Opinion | Barney Frank: Impeach 'Woke'
- Barney Frank, the original architect of political triangulation, now wants the party to put its own 'woke' wing on trial to save itself from the Trump train.
- The old guard's solution: hold an internal show trial to purge the progressive base while the GOP laughs all the way to the midterms.
- Frank offers zero specifics on what 'woke' actually means beyond generic culture war sludge—conveniently avoiding the economic issues that cost them sleep at night.
- Co-opting Trumpian language ('impeach') for intra-party squabbling is the political equivalent of setting your own house on fire to prove the smoke alarm works.
- This advice arrives roughly a decade late and about $500 million in lost fundraising short—a classic establishment Hail Mary pass from a guy in the end zone of relevance.
Brief Summary
Barney Frank, the fiscal hawk who helped deregulate the housing market and then co-wrote the bill to partially fix it, has emerged from retirement to tell Democrats they're not being mean enough—to themselves. Naturally, he's stealing the MAGA playbook: instead of focusing on the GOP's anti-democracy rampage, he suggests the left open up a second front by impeaching its own progressive wing over unspecified 'woke' crimes against political convenience. Because nothing says 'unity and victory' like a circular firing squad armed with the language of the opposing party. The piece reeks of a boomer columnist desperate for a legacy beyond the financial crisis, offering the cutting-edge insight that maybe, just maybe, the kids with the pronouns are the problem.
Why This Matters
For the average reader, this is a masterclass in why American politics feels like a geriatric cage match: the insiders who broke the system are now blaming the people who tried to fix it. If the Democrats follow this advice, they'll spend the next cycle impeaching their own base instead of prosecuting Trump's coup attempt—guaranteeing another round of 'both sides' exhaustion that depresses turnout. The real-world consequence: more infighting, less voting rights protection, and a clear runway for authoritarian creep. In short, Frank's op-ed is the political equivalent of telling a drowning man to blame his floaties instead of the rip current.