At Barney Frank's Wedding, Vegan Soba and Pelosi on the Dance Floor

Gretchen Ertl for The New York TimesRepresentative Barney Frank, left, with his husband, Jim Ready, during their wedding reception in Newton, Mass.

NEWTON, Mass. — Senator John Kerry and Gov. Deval L. Patrick left early. But Representative Nancy Pelosi stayed late — and swayed on the dance floor to “It’s Raining Men.”

Elizabeth Kucinich snapped photographs, as her husband, Dennis, chatted up Representative Steny H. Hoyer by the hors d’oeuvres. And Terrence McNally, the playwright, joined in the hora and a group singalong of “Low Rider” by War, with President Obama-themed lyrics written for the occasion.

There was no shortage of boldface public servants here on Saturday, when Representative Barney Frank was married in what one guest described as “the wedding of the century for liberal gay Democratic politics.” And the reception, with music, vegan dishes and general sentimental gushing, offered its own display of the liberal Democrat establishment celebrating the first-ever same-sex wedding of a congressman.

Eschewing more glamorous locales, Mr. Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts, and his husband, Jim Ready, chose a nondescript Marriott in his Congressional district to host the occasion. The hotel overlooks a bend of the Charles River — and a busy, honking intersection of two major highways. (Mr. Frank said he liked the convenience for out-of-town guests.)

The ceremony, which began at 6 p.m., took place in a garden outside the hotel’s first floor. Mr. Kerry sat by Ms. Pelosi, the House minority leader, in the first few rows.

Gretchen Ertl for The New York TimesRepresentative Nancy Pelosi congratulated Mr. Frank.

Mr. Frank, famous for his tirades, appeared close to tears as his sister, Ann Lewis, walked him down the aisle. He was trailed by a few hired photographers and by Ms. Kucinich, who leapt with joy as the bridegrooms appeared and snapped dozens of photos for an album that she planned to present as a gift to the couple.

“You could see the joy on their faces,” Ms. Kucinich said. She and Mr. Ready had become close friends at Congressional retreats and picnics. “He’s humble, and at the same time, he carries a sense of joy about himself,” she said.

Later, at an outdoor cocktail reception after the ceremony, Ms. Kucinich ran up to a reporter and gestured toward a nearby meadow.

“Did you see all the rabbits?” Ms. Kucinich asked. “It’s a sign of fertility for their marriage.”

Senator Kerry and Governor Patrick, who officiated, were nowhere to be found by the time the party moved indoors, to the Marriott’s grand ballroom. There, guests dined on a four-course meal that included New England clam chowder, vegan soba noodles and a vegetable strudel.

Ms. Pelosi, in pearls and a pantsuit, sat next to Representative Rosa L. DeLauro, Democrat of Connecticut. The groomsmen wore brand-new Joseph Abboud suits, gifts from the couple from the Massachusetts-based manufacturer. (The wool, however, was by Loro Piana, a premium Italian mill.) The dark floral ties were designed by Baruch Shemtov, a close friend of the couple.

After cake, a lyrics sheet was passed out to the guests. It was a reworked version of the 1970s hit “Low Rider,” with politically themed lyrics co-written by Mr. Ready. Excerpts:

“All. My. Friends. Are voting O-ba-ma. … Take a little trip. Take a little trip. To help the e-con-o-mee. / Take a little trip. Take a little trip. To help beat the G-O-P.”

The gift bags included salt-water taffy from Maine, where Mr. Ready lives, and Necco wafers from Mr. Frank’s Bay State district.

Representative Hoyer, the Maryland Democrat, said he and Mr. Frank had been elected to Congress within a year of each other. Asked if he thought Mr. Frank would be the last member of his Congressional class to get married, Mr. Hoyer laughed.

“If I had been betting, I’d have bet yes,” he said.

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Pelosi flexes muscle as House Democrats prepare for final debt ceiling negotiations (The Ticket)

(Alex Brandon/AP)

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has so far played a minor, background role in the negotiations between President Obama and congressional Republicans over raising the debt ceiling. But she sought to change all that Friday, in a private meeting with Obama to drive home her earlier pledge to oppose any deal that cuts the nation's entitlement programs.

Pelosi emerged from a meeting with House Democrats Friday to announce that they remain "firm" in their commitment to keep Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare free from cuts.

One day earlier, Pelosi made clear that many House Democrats fervidly oppose the White House's bid to place cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security on the table during the debt-ceiling talks. Republican leaders, meanwhile, say they won't proceed with negotiations unless such cuts are included, together with provisions to restrain the future growth of government spending.

"We do not support cuts in benefits for Social Security and Medicare," Pelosi said. "Any discussion of Medicare or Social Security should be on its own table. I have said that before. You want to take a look at Social Security? Then look at it on its own table. But do not consider Social Security a piggy bank for giving tax cuts to the wealthiest people in our country."

It isn't surprising to see the former Speaker flex a little muscle. Through all the big deals negotiated between Republicans and the White House--even the one that extended Bush-era tax rates, which happened while House Democrats still held the  majority and Pelosi was Speaker of the House--she often found herself sitting on the bench, waiting to be called into the game. Now the country is faced with a dilemma that will need her to help fix it--and she's understandably squeezing every bit of leverage she can out of the situation.

The details of the deal are still pending, but both parties are examining ways to reduce federal spending by $4 trillion over the next  10 years. Obama earlier this week said he would consider including the entitlement programs in those cuts, an admission that has received little support from his party.

Members of the House Progressive Caucus have remained the most vocal about their opposition to the deal. Caucus leaders sent a letter to Obama Thursday urging him to strip entitlements from the negotiations, or risk losing Democratic support.

"Not only am I not going to vote for it, I am going to whip my caucus as hard as I can to persuade them not to support it," House Progressive Caucus co-chair Rep. Keith Ellison told the Minnesota Post.

Rank-and-file members are also primed to go to battle over entitlements.

"You want a fight?" said Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) recently during a press conference. "If anybody in this building wants to take on Social Security—privatize it, change the benefits by altering the Consumer Price Index or by any other method—know this: You've got a fight on your hands."

Still, at least some Democratic lawmakers actually do support at least one of the measures Garemendi cited: reducing benefits by indexing them to the Consumer Price Index. As  Talking Points Memo reporter Brian Beutler points out, congressional Democrats have indicated some backing for an approach to altering Social Security in a way that would reduce benefits without the measure necessarily qualifying as a "cut." By pegging the Cost of Living Adjustments to a lower inflation estimate, Congress could, technically, reduce spending for the program and avoid at least some of the political fallout that would come with deeper outright cuts to the program.

Of course, since the exact details of the deal remain behind closed doors, much of the talk at this point is mere posturing. The true moment of reckoning will come for both sides as more concrete details surface over the next few days.

It's still unclear whether House Speaker John Boehner will even be able to secure votes from a wide majority of Republicans. So for this thing to pass, it will need every Democratic vote it can get. And Pelosi knows it.

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Pelosi: Dems oppose Social Security, Medicare cuts (AP)

WASHINGTON – The top House Democrat says she and fellow Democratic lawmakers will oppose including cuts in Social Security or Medicare benefits in any package aimed at reducing huge federal deficits.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi made the remark to reporters Thursday after returning to the Capitol from President Barack Obama's budget talks with congressional leaders. The leaders are looking for a compromise package that would extend the government's borrowing limit while also slicing trillions off future budget deficits.

Signals have emerged that the White House would consider culling savings from Social Security and Medicare. But Pelosi, a California Democrat, says Democrats believe those two programs should not be used to pay for tax breaks for the rich.

Republicans have opposed ending some tax loopholes for the wealthy.

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Pelosi Calls on Anthony Weiner to Resign (The Atlantic Wire)

The top Democratic leaders, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, have called on Rep. Anthony Weiner to resign in the midst of his sex scandal. Pelosi and the chairs of the Democratic National Committee, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Steve Israel, released statements within minutes of each other Saturday, Politico reports.

Related: Pelosi Calls for Weinergate Investigation

“Congressman Weiner has the love of his family, the confidence of his constituents, and the recognition that he needs help,” Pelosi said. “I urge Congressman Weiner to seek that help without the pressures of being a Member of Congress.” Israel said, “Anthony’s inappropriate behavior has become an insurmountable distraction to the House and our work for the American people. With a heavy heart, I call on Anthony to resign.” Finally, Wasserman Schultz, surrogate for President Obama in her role as DNC chairman, said “the behavior he has exhibited is indefensible and Representative Weiner’s continued service in Congress is untenable.”

Related: Will Weiner Resign? Half of New Yorkers Hope So

Meanwhile, Rep. Weiner has admitted to sending direct twitter messages to a 17-year-old girl, but denied that anything was inappropriate. According to the New York Post, he said, "Nothing explicit. Nothing indecent. Absolutely nothing inappropriate." The direct messages in question have yet to be released. This is what we know so far.

The girl's mother, whose name is being withheld, told The Post Wednesday that Weiner sent nothing obscene — and sent only two brief messages to her daughter about seeing him during an April school trip to the Capitol.

The mom did say her daughter wrote in one message, "I'm in love with you," but explained it away with, "She's 17."

However, Politico reports that in one message, Weiner described himself as being like Superman, saying, “I came back strong. Large. Tights and cape. …” It was not clear what the reference was about. Nonetheless, this new investigation, and the possibility of more, may have been the final straw for the leading Democrats. According to Politico, their joint statement adds "tremendous pressure to the New York Democrat to abandon his position that he will remain in office."

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