Barney Frank 'Strongly Opposes' Chuck Hagel for Defense Secretary

[oberliner]

Barney Frank has taken a parting shot at Chuck Hagel, a possible nominee for secretary of Defense, saying he strongly opposes Hagel’s appointment because of his antigay record and statements.

Hagel, a former U.S. senator from Nebraska, in 1998 criticized James Hormel, a gay philanthropist nominated by President Clinton as ambassador to Luxembourg, as “openly, aggressively gay” and said that Hormel’s homosexuality could interfere with his ability to do the job. Hagel recently apologized for the comments, but Hormel and others questioned his sincerity, and Hagel also had a record of voting against LGBT causes while in the Senate.

Frank, who is retiring as a U.S. representative from Massachusetts, released a statement Monday opposing Hagel’s potential nomination, The Huffington Post reports. “Then-Senator Hagel’s aggressively bigoted opposition to President Clinton’s naming the first openly gay Ambassador in U.S. history was not, as Sen. Hagel now claims, an aberration,” the gay congressman said. “He voted consistently against fairness for LGBT people and there does not seem to be any evidence prior to his effort to become Secretary of Defense of any apology or retraction of his attack on James Hormel. And to those of us who admire and respect Mr. Hormel, Sen. Hagel’s description of him as aggressive can only mean that the Senator strongly objected to Hormel’s reasoned, civil advocacy for LGBT people.

http://www.advocate.com/politics/politicians/2013/01/01/barney-frank-strongly-opposes-chuck-hagel-defense-secretary

[Peace Patriot]

2. I'm more worried by Hagel's connections to ES&S/Diebold than by his fascist homophobic rhetoric.

With ES&S/Diebold,* he and other fascist homophobes can impose their hate-filled views on the rest of us--along with a lot of other horrible fascist views and policies that we don't want.

See

Diebold's Political Machine
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2004/03/diebolds-political-machine

Diebold, Electronic Voting and the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm

The Most Ominous Monopoly*
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-carmichael/the-most-ominous-monopoly_b_291767.html

...for starters.

Of course, most political leaders in the USA are either collusive with ES&S/Diebold, or ES&S/Diebold has a noose around their necks. But with Hagel, the connection was early, personal, definitive as to his phony political career and it is KNOWN. No one should support this man for ANYTHING. He is one of the worst of the destroyers of U.S. democracy.

-------------------------

*(In September 2009, ES&S of Omaha, Nebraska, bought out Diebold, and now controls about 75% of voting systems in the U.S., using 'TRADE SECRET' programming code--code that the public is forbidden to review--with NO AUDIT AT ALL (automatic comparison of ballots with electronic totals) in half the states in the U.S. and a miserably inadequate 1% audit in the other half. There is no better description of this monopoly than coup d'etat. It was, is and remains a coup d'etat--and Chuck Hagel LED it!)

[JI7]

3. Obama needs to either appoint him or name someone else

if he does want Hagel and still plans to name him, he should do it so they can at least start having him answer questions about these things and senators can decide whether they want to confirm.

[SDjack]

4. When Hagel ran for the Senate, he had no position on global change, but promised

to learn about the issue and come to an informed position. His campaign was in debt when was elected. Energy companies stepped forth and contributed enough to pay his debt. Six months later, Hagel had "learned" enough to conclude that global change science was wrong. Global change scientists spend 4 years to get a BS in science, then 3-4 years to earn a PhD in science, and then work on the issue for several years to come to an informed conclusion. But, Hagel got there in six months, thanks to donations. I don't want him controlling any governmental policy development. He is for sale.