Looks like Barney is now doing his best impression of Marie Antoinette.
The Boston Globe’s Names Blog, an online gossip column, reports that Rep. Barney Frank found himself in an impromptu town-hall meeting on a flight from Los Angeles to Boston. A pair of ophthalmologist sisters wanted to air their grievances about ObamaCare, but Frank was having none of it:
“They wanted to talk to me, but I apologized and said I like to read and watch on planes,” Frank told us today. “They began to talk louder and that’s when Jimmy (Ready) [Frank’s domestic partner] said, ‘If you’re trying to be bitchy, you’re doing a good job.’ “Needless to say, the women didn’t appreciate the remark, and things got heated. (Attempts to locate or ID the women were unsuccessful.) [Passenger Brooke] Sexton, who’s an HR director for the UK-based retailer All Saints Spitalfields, said flight attendants weren’t working hard enough to defuse the situation, so she got involved.
“The women had been drinking, and they were crying and shouting,” Sexton said. “They were clearly the antagonizers, and Mr. Frank was kind of minding his own business.” (She said Ready also upset another passenger, calling him “Santa Claus.“) Finally, the parties calmed down and remained quiet for the rest of the flight. (Sexton was offered some complementary [sic] wine for her trouble.)
Barney Frank: Oh yeah, those annoying constituents are such buzzkills. Especially those damn doctors who have to implement ObamaCare. Just a bunch of drunk Tea Partiers, I tell you. Now away with you while my partner Jimmy annoys other people on the plane — like having me here isn’t bad enough!
Keep it classy, Jimmy. It is not a good idea to insult your Sugar Daddy’s constituents.
Guess what Barney: This is part of your job. Take Harry Truman’s advice.
-Bruce (GayPatriot)
Sorry, Bruce, but I don’t think a metal tube at 35,000 feet is the place to get into a heated argument about anything. Flying sucks as it is without a cat fight.
The women “… had been drinking, and… were crying and shouting,” and “they were clearly the antagonizers,” and you think Rep. Frank was in the wrong?
What am I missing here?
Being a congressman does not mean that you have to engage in conversation with rude drunks.
Slow news day for this blog?
Phil –
Why are these confrontations ALWAYS happening to Barney Frank? There are 434 other House Members who don’t have trouble talking with people, especially their constituents.
You’re missing this tidbit:
So the professionals, whose job it is to keep order on the plane, who are particularly attuned to disruptive behavior after 9/11, didn’t think there was anything disruptive going on, or any cause for them to intervene, but some woman who has no training, jumped in to defend a famous partisan.
“Crying and shouting?” We are supposed to believe that these women were shouting on a commercial airliner after 9/11 and the flight attendents were just ignoring it?
Have you flown ANYWHERE in the last 9 years?
What you are missing is logic and critical thinking ability.
Recently DEMOCRAT Senator Shumer NY had a confrontation with a flight attendant because he wasn’t following the rules. You know cos he’s a liberal Democrat and rules are for …..well the rable.
Democrats really get upset when coming face to face with real people, Americans. It could be on trains or planes. That’s why they prefer to stay in DC and cancel any and all town halls. You people are too noisey. Harrrumph.
If they were drunk and belligerent, I don’t think its fair to come down on Barney Frank. Yea his partner should have kept his mouth shut, but if someone you care about is getting yelled at by drunks….you probably would have a hard time keeping your mouth shut.
Sexton seems to side with with Barney and there is actually a time and place for approaching your representative. I realize he is a public figure but still, to go after him on a flight? I doubt it really helped to change his mind on anything.
Watch what?
Watch what?
Unaccompanied minor boys.
I have to side with my Congressman on this one. (Did I just say that??)
I don’t care if you’re elected or not, you shouldn’t have to put up with “drunk and obnoxious.” Those women owe him an apology.