Opinion: Barney Frank blames Newt Gingrich for today’s hyper-partisan political climate

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Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Barney Frank traces the hyper-partisan atmosphere of the nation today to -- wait for it -- the rise of Republican partisan Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1994.

Gingrich was a driving force behind that year’s so-called Republican Revolution that seized control of both houses of Congress with the ‘Contract With America’ after the first two years of Bill Clinton’s first term.

Some Republicans hope for a repeat of that experience in this November’s first midterm elections for the Barack Obama administration. Gingrich, of course, has been gone since 1998, although he rallied Republicans meeting in New Orleans on Thursday evening, as The Ticket reported right here.

In this video excerpt from NBC’s ‘Tonight Show With Jay Leno,’ Frank also blames the news media for only covering news that’s bad, as opposed to news that’s good.

And the House veteran admits that back in the angry Vietnam War protest days, the left was partisan and even violent but claims it did not have mainstream media cheering them on, as he says, is happening today. Take a listen. See if it makes you angry or partisan.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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