment Barney Frank, whose direct role in both the crisis (via his adamant defense of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac during a period of rampant corruption) and the bailout have led to widespread public anger. He's gone straight for what he sees as the easiest public target:


So the scorecard is very clear: In 12 years of Republican rule, no bill passed to improve the regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Within four months of Democratic rule, the committee I chaired had produced a bill containing all of the increased regulatory powers the administration requested, and that became law in July. So it took the Democrats 19 months to do what the Republicans didn’t do for 12 years, and as chairman of the Financial Services Committee I was the leader in that effort.

By the way, among the more glaring stupidities in the right-wing attack was Bill O’Reilly’s asserting that I had spent all this time pounding on the table as chairman of the Financial Services Committee demanding more purchases of low-income mortgages. As I noted, I have been chairman of that committee only since January 2007, and one of the first things I did as chairman was to pass the bill that greatly increased the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac regulation.

To those who might try to argue inaccurately that this was not tough enough, the fact is that it gave the White House everything it asked for, and the organization known as FM Watch, which organized precisely to try to get changes in the regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, disbanded after our bill passed in July because we had accomplished everything they wanted.



What's especially interesting
here is that Frank wrote this piece for the Boston Herald, which shows obvious concern for public perception in his (usually safe) home district. Ordinarily, Barney couldn't be bothered with lowly constituents, he's too busy running the economy from Capitol Hill.

As we've reported at the other site, however, anger is mounting as many voters at home wonder why Frank was behind what they see as a bailout of Wall Street.

Frank does have a token Republican opponent this year, a candidate who could benefit from a sizeable protest vote.

Call it being at the right place at the right time.



And on the West Coast,
typically-ignored Rep Sam Farr (D-CA) is lashing out at talk radio as well, targeting Rush Limbaugh in a pathetic bid to cover up his own role in this epic political failure. From the Monterey Herald:


Farr, D-Carmel, voted for the package and blamed its rejection on Republican lawmakers who "drank the Kool-Aid" of right-wing commentators fiercely opposed to a massive government intervention into the markets.

"The big shock was the failure of the president to deliver his own party on something he said was urgent," Farr said.

Given widespread public opposition to what was widely perceived as a taxpayer-funded bailout of Wall Street, Farr said voting against the package "was the easy vote."

Farr said calls to his district offices were running heavily against the bailout since the day the White House first rolled out its proposal. The public didn't believe the administration or like the idea of bailing out Wall Street, he said.

But Farr said he also heard from local bankers who said the credit system is freezing up, making it difficult for people to get loans for cars and other items. The bill would have protected Main Street with Democratic-driven provisions for oversight, phased payments and homeowner protections, he said.

Farr, like others on both sides of the aisle, sought to pin the defeat on the other party. More than two-thirds of Republicans and 40 percent of Democrats opposed the bill.

"Moderate Republicans told me on the floor that too many of their party are too conservative, listening to Rush Limbaugh and the other talk-show hosts and drinking the Kool-Aid," he said.


At least the Herald reporter makes an honest attempt to point out that many of Farr's fellow Democrats also opposed the bill. Why couldn't Pelosi and Frank gain the confidence of their own party?

By diverting attention away to talk radio hosts, these liberal congressmen are hoping to salvage what's left of their reputations at home. Will it work? With furious voters erupting in collective anger, it seems doubtful.

Farr's traditional base of support, for example, comes from UC-Santa Cruz students and faculty. Are they for the Wall Street bailout? Not bloody likely.


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Farr image (top): UCSC

13 Comments:

  • waitaminute.

    Farr didn't "blame republicans". He distinctly said, in your own bolded transcript, that REPUBLICANS told him that REPUBLICANS were listening to Limbaugh and drinking the kool-aid.

    Do you know for a fact that republicans did not tell him this?

    Did Farr lie? Do you know for a fact he lied? Can you PROVE he lied?

    If not, then your entire premise for this article is a lie. You set up a premise, and then completely failed to prove it.

    And you knew that when you wrote it.

    and you knew that when you posted it.

    Why are you lying, Brian?

    Don't you have any shame at all?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 30 September, 2008 13:01  

  • Nice job, Bri-guy!

    -Celtic Frost

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 30 September, 2008 13:39  

  • don't know where my first comment went, but i'll say it again.

    Barney Frank didn't blame Bill O'reilly for causing the vote to fail, either.

    O'reilly attacked Frank, and Frank responded - whether Frank's facts hold up or not is immaterial to the lack of truth in this article.

    You cited not one instance of Dems blaming talk radio for defeating the measure.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 30 September, 2008 13:48  

  • @Celtic Frost

    Why are you patting Brian on the back (oops - said "bag" before - wrong, but funny) for failing miserably (and I would argue deliberately) to prove his own assertions?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 30 September, 2008 13:55  

  • And TJ's back with his nonsense. Figures.

    By Blogger Carl, at 30 September, 2008 20:08  

  • I think that Frank, Reid and Pelosi need to to take IQ Tests. Hopefullt they will score above 10

    By Blogger rwm47, at 01 October, 2008 00:10  

  • only on maloney's blog could fact be considered nonsense.

    i'll take the challenge, carl.

    what part of what I said wasn't true?

    What part of what maloney posted directly exampled democrats blaming talk radio?

    Or are you just being knee-jerkish and ludicrous?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 01 October, 2008 01:03  

  • solution for wing nuts... my LIBERAL .44 liberally pumping holes in their bodies

    Reagan is dead

    run to Larry Sinclair for some man love.......j

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 01 October, 2008 12:21  

  • And TJ once again show more of his nonsense. I didn't offer any "challenge" to TJ but made an apt and accurate observation based upon prior comments left by TJ where he posted unfounded attacks on Brian Maloney and the blog as well as making numerous logical fallacies (such as non sequitur, ad hominem, etc.). There is no need to "challenge" TJ on anything since TJ, based upon his posts, seems to be unable and/or unwilling to address the issues at hand without personal attacks, blatant misrepresentations, taking points out of context, etc. As such, TJ is unworthy of my time and effort to respond to his nonsense.

    But thank you for playing TJ.

    By Blogger Carl, at 01 October, 2008 12:48  

  • haha - thanks for proving you have no facts to back up your proclamation that my challenge of brian's article was "nonsense", Carl.

    You're the only one playing games here, chum.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 01 October, 2008 12:57  

  • TJ, let's add immaturity to your list of shortcomings as well. The facts are in your own words. And the proof is in your posts. You're doing a swell job of proving me to be correct. You are making it quite easy. Your use of ad hominem, red herrings, straw man, misrepresentations and other logical fallacies further proves me to be correct. Thank you for making it so easy.

    By Blogger Carl, at 01 October, 2008 13:54  

  • hrm...re-reading "Farr from the truth". re-reading my comments.

    Nope, no "use of ad hominem, red herrings, straw man, misrepresentations and other logical fallacies" anywhere to be found in my comments about this article by Brian Maloney.

    Any objective reader knows you're deliberately disseminating, Carl.

    You're a joke - and a bad one at that.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 01 October, 2008 14:16  

  • In 12 years of Republican rule, no bill passed to improve the regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

    Sure "Bawney" because you liberals used procedural moves to kill the many attempts to tighten the rules at Fanny and Freddy. In 2005 John McCain offered a bill to drastically curtail the type of mortgages they would accept but once again the left killed it. We have all by now SEEN the you tube video of "Bawney" stating publically "there are no problems at FNMA or FMAC" Really? Accounting scandal anyone?

    "Within four months of Democratic rule, the committee I chaired had produced a bill containing all of the increased regulatory powers the administration requested, and that became law in July. So it took the Democrats 19 months to do what the Republicans didn’t do for 12 years, and as chairman of the Financial Services Committee I was the leader in that effort."

    LOL, talk about closing the barn door after the Horse escapes? The damage had been done over the past 10 years and this lame attempt didn't contain any time machine to go back in time and fix the Democrats mess.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 01 October, 2008 17:12  

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