New Orleans I don’t really need Google Alerts to keep up these days, especially when my hometown paper, The Times-Picayune, devotes one full page to six stories about ACORN. Throw in the Washington Post, USA Today, McClatchy wire, AP, New York Times, and the Journal, and I think this is in fact what is known as a media storm. One of that “little know community organizing group called ACORN” any more, that’s for sure. One piece yesterday finally brought a big, fat grin to my face and that article was in the Wall Street Journal where Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass) was giving what could only be called a head butt to the wags on the editorial page about why he was not in the number voting on the ACORN herding bill last week.
Frank is a tough customer. When I was working with ACORN, he was always driving our DC folks crazy because he was impossible to organize, always knew best, and in many cases we felt was too quick and cozy to the deal with the financial companies. We talked to his people all of the time with hope and a prayer. I’ve even questioned recently why Frank had the Financial Service Committee drop supervision and oversight of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) from their version of the bill to create a new financial consumer protection agency when the Obama Administration has proposed otherwise. But, that’s all business, and this is personal, so props to Frank for standing straight and tall!
The editorialist at the Journal had tried to make a point of Frank not being on the House floor to vote when the dog pile began on the anti-ACORN McCarthyite terror attacks. Frank fired off a letter, which basically told them they were a bunch of hypocrites because he was scheduled to be at the White House of a Medal of Honor ceremony for a solider from his district killed in wars he helped vote to authorize. He of course also mentioned that the Journal editorial page being a Murdoch-Fox News print version of the same vitriol had not bothered to contact him or his office.
In yesterday’s editorial my favor piece was simply stated:
“Mr. Frank, whose spokesman tells us he would have voted against the measure (that is, in favor of funding Acorn), has a point. Any implication that he is trying to dodge the matter is mistaken.”
In the land of pigmies and sheep this is still one elected representative who unabashedly stands up straight. Knowing how many times he has also spit in our eyes as well, I have to admire courage and integrity when it speaks as a plain statement in its own right.
Count Congressman Barney Frank on any vote that matters.