{"id":2605732,"date":"2026-05-22T07:41:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T11:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/liberal-barney-frank-called-out-the-far-left-on-his-deathbed\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T07:42:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T11:42:18","slug":"liberal-barney-frank-called-out-the-far-left-on-his-deathbed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/liberal-barney-frank-called-out-the-far-left-on-his-deathbed\/","title":{"rendered":"Liberal Barney Frank Called Out the Far-Left on His Deathbed"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fliberal-barney-frank-called-out-the-far-left-on-his-deathbed%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2605732&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Barney Frank, the former 16-term Democratic congressman from Massachusetts, died Wednesday at age 86 from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/food-and-drug-administration-guidance-drives-racial-rationing-of-covid-drugs\/\" title=\"Food and Drug Administration Guidance Drives Racial Rationing of COVID Drugs\">congestive heart failure<\/a>. First elected to the House in 1980,he became widely known for helping author the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law and for being the first member of Congress to voluntarily come out as gay. In recent weeks, while receiving hospice care at his Maine home, he appeared on CNN and warned that the Democratic Party was moving too far left, arguing that social and cultural goals had advanced before broader public readiness and before certain priorities tied to gay rights where resolved. He also criticized party language toward people who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/washington-post-poll-finds-most-americans-oppose-men-competing-in-womens-sports\/\" title=\"Washington Post Poll Finds Most Americans Oppose Men Competing in Women&#039;s Sports\">oppose biological men competing<\/a> in women\u2019s sports, saying the issue should be addressed more specifically rather than using labels like \u201chomophobe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The article further recounts Frank\u2019s political background, including his work in the Massachusetts legislature, his service in the U.S. House starting in 1980, and his legislative role as chair of the House Financial Services Committee during the Dodd-Frank negotiations. It notes that Dodd-Frank aimed to reduce taxpayer bailouts for \u201ctoo big to fail\u201d banks, limit speculative activities, and create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which later drew controversy.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Former 16-term Democratic Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank died of congestive heart failure Wednesday at the age of 86.<\/p>\n<p>First elected to the House in 1980, Frank is known for being the co-author of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (\u201cDodd-Frank\u201d) as well as being the first member of Congress to voluntarily come out as gay.<\/p>\n<p>Only weeks before his passing, he appeared on CNN\u2019s \u201cState of the Union with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash\u201d while receiving hospice care at his Maine home \u2014 where he warned that his lifelong party was lurching too far leftward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[A]s we succeeded in bringing the mainstream of the left into a concern with inequality, we also enabled people who wanted to use that as a platform for a wide range of social and cultural changes, some of which the public isn\u2019t ready for,\u201d he told CNN.<\/p>\n<p>He added that gay rights activists such as himself did not start calling for same-sex marriage to be legal until \u201cother things had been resolved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>An early member of the left-wing Congressional Progressive Caucus, Frank also criticized his party for using strong language against people who oppose biological men participating in women\u2019s sports.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think, in the interest of the transgender community, as well as others, it would be better to go at that in a more granular way, and not simply announce that, if you don\u2019t support it, you\u2019re a homophobe,\u201d Frank told CNN.<\/p>\n<p>Days before his CNN appearance, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/04\/28\/barney-frank-hospice-democrats-00897112\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">told<\/a> Politico that he wrote a book planned for release later in 2026, criticizing his party\u2019s modern left, who he says have \u201cembraced an agenda that goes beyond what\u2019s politically acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUntil we separate ourselves from that agenda, we don\u2019t win,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor a lot of my colleagues, the argument has been, \u2018well, we don\u2019t support defund the police or open borders, and we don\u2019t say we do,\u2019\u201d Frank added in his April 28 comments to Politico.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut my point is, no, it\u2019s not enough \u2026 to be silent. We have to explicitly repudiate it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Frank also told the outlet that he is \u201cvery proud\u201d of Dodd-Frank, the sweeping 2010 financial regulation law that bears his name.<\/p>\n<p>The Massachusetts\u2019 Democrat\u2019s signature legislative accomplishment came in response to the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009.<\/p>\n<p>Then Chair of the House Financial Services Committee, Frank authored the bill alongside Democratic Connecticut Sen. and Banking Committee Chair Chris Dodd.<\/p>\n<p>The legislation passed mostly along party lines was signed into law by then-President Barack Obama. Dodd-Frank sought to end taxpayer-funded bailouts for banks previously deemed \u201ctoo big to fail,\u201d cracked down on financial institutions\u2019 ability to make certain speculative investments and created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).<\/p>\n<p>The CFB became a controversial agency considered to be the brainchild of now-Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.<\/p>\n<p>A Harvard University study conducted five years after the law\u2019s signing found that Dodd-Frank\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >policied harmed smaller community banks<\/a>, whose  of banking assets and lending markets was cut in half over the previous two decades.<\/p>\n<p>Born to a Jewish family in New Jersey, he moved to Massachusetts \u2014 the state in which he would build a political career \u2014 in the late 1950s to attend Harvard University. While a graduate student, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/wgbh\/americanexperience\/features\/freedomsummer-at50\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">spent<\/a> a summer in Mississippi as a volunteer on the Freedom Summer campaign, an initiative to register black voters during the Civil Rights Movement.<\/p>\n<p>He served in the Massachusetts State House from 1973 to 1981 and during this time, graduated from Harvard Law School.<\/p>\n<p>He first won election to the U.S. House in 1980, succeeding Fr. Robert Drinan, SJ, a fellow liberal Democrat and Jesuit priest pushed into retirement by Pope John Paul II\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/archive\/politics\/1980\/05\/05\/pope-bars-priests-from-serving-in-public-office\/2297aec6-86f7-454e-8e88-cdbbebd7621f\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">directive<\/a> barring members of the Catholic clergy from holding secular elected office.<\/p>\n<p>Following redistricting and Massachusetts\u2019 loss of a House seat, Frank ran for reelection against fellow incumbent Republican Rep. Margaret Heckler in 1982.<\/p>\n<p>Despite Heckler having served in the House since 1967, he defeated her in a landslide. Frank did not face another competitive reelection bid until seeking his final term in 2010 on the heels of Dodd-Frank.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter\u2019s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact <a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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Barney Frank dies at 86<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2605733,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_8652.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[79998,9566,50079,36160,38710],"class_list":["post-2605732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-barney-frank","tag-far-left","tag-liberal-politics","tag-political-controversy","tag-u-s-congress"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_8652.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2605732"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605732\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2605736,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605732\/revisions\/2605736"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2605733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2605732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2605732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2605732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}