Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” former Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), who is in hospice for congestive heart failure, said Democrats have gone too far on social issues.
Host Jake Tapper said, “You are a progressive icon. But now you are expressing some reservations about where the progressive movement has gone. Tell us more.”
Frank said, “Yeah, I, you know, I’ve been trying to decide, by the way, personally, whether it’s better to be an icon or an emoji. I haven’t decided that yet. But then, as far as that is concerned, it’s precisely because I have been on the left and I’ve undertaken this. I think we’re in a situation where the mainstream, to my disappointment, for many years ignored inequality, and many of us could forget inequality on the Democratic agenda. But the problem was, we succeeded in bringing the mainstream of the left into a concern with inequality, we also enabled people who wanted to use that as a platform for a wide range of social and cultural changes, some of which the public isn’t ready for. Even if I agree with them in the end, I think they make a mistake by taking the most controversial parts of the agenda and turning them into litmus tests.”
He added, “My example, same sex marriage. Obviously, I’ve been working for gay rights suddenly in 1972, when we found the bill and we and the movement established feelings for gay and lesbian and bisexual people. We went to work on those issues, which were more acceptable. We didn’t get to marriage until after those things had been resolved, and that’s what I’m suggesting that we do today. The analogy is a male and female transsexuals playing sports designated for women. I understand his anger about that, and I think in the interest the transgender community, as well as other it would be to be better to go at that in a more granular way instaed of if you don’t support it you’re a homophobe.”
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