Home » Matchup: Barney Frank and Sean Bielat on Social Security

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Matchup: Barney Frank and Sean Bielat on Social Security — 19 Comments

  1. Although from a different union, I can respect Marines.
    Kipling said, of the Royal Marines, “Once in a while they can finish in style; which I hope it don’t happen to me.”

    “Size fifty-six field jacket, size three hat.”
    Loved that one.

    However, it was only intramural joking. Bielat is the real deal.

    It appears that Frank thinks that people believe him. It goes with the job of teacher, politician, journalist, or clergyman. After long enough with a one-way communication line, without feedback–or at least the kind that seems important–the communicator begins to think people believe him, simply because he speaks.

    One problem, it’s “reining in” as in horses, not “reigning in” as in ruling.

  2. Didn’t Barney check out the Marine Corps’ reputation in a fight? I see a large American flag about to be unfurled on Mt. Suribarney.

  3. Libby: if you’re not in his (my) district, you can’t vote for him.

    You can certainly contribute to him, though!

    respectfully,
    Daniel in Brookline

    (And yes, I too wonder what Mr. Frank was thinking. That exchange of letters is wonderful… it does look like Mr. Frank took a knife to a gunfight.)

  4. Barney should have been more careful in what he asked for. He has inadvertently put himself on the defensive on an issue that is very important but secondary to what he is claiming to be doing to create jobs. So far, his only effective debating ploy is to claim that he is being serially interrupted (I would count each and every interruption as catching old Barney in one more lies), so as to waste a lot of time, add more than a little confusion, and do whatever he can to disrupt the debate. Even to the voters of the socialist state of Massachusetts this act must be getting tiresome.

  5. Daniel –
    I’ve just donated to his campaign (I also contributed to Scott Brown’s campaign). I lived in MA for 12 years – Watertown, Framingham, and Worcester. Figures there are finally Republicans to vote for after I’ve left.
    We need to support these candidates – even if they’re not in our districts.

  6. LOVE IT Steve!

    That letter was nice… I wish there were graphs in there from heritage.org. More impact.

  7. Awesome letter. Utterly devestating while remaining quite polite. Still, my inner editor notes that the phrase he wanted was “reining in”, not “reigning in”.

  8. Surellin, it is a law of the internet that one always makes a spelling, usage, or grammatical error when correcting such in others.

    If I were running against an elitist Democrat, I might try to slip “reign” instead of “rein” into the mix for its subliminal effect.

  9. Bielat’s letter brings to mind the “Drapier’s Letters,” by Jonathon Swift. Here is a chopped Wiki account:

    Drapier’s Letters (1724) was a series of pamphlets against the monopoly granted by the English government to William Wood to provide the Irish with copper coinage. It was widely believed that Wood would need to flood Ireland with debased coinage in order make a profit. . . The government eventually resorted to hiring none other than Sir Isaac Newton to certify the soundness of Wood’s coinage to counter Swift’s accusations.

    There will be no Sir Isaac Newton in this modern case because there is no soundness in Frank’s coinage.

  10. Keep sending money to people outside your disctrict and the democrats might accuse them of…”getting foreign money from Texas…”

  11. Bielat’s letter is fantastic. This exchange of letters should be sent to every registered voter in MA’s 4th congressional district. I sent a small check to the Bielat campaign earlier and will send another one toward postage expenses for such an effort.

    Bielat’s letter reminds me of my teen years* when Adlai Stevenson said “Let’s talk sense to the American people. There are no gains without pains.”

    Bielat is talking sense; Frank nonsense.

    *I was a Democrat then.

  12. I thought that this part was very mean spirited….

    “…and I noticed that you talk about certain proposals in some forums but you avoid them altogether in others. I assume that this is because you don’t think some of these ideas are well-suited for all voters.

    I have questions about a few of these proposals; and as you are new to Massachusetts, I’d like to provide you with some specific questions so you can research them thoroughly and present them publicly in all your public appearances.”

    Gees, I would bet that Frank has tailored speeches to his audiences and doesn’t address all issues at all appearances. Yet, he expects his opponent to do so. In addition, did Frank object to Clinton moving to NY and becoming a senator from that state? Yet, he mocks his opponent as being “new to MA”.

    I sure hope Sean wins.

  13. Surellin: you are following the ironclad rule of grammatical and speling corrections, which is that when offering them one has a much-higher-than-average chance of making a grammatical or spelling error oneself.

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