Reeves reflects on Rep. Barney Frank's time in Congress

Truthdig ran an op-ed by journalism professor Richard Reeves about Rep. Barney Frank's congressional career. Last week, Frank announced he was leaving his position in Congress for many reasons, a big one being that Congress is broken. Reeves said he did a good job while in office, despite being different and facing scandals related to his sexuality. "I’m used to being in the minority," Frank said. "I’m a left-handed gay Jew. I’ve never felt, automatically, a member of any majority." To his peers he was a "skilled negotiator and compromiser" and to the public "he was a roaring liberal," according to Reeves. He was also bipartisan, critiquing President Barack Obama during the economic crisis. "At a time of great crisis with mortgage foreclosures and autos, Obama says we only have one president at a time," Frank said. "I’m afraid that overstates the number of presidents we have. He’s got to remedy that situation." Reeves believes Frank was "a national asset who may have sometimes talked too much." Read the article here.