Barney Frank is now the recipient of two lengthy, glowing magazine profiles—though each in magazines aimed only at his constituents. One is Moe Tkacik's Boston Magazine piece, and the other is in The Advocate, which also gives Frank the cover. Unless you are a right-wing dick convinced that black people buying houses is what caused the economic meltdown, you will only love Barney Frank all the more more upon reading each.

The Advocate piece is lighter on, you know, the financial crisis that's led to the recent Barney Frank renaissance than Moe's piece (though it does have Frank being spot-on regarding the after-the-fact anti-Prop 8 campaign), but it serves up lulz:

But as we’re about to leave, a slender, pale man with a thick Russian accent ruins the vibe. “We got into this economic mess because of people like you,” he tells Frank, declining to shake the congressman’s hand. “You gave a mortgage to everyone who didn’t deserve one.”

“No, you actually have that backward,” Frank blurts back. “I’ll show you articles where I was critical of that. If you want the facts, I can give them to you.”

“You’ve been in Congress too long. Look at what’s happening in Massachusetts. People are leaving.”

“Then why don’t you leave too?” Frank says matter-of-factly. “You should move somewhere else.”

The man seems momentarily taken aback. Has his congressman just told him to leave the state? “Well, then who will pay taxes for you?”

“A lot of people are very happy to pay taxes.”

And both the Advocate piece and the online-only special "12 fascinating facts" thing Boston let Moe put up in addition to her profile feature this classic:

On Republican Congressman Scott Garrett’s testimony that he had sponsored numerous amendments that would have helped prevent the Fannie/Freddie meltdown if they hadn’t been defeated by Democrats:

“Yes, the gentleman from New Jersey offered amendment after amendment—in his head. This is a serial violator writing on the mirror, ‘Stop me before I don’t legislate again.’ …I know it is a bad feeling not to get your own party with you. Sometimes, [your amendments] were defeated by only 60 percent of Republicans.”

Hooray for Barney Frank, the sassy smart-ass who will now be instrumental in passing and implementing the new new new deal! Sorry, guys—he's taken.

Update: The New Republic loves him too! Please add "liberals who feel quietly guilty about the Iraq thing" to the headline, in your mind..