BARNEY FRANK: Truth, Lies, Privacy
Throughout his eighteen-year tenure in the United States House of Representatives, Representative Barney Frank has received all types of criticism and praise, ranging from derogatory statements pertaining to his sexual preferences, to outstanding compliments similar to the ones received by the great orators in the history of our country. Many of these comments surfaced during the recent impeachment trial for President Clinton, where Representative Frank dazzled and enraged many of his political colleagues with his unique "laser-sharp wit and quips" (Alvarez, 1998).
Throughout his political career and most recently, the impeachment trial, Representative Frank freely voiced his opinion of the President and his actions with an almost invincible aura emanating with each comment. It is true that Representative Frank emerged as one of Clinton’s strongest defenders, but Representative Frank did not assume the typical role of a completely loyal and faithful supporter. Representative Frank made exhilarating arguments in defense of the President, and he publicly denounced the President’s actions just as quickly when he did not agree with them. By supporting the President in such a fashion, it is hard to imagine why Representative Frank was not constantly under attack, but rather still able to clearly state his opinions to an audience that was still very eager to listen.
Of course like any other politician, Representative Frank has his allies and his enemies, yet he does not seem to weigh them as heavily as other politicians appear to. Enemies or simply people who do not necessarily see eye to eye with Representative Frank, have branded Frank as:
"very intimidating, harassing, with an ability to use humor that enables him to win debate on tactics alone, rather than substance,"says Jones."His style reminds me of a petulant adolescent who has to have his own way. He's a stand-up comedian in congressional clothes, a very funny guy in the Don Rickles/Jackie Mason mold"(Elvin, 1998).
Another one of Frank’s rivals, Howard Phillips of Conservative Caucus, who began debating with Frank in their undergraduate days at Harvard, stated that Representative Frank is:
"a person of great energy, and great passion, for the wrong causes. God gave him extraordinary talent and he's using it for evil rather than for good. Barney is a very capable fellow with a very distorted view of what's right and what's wrong"(Elvin, 1998).
Along with the negative criticism directed at Representative Frank comes a great number of positive, uplifting compliments such as the following by Representative Henry Hyde:
On the turntable of American politics Dick Morris has established himself as a masterful disk jockey. However, his ability to artistically mix campaign messages has earned him a scratched personal reputation. The rhetoric of Dick Morris transcends partisan boundaries to such a degree that it lacks foundation. His career has earned him praise but at the expense of intense scorn. His political strategy and poll based campaigning have earned him a reputation as both a genius and amoral. In many ways the controversial aspects of his messages reflect contemporary discussion of American politics. The flaws of his character reveal some of the flaws in our representative system. The recent Impeachment Trial of President Clinton has also brought attention to flaws in our representative system. Dick Morris's political commentary on the Impeachment and the work of his career offers insight with which to examine a growing discontent among the American public towards our nation's politics.
compromise. Jefferson’s account suggests the growing divide, showing that without a mediator, the ideologies are too far divided to achieve legisla...
... have had lottery picks giving them a bright outlook for the future. This move almost secures yet another lottery pick giving them more young talent.
In 1822, Congress gave Illinois a large portion of land on which to not only build the canal, but to sell to raise funds for its construction. The land contained the portage between the two rivers and about 100 miles of land to the south and west of it. It had just recently been coercively and dishonestly purchased from the local Blackhawk Indians in a treaty that ended the Blackhawk War.
Mr. Smith is portrayed as an honest man with strong opinions. He is the ideal politician in an ideal society. The film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington depicts a "reassuring image" that happens to be "an image of the past" (Wheeler). However, in today's legislature, people like Mr. Smith are rare due to the fact that a politician's primary goal is re-election. The good of the people may come as another intention of a politician, but it is always secondary to "bringing home the pork." There should be more people like Mr. Smith because the legislature would be able to make decisions more effectively and efficiently, rather than how slowly they currently operate. This is an unfortunate truth, yet it is how our society has been shaped to operate. This becomes apparent after close examination of the United States legislature today and viewing of the film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
Over the course of the Spanish-American war , the obvious need for a canal came apparent.The canal would stregthen the navy, and it would make easier defense of the islands in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The problem of where to build the canal came into play. Congress rejected Nicaragua and Panama was an unwilling part of this project. The course of the building was shifted to Colu...
...ple, Benjamin Franklin developed his own style of writing which was adopted by many liberal writers who shaped Franklin’s political views a great deal. It is also worth noting that Benjamin drew a lot from his father Josiah who he viewed as all round. He was particularly impressed by his ability to make sound judgment a skill also seen by other locals.
Glenn Greenwald, a talented and widely read columnist on civil liberties for the Guardian newspaper, failed in his attempt to alarm his readers to the flagrant and widespread violations of American privacy. Although his article was full of facts, documentation, and quotes from top rank officials, the article did not convey any sense of wrong doing or outrage. Rather it was dull, lacked passion and a sense of persuasion. In fact, the only attention grabbing part in the whole article is the title.
most evil characters and he is a character who stands out among all of the
In late May of 1776, the lawyer, John Adams, wrote a rebuttal to James Sullivan’s opinion on representation in the legislative process and who should be allowed to participate. Adams had learned of these views after reading Sullivan’s letter, which was originally addressed to Mr. Gerry; this letter highlighted what Sullivan believed to be flaws with the political system of the day and, to be more specific, who should be allowed to take part. To say that Adams disagreed with the ideas presented would, in many ways, minimize his response. John Adams had a very clear cut definition of who was competent enough and worthy enough to bear the weight of the full rights of citizenship, ultimately, the right to make decisions for the masses.
The Watergate Crisis concludes that the profoundly memorable and intensely appalling atrocity, Watergate, “tested our system and ourselves.” Genovese does not merely tell of the events of Watergate, he goes on to dissect the effects of the incident. In the preface, the author tidily summarizes the influence of this crisis by stating that “time has not altered the sting of Watergate. It remains a profoundly sad and unnecessary scar on the political landscape.” This book delves into how presidential corruption is the worst possible offense because it results in the deep-seated distrust of the government.
...t. Franklin learned very much in his life, maybe even more than he taught to others. Franklin has a method of teaching that I believe is a proper way of getting ideas across. “Do as I say, not as I do.” I feel that this statement alone totally defeats the characterization of Franklin being a hypocrite. The flaws in Franklin’s character should not be analyzed as closely as some look at them. It is all part of a learning process, which he has passed on to us as readers.
The NBA should develop a differentiation leadership strategy. Events that the NBA has organized are becoming irrelevant when compared to its rivals’. For example, the MLB’s All-Star Game has an impact on post-season results. The MLS’s All-Star game features the league’s best against top European soccer clubs. The NHL’s All-Star Game features a ton of scoring in a sport that typically has low scores. There is no novelty factor for the NBA during its All-Star Weekend. Only the NFL’s Pro Bowl is worse than the NBA’s All-Star Weekend in terms of entertainment value.
On August 17, 1998, exactly one year after making the statement above, President Bill Clinton prepared to deliver a speech concerning a scandal that had gripped the nation for months. It is needless to say that this was an important moment during the Clinton administration. After accusations of sexual harassment, Clinton addressed the nation and admitted to having a relationship with Monica Lewinsky. In this critical speech Clinton set out to admit to wrong-doings, provide a few reasons for his action, and ultimately persuade the audience into moving on and forgetting the scandal. This essay will break down his speech into sections and examine the most and least effective strategies that Clinton employed and how well he executed those strategies. This is an interesting speech given under rare circumstances. Not since Watergate had an American president been under such harsh moral criticism from the public. By looking critically at this speech we are able to gain valuable insight into Clinton's motives.
One example is when Lady Macbeth finds out that King Duncan is coming to the castle. She says “Where ever in your invisible substances you assist in mischief come thick n...