Barney Frank Disco Dances in Attack Ad

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), the powerful chair of the House Financial Services committee, is criticized in a new attack ad for "danc[ing] around the issues."

And while the spot from Republican challenger Sean Bielat is undeniably amusing, it also raises eyebrows for portraying the openly gay Democrat as "a hip-swerving disco queen in a rumpled suit," as TPM puts it.

Frank loaned his campaign $200,000 this week to fend off an unexpectedly strong challenge from Bielat, a 35-year-old Marine with an Ivy League pedigree who remains a significant underdog. Bielat released an internal poll last month showing him trailing Frank by ten points.

The Tea Party Express is raising money for Bielat in an appeal that labels Frank "one of the worst liberals in Congress." Republicans would be thrilled to topple the 15-term incumbent, who has not faced much in the way of serious challenges in recent years.

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Brian Montopoli is a political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read more of his posts here. Follow Hotsheet on Facebook and Twitter.

[1musicwayne]

Do we have an informed electorate? Will we be stuck again with someone who doesn't read rushed bills, approved 9000 earmarks, blocked preemptive mortgage reform, put grandkids into hopeless debt, and allowed slick congressional side deals for health care passage? Barney Frank??No problem with the mortgage industry?, prostitutes working in his house, $200 million bailout in exchange for Virgin Island vacation. Poor America!

[jcnbma]

I've never seen an ad where every single sentence is taken out of context. The sad thing is, people will probably buy it. LOL

[democracy5]

That's all the Republicans and Tea-Partiers HAVE these days.

[hakori]

wasadem1, do you disaprove of black people for being born black too? You're the norm for a conservative; anyone who is different becomes the scary "them" and of course to be a real American you have to be a closed minded conservative. I'm just glad I'm one of "them" because conservatives are destroying what took a century to build. The dems built the middle class and now the conservatives want to take us back to 1890s. I hope the conservatives take back both houses feel empowered and show us just how radical they've become. It will be warrentless investigation after warrentlesss investigation, shut the government down, attempts to impeach Obama, attmepts to repeal health care reform, unpaid tax cuts for the ultra wealthy and constant attacks on everyone in Congress who isn't one of "them". Your party's true colors are about to be exposed and America is going to say "he11 NO!"

[democracy5]

We're ALREADY saying "hell no"!

[hakori]

jgisme2, you base your accusation on absolutely nothing. Obama doesn't claim to be born in Hawaii. He was born in Hawaii.There is ample PROOF. You have NONE! What you are saying is as ridiculious as caliming the Earth is flat. Don't you think if this were true the Republcians would have destroyed him by now? You simply don't like that Obama because 1.) is a democrat, 2.) is black and 3.) his middle name is Hussein. I'm really surprised you also didn't accuse him of being a secret muslum in your ridiculious rant. If you choose to be a birther, that's fine...I guess, but you are simply wron. But I can't convince you of that can I. You are being lied to and you just don't care because you like the lie. People like you are dangerous to a healthy democracy.

[myth1958]

Montopoli does service to true journalism by speaking to this outrage, notable even in a year where such attacks on incumbents are rampant. We are witnessing an unfortunate 'devolution' of politics from the days where two rational candidates could stand up in front of voters and speak to their own strengths, down to the sort of attack ads featuring snide, ugly, unprovable allegations raining down upon us daily. When candidates can't win on their own ideas because they are out of the mainstream they resort to smear campaigns engineered by out-of-state consultants who are far removed from the local issues and citizens from the state they are targeting. We, the voters, are unaware of how far out these campaigns have become. When we see these ads and they smack of untruthfulness, it is our responsibility to call out the candidates in question and bring them down for usurping our true concerns for the sake of victory. Some things are more important than short-term gains: honesty in politics; respecting the process (and even honorable opponents); being open about political agendas. It is perfectly fine to say "Barney Frank supported the 2010 Health Care Bill and I don't agree with his position". It is unconscionable to mock his sexuality, his physical attributes, his (socially acceptable) lifestyle. Bielat - Frank's opponent - may be a former Marine, but he isn't acting manly in this case. What are you afraid of, Bielat? That an openly gay man will beat your duff? If not, then stand up and fight like a man - not a creature from the gutter.

[democracy5]

Excellent post!

[texbelle123]

Hey, I think it says more positive things about Frank than it does negative things! Remember, he asked the idiot who was still talking about Obama's "african birth" saying "On what planet do you spend most of your time?" It's still a relevent question!!!!