Retired Democratic Congressman Barney Frank announced on Friday morning that he would like to take the vacant Massachusetts U.S. Senate seat if John Kerry gets confirmed as Secretary of State.
And here we thought we had seen the last of man boobs in Congress.
Frank, who called it quits at the end of the 112th Congress, said on MSNBC‘s “Morning Joe“ that the next few months — just past the fiscal cliff — would be economically crucial for the nation. And he wants to be part of it.
“Coach, put me in,” Frank said.
But Frank has also said he hates campaigning, and therefore would not run in the special election. He is only interested in the three-month temporary appointment from Gov. Deval Patrick. Frank also said he would write books, teach, give lectures and give TV commentary.
“Basically, run my mouth for money,” he joked with the hosts of “Morning Joe.”
The former Congressman has already been running his mouth during his time in Congress, as the National Journal points out. He’s known for humorous, slightly outrageous and sometimes offensive comments — such as refusing to invite President Obama to his wedding and making a Treyvon Martin joke at an undergraduate commencement. He also recently called Republicans “right-wing extremists” in a fundraising email for President Obama.
Frank said he had originally refused to consider the appointment — “kind of like you’re about to graduate and they say ‘you’ve got to go to summer school'” — but changed his mind after the fiscal cliff deal was settled.
Frank said he would still think of himself as a Congressman, however.
“Thirty-two years in the House, three months in the Senate,” he said. “I’m a House member.”
