Barney Frank and Christopher Dodd want action now from the President elect, no waiting until he's actually inaugurated. "He's going to have to be more assertive than he's been, at a time of great crisis with mortgage foreclosures and autos, he says we only have one president at a time," Frank said. "I'm afraid that overstates the number of presidents we have. He's got to remedy that situation."Apparently Mr. Frank is one of those who failed the recent civics test, until the 20th of January George Bush is the acting President.
Frank doesn't like the concept of Barack Obama's call for post partisanship either, "It is a grave mistake to assume that parties are irrelevant to this process," he said. "My one difference with the president-elect, about whom I am very enthusiastic, is when he talks about being post-partisan. Having lived with this very right wing Republican group that runs the House most of the time, the notion of trying to deal with them as if we could be post-partisan gives me post-partisan depression,"
Where has Barney Frank been for the last two years and what kind of drugs is he on? The last time I checked, it is Nancy Pelosi and Frank's fellow Democrats who have been in charge of the House of Representatives. Frank, who fought against scrutiny of Fanny and Freddy and increased regulation of the same, had the gall to say that "regulatory legislation aimed at preventing abuses related to subprime mortgages and credit cards stood a much better chance next year, when Democrats have greater majorities in the House and Senate." Again, it has been the Democrats, not the Republicans, who have been fighting against increased regulation of these practices, so an increased majority would mean what?
Christopher Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and recipient of special favors from Countrywide Mortgage said, "The Obama team has to step up, in the minds of the people, this is the Obama administration. I don‘t think we can afford to wait until January 20.”
So Mr. Frank and Mr. Dodd would like to, on their own, change the constitution and install the new president before the board of electors has even met? One wonders what the net result will be if Mr. Obama fails to jump through the hoops these two and others in his party have ready and waiting for him. Based on the behavior of those so eager to assume power they won't let a small thing like the law stand in their way, I predict Mr. Obama will enjoy the same "warm" relationship with the Democratic majority that his predecessor Jimmy Carter did.