"...while you're trying to change it, don't ignore it..."
—Barney Frank
Barney Frank has been EVERYWHERE on his tour for his book 'Frank.' That said, I was honored to be able to speak with him when he came to town to speak for Bookshop Santa Cruz. I was nervous, as my take on the book felt a bit unusual.
I was interested in what I believed would usually be considered the technical aspects of politics that Frank addresses throughout the book. Given that the book is sold as a memoir (and it is that as well), I thought it possible that I might be missing the point.
But as we sat down to talk, I was surprised to find out that Frank was eager to talk about the interpersonal nature of politics. Once we started speaking, pretty much from the get-fo, it was hard to stop, and our conversation ran for well over an hour. Much of this was devoted to dissecting the sausage, so to speak. And for me, it was a heartening look at our institutions. Here's a man with a vision that should fill those of all political beliefs with hope.
At the heart of Barney Frank's beliefs is a sense of fairness, which we learn that he developed early in his life. But getting to fair, for Frank, is a matter of pragmatic actions in the real world. He's not a man who would prefer a bold but ineffectual statement to a dull but pragmatic compromise. Good gets done one actual law at a time.
04-29-15 UPDATE:Podcast Update: Time to Read Episode 203: Barney Frank, 'Frank: A Life in Politics from the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage
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Click image for audio link.
Here's the two hundred and third episode of my series of podcasts, which I'm calling Time to Read.
I've been working for more of a live format lately, and to this end in this Time to Read "lightning round," I've included some of the banter beforehand, to give a feel for the atmosphere when we run these little mini-interviews. The bottom line: They're a fun way to finish off the gig.
My hope is that in under four (or maybe twice as many!) minutes I can offer readers a concise review and an opportunity to hear the author read from or speak about the work. I'm hoping to offer a new one every week.
08-21-15: Agony Column Podcast News Report : Senator Claire McCaskill is 'Plenty Ladylike' : Internalizing Determination to Overcome Sexism [Incudes Time to Read EP 211: Claire McCaskill, Plenty Ladylike, plus A 2015 Interview with Senator Claire McCaskill]
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Emily Schultz Unleashes 'The Blondes' : A Cure by Color [Incudes Time to Read EP 210: Emily Schultz, The Blondes, plus A 2015 Interview with Emily Schultz]
07-05-15: Commentary : Dr. Michael Gazzaniga Tells Tales from Both Sides of the Brain : A Life in Neuroscience Reveals the Life of Science
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Michael Gazzaniga : "We made the first observation and BAM there was the disconnection effect..."
04-21-15: Commentary : Kazuo Ishiguro Unearths 'The Buried Giant' : The Mist of Myth and Memory
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Kazuo Ishiguro : ".... by the time I was writing this novel, the lines between what was fantasy and what was real had blurred for me..."
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Marc Goodman : "...every physical object around us is being transformed, one way or another, into an information technology..."
Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 199: Marc Goodman : Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It
