Barney Frank's present and former staffers have something to say about the kind of boss he is
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Is Barney Frank the kind of boss that "The Boss," the late George Steinbrenner, was -- a pussycat to people with power and a bully to those without? His present and former staffers don't seem to think so.
"My colleagues and I also are grateful to him for his absolute loyalty to us, for his graciousness in sharing credit for what we collectively accomplish and for his respect for our personal lives outside the pressure-cooker environment of Capitol Hill."
-- Bruno Freitas, Barney Frank's chief of staff and legislative director, in a Letter to the Editor of the Washington Post
by Ken
Barney Frank hasn't exactly lacked for detractors during his time in Congress, and it's not surprising that some of them are lobbing spitballs now that he's withdrawing from the congressional arena. And I suppose some of the questions being raised -- whether, for example, he might have accomplished more if he had been less, well, abrasive in his D.C. dealings -- are legitimate, though I'm hard put to see what it is he might have accomplished. Mostly those detractors, and their media enablers, seem dedicated to reinforcing the principle that the correct way for Villagers to deal with one another is to "go along to get along" (or is it the other way 'round?).
This, I think, more than anything, more even than Barney's unapologetically liberal agenda, is what has driven his Village enemies so crazy. He's surely the most independent pol, at least on "our side," to have successfully embedded himself in the machinery of power in my recollection, and I don't really see his successor anywhere on the horizon. That's what has depressed me so much about his decision to leave Congress.
The other day, however, Dana Milbank wrote a column for the Washington Post which I gathered from the blurb in the paper's e-newsletter advanced the proposition that Barney's supposed meanness and orneriness extended to his staff, which again would be a legitimate subject of inquiry if there were any evidence for it. It's not, however, the impression I've gotten from what I've heard from people who actually deal with the congressman. In fact, my impression has been quite the opposite: that he's a caring and responsive boss.
My hunch was that somebody is trying to capitalize on a very real archetype in management circles: the boss in the mold of "The Boss," the late George Steinbrenner, who became famous during his tenure as principal owner of the New York Yankess for bullying, tyrannizing, and terrorizing the underlings at his mercy -- at least if they wanted to continue in his employment. Of course a certain number of them had to be fired just to satisfy George's sense of self-importance.
Most everyone I know has had contact with such a boss, and my own feeling is that this goes beyond being a "perk" of achieving such power as these people achieve in their domains; for many of them it's an important incentive for achieving that power. These are people who are generally all sweetness and light with what we might call "people their own size," even when they're trying to edge a shiv in those people's soft bellies, but then vent their pent-up rage at the helpless help.
Barney, by contrast, has tended to speak his mind to Villagers of equal or greater rank, which is something for which I don't think he could ever be forgiven in certain corners. And now 60-plus of his present and former staffers have joined to offer their corrective view of the kind of person he has been to work for. This letter was published in yesterday's Washington Post:
Letter to the Editor
How Barney Frank’s staff really feels about him
In his Nov. 30 column, "A bully leaves his pulpit," Dana Milbank grossly mischaracterized how I and my colleagues, members of Rep. Barney Frank’s staff past and present, feel toward him. I feel fortunate to have worked for him, and I have the highest respect for his integrity, brilliance and dedication to enduring democratic principles. But my colleagues and I also are grateful to him for his absolute loyalty to us, for his graciousness in sharing credit for what we collectively accomplish and for his respect for our personal lives outside the pressure-cooker environment of Capitol Hill.
In a congressional culture of deference, we all know him simply as Barney. He demands that we deliver at the highest standards of government service, but he often praises us publicly and privately for our work and dedication. He allows us to take time to care for our loved ones and to raise our children, and he respects the importance of family. If he makes a bad decision, he personally takes the heat; he doesn’t use staff as a shield.
This isn’t only my opinion. I speak here for 60 of my colleagues who asked to co-sign this letter. But one simple metric tells the heart of the story: Barney has one of the most tenured offices on Capitol Hill. Where career longevity in "tough" offices can be measured in weeks or months, Barney has 10 staff members who have been with him for more than 10 years.
I have real affection and the highest regard for Barney Frank. When a caller to our office who disagrees with Barney’s politics asked me how I could work for him, I said simply, "with great pride and honor." I know my colleagues would agree.
Bruno Freitas, Washington
The writer is chief of staff and legislative director for Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.).
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Labels: Barney Frank, George Steinbrenner
7 Comments:
I lost just a bit of respect for Frank during a recent Maddow visit where he was lamenting the OWS movement in terms of "where we you in 2010"? It seemed not to dawn on Rep. Frank (or Ms. Maddow) to think of "they" were there in 2006 and 2008 to hand Rep. Frank and his party great majorities and what became of that?
What do you think the next congressional representative from his district will be like? Maybe a republican? probably not.
I certainly don't want to let congressional Democrats off the hook, WJB, but I tried to choose my words carefully when I referred to Barney as having "successfully embedded himself in the machinery of power." He didn't acquire any magical powers. He committed himself to doing whatever he could to make that machinery work.
We're not talking about grandstanding or looking good for the cameras; we're talking about the nitty-gritty of legislating -- hammering out bills and hammering together the votes to push them through. It's a hideously difficult, unglamorous, brutal business, and it must be unimaginably frustrating for anyone with real convictions who maintains real hope of getting anything done.
If there's anything DWT readers are familiar with, it's how much dross there was in those "great majorities," of both the butt-covering and "what's in it for me?" kind. I imagine the job is hard enough for someone like Barney to try to do -- and he accomplished a lot. If he chooses to challenge us, and the OWS people, to say whether we're better off with him or Spencer Bachus chairing the House Financial Services Committee, I think he's earned the right.
Cheers,
Ken
Understand about the "drossity" of the democratic majorities .... but should that not be something that Congressman Frank should talk about rather than blaming the ows movement? He surely knows who the blue dogs are and what they stand for and everyone knows how "valuble" Ben Nelson is ..... especially now!
BTW ..... just watch ej dinonne actually say the Newt Gingrich is a great guy to talk to when he is not at the controls of any power .... how refreshing! The same Newt who abandoned two critically ill spouses for new healthy ones? The same guy who wants to make those poor children become janitors? Geez .... are you kidding me? Sure, lets overlook all the bigotry and racism and hatred, because this person is "someone"? Once again, I expected the "interviewer" Ms. Maddow to ask a simple question .... like WTF? but alas when your part of the show ... it's okay ....
thanks for writing back KenInNY.
Craft beer forever!!!!
Dana Milbank is a pathetic attention-hungry narcissist who a.) is not conflicted over making shit up and b.) was probably describing his own personality type when referring to Frank.
Moral of story - don't read/listen to Milbank.
I don't have much respect for politicians in general, but when it comes to Barney Frank and Bernie Sanders my hat is off. I cannot help but remember the term "statesman" when I think of these two.
If all Senators were Bernie Sanders and all Representatives were Barney Franks the world would be better than ever we thought that it could.
I saw him speak at Working Families Party a few years ago. He staffers were "trip-over-themselves" polite to everyone there, and seemed quite cautious around the man himself.
I love how Barney Frank speaks, I love his take-no-shit attitude... but I can completely see him being a terror to work for, which is a shame.
This is just the thing, Lucas. It is easy to believe that Barney is that kind of boss, but all the indications I have are that he's the exact opposite kind. Which leaves me wondering whether the people spreading the image aren't simply calculating on how easy it is to get people to believe it.
Cheers,
Ken
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