Leadership Quote by Barney Frank

There is a quiet provocation in Barney Frank’s use of “take for granted.” It’s not a compliment; it’s a warning flare. Frank is pointing at a democratic norm that now feels obvious - of course the people most impacted by policy should have a voice - while implying that this “obvious” idea is historically fragile and politically contested. He’s reminding listeners that what reads like common sense is actually an achievement, and one that can be rolled back when power decides participation is inconvenient.

The phrasing is lawyerly, almost bloodless: “very heavily affected,” “formulated and carried out.” That deliberate bureaucratic cadence is part of the move. By speaking in the language of policy mechanics rather than moral outrage, Frank shifts the argument from sentiment to governance: legitimacy isn’t a vibe, it’s a process. If your life is being structured by a rulebook, you don’t just deserve empathy; you deserve representation in drafting the rules and in how they’re enforced.

The subtext tracks Frank’s long career in fights over who counts as a full participant in public life - from civil rights and LGBTQ equality to housing and financial regulation. “Many people” is a soft way of naming a hard truth: the people who “take it for granted” are often those already inside the circle of influence. Frank is nudging that circle wider, insisting that democracy is measured less by lofty ideals than by whose voice gets treated as operationally necessary.