Can Charles Rangel Be Saved?
Most people could comfortably walk the length and breadth of this district in a single sunny afternoon, and Charlie has walked it many, many times over the last forty years. He knows residents and business owners on a first name basis. He has followed the tried and true New York political playbook, making sure that every resident is made aware of each bit of federal pork money he brings home. He gets his name plastered all over everything from buildings at City College to bus stops along Broadway. He ensures that the correct wheels — and palms — are greased and that the right people get free tickets to see the Knicks and the Giants. In short, he’s been playing this game a long time and he’s a master of it.
Absent a chance at being voted out of office, the only other risk Rangel would seem to face would be expulsion by the Ethics Committee. But would that happen in time for the midterm elections? The last time we saw a spectacle like this was when Jim Traficant was hounded off the Hill back in 2002. But it took the length of an entire trial — resulting in a conviction for Traficant in April — until the middle of the summer before he was finally shown the door. This particular dog and pony show won’t even get out of the gates until August, so color me skeptical about any swift resolution.
And will Congress actually move to expel him? It took Traficant getting sentenced to seven years in the crowbar hotel followed by three years of probation to get the boot. It’s still possible that Rangel could wind up getting a censure, a slap on the wrist, and a media circus back home in the Big Apple where he gets to decry the “vicious media conspiracy” trying to bring him down.
In short, none of this should be taken as an indication that the Republicans are about to pick off an extra House seat in NY-15. But that doesn’t mean the news is entirely bad, providing we look at the larger, national picture. Minority Leader John Boehner has already set the wheels of the bandwagon in motion, reminding voters of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s calls to “drain the swamp” of Washington, D.C., and juxtaposing that pledge with Rangel’s continued presence in Congress.
It’s going to be a very busy election season, so expect this story to quickly sink back below the surface for while, at least until the hearings get underway. Will Rangel survive? I’ve been living in New York for a long time. For what it’s worth, you never count Charlie Rangel out of a fight until well after the final bell.
Hell no!
That this question is being raised merely underscores how well earned the judgement ‘contempt of congress’, Longfellow Deeds not withstanding.
Remember, we are talking about the political heir of Adam Clayton Powell, onetime US Representative from Harlem and King of Bimini.
It says at least as much about the voters in Harlem as it does about Charlie, that they went out and self selected a man as venal and corrupt as ACP to fill his position in 1970.
Charlie’s future should involve a long, taxpayer funded stay in a Federal prison, a’la another NY Democrat of my memory, Mr. Lee ALexander (Democrat), one time Boy Wonder mayor of Syracuse.
If Rangle is smart, he’ll never resign. The day he leaves office is the day the criminal indictments are handed down.
Mr. Shaw:
Regarding the expression “crowbar hotel”, I think that the expression is “gray bar hotel”. No matter, though, Slick Charlie probably won’t do any time. The IRS usually only targets and tries to punish the easy ones; everyday citizens working hard trying to make a buck, and save what little their able to keep away from parasites like Rangel.
Larry
ASs things have been going on in the Holder office I see another African American being excused for his indescretions because of his IMPORTANCE to the Obama regime and his HONORABLE??? service to this country-
The question should be,” Should Charles Rangel be saved?” My answer is, if he evaded taxes and abused his position to rent multiple apartments in New York he should not be saved. If by some strange twist of fate he is prosecuted and found guilty of crimes he should get the maximum fine and sentence. After all he did vote to pass laws with fines and jail sentences so he should know how the system works.
FTA: “Can Charles Rangel Be Saved?”
Can Elana Kagen become a ‘supreme court justice’?
Sadly, over time they all succumb to temptation and a sense of entitlement. The likes of Ted Kennedy, Chris Dodd, and Charlie Rangel should’ve been turned out long ago.
As a little L libertarian have no use for any politicians and bureaucrats of the Empire, but, like a stopped clock, Old Charlie is right every year when he submits his “military service draft” bill. The All Volunteer Army allows the Gooferment to wage wars without the ugliness of the Vietnam era draftees upsetting the serfs. A draft does have the value of making sure that everyone, except the elite who always wiggle out, has a stake in any undeclared war. And, it continues to highlight that the Gooferment has not ended the draft. It still keeps all the infrastructure and the political no show jobs with lucrative pensions around. SO Rangal highlights the idiocy of the whole situation. Year after year. Reminds me of the Spanish American War Telephone Tax!
Why the push by the dems for Charlie to resign? He’s denied the charges against him and certainly deserves a public hearing. A person so well respected by (D)’s AND (R)’s… a 40 year congressman and public servant… an asset to the (D) party who will likely never be defeated in his district… why the rush to judgement?
In America we are innocent until proven guilty, right? Doesn’t that apply to politicians as well?
God Bless you Charlie! Keep up the good fight! The VRWC is behind you!
Actually, you are not innocent until proven guilty. That hackneyed phrase only applies to the jury at the time of trial.Back in the 1890′s a defense attorney in a criimal case in U.S. District Court asked for and received an instruction that , “The burden of proof is upon the government to prove each and every element of the offense charged. If the government fails to prove each element of the crime then you are to assume the defendent is innocent and find him not guilty.”
For example, in the case of Maj. Hasan, hundreds of witness watched him murder 17 people. He was shot and captured holding the two murder weapons. Why in the world would we have to assume he is innocent? The First Amendment allows citizens to opine that someone is guilty if the facts warrant it.
VRWC?? Venal Congressional Crooks in Washington? Yeah, right on Charlie.
The biggest question is:
Should he be….
They’ve waited TWO+ YEARS to put on this dog & pony show. Why now you ask? Because they know November will end their majority where Rangel’s hearing at that time would see him thrown out so fast his butt would leave skid marks on the House steps.
Charles Rangel
http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=2085
* Commonly levies baseless charges of racism for political advantage
* Helped to author the largest tax increase in American history
* Admirer of Fidel Castro and Communist Cuba
* Was involved in income-tax scandal and real-estate corruption
Can Charles Rangel Be Saved?
God, I hope not!
Well, I don’t know, but I don’t think Mr. Holder will be indicting him anytime soon.
Charlie to young reporter. “How dare you question my integrity”?
Why is that phrase always uttered by people with the least amount of ethical standards.
Charlie “How dare you question the fact that I ride around in a golden chariot. How dare you question that I live in a marbled plaice. How dare you question that my robes cost more than you make in two months. How dare you question the amount of golden coins I distribute to my followers. How dare you sir, I am a privileged Roman Senator. Now off with you I have the peoples work to do”.
“For what it’s worth, you never count Charlie Rangel out of a fight until well after the final bell.”
True enough – and Charlie has always been left standing after the bell. Which only serves to illustrate the swamp Pelosi and Co. have created in the House of Reps. Which begs the question Ms Pelosi – why were there no investigations into the corruption allegations you made? Perhaps you were afraid someone would look into your own dealings? Like the ‘favors’ your hubby’s business received at tax-payers expense? Possible tax evasion schemes etc?
At the first hint of skulduggery – real or imagined – on the part of Republicans – the braying din from the Democrats comes up loud and long – even over the thinest (or none at all) evidence – and lacking said evidence fiction becomes fact in repeated brays to the MSM world – and the lies are repeated on the nightly news as ‘fact’. Seems the motto of the Dems/MSM is “we don’t need no stinking facts”. And the truth is – they don’t care about facts.
Watch out Charlie – the worm is about to turn and investigations into your activities may get placed on the front burner – IF the Repubs have any cahones – something they’ve not demonstrated (not advocating exposure!) much in the past.
Charlie’s defense will be to decry racism. And I’ll take bets on that and give 2:1 odds.
The above post is mine. Forgot to log my info.
We need more Luke Russerts.
Rangle will never never never serve time, or actually pay back anything. Pelosi and others will see that he is handled with kid gloves. Harlem will burn if he is “harmed’…
The IRS would have crucified a typical American citizen. Dems so quick to jump on anyone else, protect their own, one of the reasons our government is in such a degenerative state.
So far the Republicans have shown they have NO cahones. I see the people that rep Repubs and it is sad. I hope that we get some people with some real red blood in their veins up to fight for us..so far, so bad…
Cries of “racism” will be heard with Rangle.. tsktsktsking from Pelosi..
#6 Forgotten Man says it best: the right question to be asking is, “*Should* Charles Rangel be saved?”.
Your answers don’t matter, when they have you asking the wrong questions.
The real question is why should he be saved?
I will admit he should be honored for his service in the military (although it was compulsory at the time) but his actions after that in Congress are at best awful, unlawful and cruel to taxpayers of this nation, and at worst treasonous just because of the ideology he follows in the Democrat Party!
Rangel, rabblerouser, could not rouse rabble unless his constituents so qualified.Charley is a sociopath. But what are those who want a sociopath as their representative? Americans, either we repent and live by the New Testament, or we scream away the decades in a communist/moslem hell on earth!
In this so called post racial era of Barry and his buds it’s so sad to see so many Black Americans vote solely for the color of the man and not the character.
The answer to the question is NO.
He knew what he was doing was wrong and continued to do it, he’s dishonest..to say the least
…so, NO
Every time I see the faces of Rangel, Dodd, Conyers, Frank, et al, I feel physically ill!! Especially, since these are just a few of those in Congress who are still allowed to shape what happens to this country on the taxpayers’ dime. The stench of corruption in Congress is overwhelming!!! Not only does everyone in Congress, and now most Conservatives, know who they are, but even though there are so-called “Ethics Committees” in both the Senate and the House, they are useless because they are “compadres” and drag their “investigations” on for years. I don’t care which party these corrupt, miserable individuals are from, they need to be thrown out of Congress immediately! How disgusting to realize we are being “had” every day by people elected to serve THE PEOPLE! It is no wonder the APPROVAL RATE FOR CONGRESS IS 11%. What a bunch of sleazeballs!
Rengel will be re-elected because his constituency will circle the wagons around him in order to fend off attacks from “the man.” Just think Marion Barry in Washington D.C.
I’m going to give the contrarian answer, and explain. Our 11% approval rated Congress will find some way to avoid expelling him. Their arrogance knows no bounds. Rangel gets a pass, because of his race. Holder is partially right. We have a Congress of self-serving cowards. They should, with rare exceptions, all go.
As for his idiotic attempt to revive the draft, good riddance. I served, voluntarily, with the last of the Marine Corps’ Vietnam era draftees. I’d rather see the second term of Jimmy Carter. As the saying goes, you can’t make someone do something, you can only make him sorry he didn’t. That takes a lot of unproductive time and effort.
What a sleazeball!
Year after year the teacher-dumbed American public re-elects this street thug.
DOJ said “black people will not be prosecuted for any crime” Of course Rangel will be found not guilty on all counts, then will be given some high ranking, made for him, job that pays hundreds of thousands of dollars. The White House will name buildings, bridges, roads, schools, and hospitals after him. He will be cleared of all charges………….wait and see !!!
“There was a time, I’m sure, when it would have been at least somewhat startling to read a news item with the name Charles Rangel and the phrase “ethics problems” in the title.”
I would call into question whether Rangel was pure at the start. Most criminals, and really even those who live on the ethical edge, don’t just become that way later in life. In fact, I would argue it’s often just the opposite: crooks start out as crooks, but sometimes (note I said ‘sometimes’ – it’s a stretch, I’ll grant you, as most tigers don’t change their stripes, i.e. most crooks stay crooks) as they age, they begin to mellow and a pension draws nearer, they may do better so as not to jeopardize their “golden years” and in order to (hopefully) exit in glory, rather than shame & ridicule. In addition, after they’ve been there as long as Rangel, they’re mostly financially stable at that point anyway. Rangel is and has been a scoundrel; I have never viewed, and will never view, him as ethically virtuous.
Yes, he can. All he has to do is sincerely accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, admit he is a sinner, and ask Jesus to remove his sins.
That’s all there is to it.
With the current crew in charge, any investigation is going to be little more than a whitewash. Then whenever the subject of his ethical lapses comes up in the future, Rangel will be able to declare that the issue is old news and has been investigated. And the MSM will savage anyone who continues to bring them up.
Of course he can, he is a Democrat. Next subject.
Charles Rangel is only the latest poster boy for Term Limits for Congress. This election cycle, the burden should be on the Incumbent to prove his worth to the electorate. Our country’s obviously in the very best of hands.
Just like Glen Back, who does not care how he makes money, Rangel should not be saved. he too is a doosh like GB
Since Glenn Beck’s income does not affect your own well being one iota, what is about Glenn Beck that you actually object to?
As far as anyone knows, Glenn Beck has not defrauded the government of the United States. Rangel has, however.
Beck earned every penny. Rangel stole some. Because he could. When the fox is in charge of the henhouse, he will always eat well.
Can he be saved?
Should he be saved?
No.
Charlie Rangel is an anachronism harkening back to a long obsoleted ideology of bringing home the bacon.
The no longer necessary practice of patronage in exchange for votes.
If the voters of New York are not smart enough to be rid of this damaging presence in COngress, then COngress must take the step of either minimizing his role or just forcing him to leave to live out his days in the DR.