He Must Go
When he defeated the legendary Adam Clayton Powell in a 1970 primary, Charles Rangel ran as something of a reformer. Voters weary of Powell's flamboyant indiscretions rallied to him.
Rangel rose in the House and proved himself to be an effective legislator. His rhetoric occasionally takes sharp turns, but he makes friends easily and appears to be a personal delight. Although McSorley's lies outside his district, we happily would stand him a round. His family has Virginia roots.
Rangel heads the House Committee on Ways and Means, a panel responsible for tax legislation. It also has influence on health care. Ways and Means remains one of Congress' most powerful committees -- and therein lies a huge problem for Democrats.
Allegations of misbehavior taint Rangel's reputation. Questions have arisen regarding personal residences, taxes, fundraising, and financial disclosure. Rangel has paid back taxes and has revised official statements. Ethics investigations are proceeding at a leisurely gait. The New York Times has pursued the corruption stories with zeal and has called on Rangel to step down as chairman of Ways and Means or for the House to give him the boot. This week a disillusioned former aide announced he will run against him in next year's primary. Rangel's leadership of the committee is intolerable and should embarrass his party's leadership. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her coterie appear immune to embarrassment, however, and seem determined to protect Rangel at all costs. They just don't get it.
Corruption real and perceived contributed significantly to the landslide defeats House Republicans suffered in 2006 and 2008. Men and women of goodwill grew to consider congressional Republicans a collection of trenchermen, rascals, miscreants, adulterers, brigands, comedians, sycophants, and flugelmen for disreputable causes. Democrats promised to clean house. In successive elections, voters rendered just verdicts. Yet rather than delivering on their promises, Democrats have invited public scorn. The reasons citizens hold Congress in contempt include Rangel's chairmanship. He must go. Be gone.
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Reader Reactions
Old Grump wisely suggests a completely rational solution that together with intelligent voting will put an end to this shameful situation regardless of which party the offenders represent.
...and yes, the year-long ethics “probe” of Rangel needs to wrapup and send him packing. That this man chairs the Ways and Means committee is an embarassment to the nation.
Henry Louis Mencken:
“Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under.“
“Suppose two-thirds of the members of the national House of Representatives were dumped into the Washington garbage incinerator tomorrow, what would we lose to offset our gain of their salaries and the salaries of their parasites?“
Mark Twain:
“Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.“
Definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
See also: continued election of democrats and republicans.
Hopefully, my generation and those that follow have the stones to try something else. Binary thinking is destructive to our republic.
Rangle should be shown the door, as should the senator from Idaho with the wide bathroom stall stance and the senator from Arizona who openly bribed the husband of the woman with whom is had/is still having an affair with. SHOULD, but WON’T be. There are apparently too many people with skeletons in their Capitol Hill closets who simply wish this would go away like the aforementioned examples and countless others. The only thing Congress heeds are angry letters from constituents, so if we want these people gone, there needs to be a letter writing campaign in which we demand that makes it clear that “we the people” are sick and tired of it.
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