Barney Blasts Bad Blood

Our dude in D.C. took advantage of a slow-news/no-news day to talk about maybe running for the U.S. Senate, but mostly about the wasteful stupidity of the pending effort to try yet again to put a ballot initiative banning same-sex marriage in Massachusetts to a vote. Rep. Barney Frank's interview hit the wires last evening and is in the papers today, including here at the Washington Post.


Subtlety would be wasted on anti-SSM, anti-gay zealots. So B.F. did not spread any B.S. on the QT.

"Basically, they're disturbers of the civic peace," Frank told the AP. "We now have social peace in Massachusetts. They're the ones who want to stir it up. This is a non-issue in Massachusetts."

May we have an Amen?

Frank predicted that the anti folk's effort to get this on the 2008 ballot will bring unnecessary rancor over an issue already settled. "I think by 2008, people will say, 'Do we really need to have an angry, divisive debate over a non-issue. The question for the 50 legislators is: Do they want to make this a front-page issue again, leading the TV news?" He was referring to the 25% of the General Court would have to approve the measure in two successive sessions, 2006 and 2007, to put it on the ballot.

That is the key question of the session. Accompanying ones include:

• Is this the kind of business that the General Court should spend its effort and time pursuing?
• What do legislators risk in a state that polls with increasing majority in favor of SSM?
• Have the plug nasties alienated voters to the point that this initiative has no chance?
• Will politicians run or sneak away from this to avoid linking to a loser?