Former Democratic Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) was a liberal stalwart for over a generation. He was at the forefront of opposing Republican policies, but the liberal Massachusetts native is not in good health. In fact, he’s in hospice care for congestive heart failure. Frank told Politico that at 86, he’s lived longer than he expected, and at this age, the heart sometimes gives out. He says he’s not in pain, feels very good, and is just relaxing.
That doesn’t mean he’s stopped talking about politics. Over the weekend, he appeared on CNN’s Jake Tapper show, where he issued a warning to Democrats. Frank also has a book coming out that criticizes the left wing of the Democratic Party, specifically their reckless approach to social issue activism, which even Frank finds distasteful (via NY Post):
NYP: Dying ex-Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) delivers stark warning from hospice about Democrats swinging too far left
— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) May 3, 2026
“It’s precisely because I have been on the left that I have undertaken this,” Frank told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “Many of us fought to get inequality on…
Actually sad to see Barney like this. Barney and I would do TV together every Saturday morning for almost two years.
— Brianna Lyman (@briannalyman2) May 3, 2026
We disagreed almost all of the time, but he still made me laugh. https://t.co/e21tXIACTz
“It’s precisely because I have been on the left that I have undertaken this,” Frank told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “Many of us fought to get inequality on the Democratic agenda.”
“But the problem was, as 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’t ready for.”
Frank is set to release a scathing book rebuking the left flank of the Democratic Party later this year. His main message to lefties is to be more strategic about how far to push on social issues.
“We didn’t get to marriage until after these other things had been resolved,” Frank argued.
“And that’s what I’m suggesting that we do today. The analogy is males and female transsexuals playing sports that are for women.”
“I understand there’s a lot of anger about that,” he continued. “And I 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’t support it, you’re a homophobe.”
Yeah, that position would throw you in Democratic Party purgatory, Mr. Frank.
Still, despite his objections to how the Left does things, Frank said that he regrets he won’t be around to see Trump’s implosion, adding that he believes things will return to normal after he’s left office. I don’t know what that means, but there’s still a lot of time between now and Election Day, sir.