Tag Archives | Charles Rangel

The Obama Defection: Former Supporters Lambaste The President

By on July 3, 2012 in News 17

There were two American elections this past week that spoke to the power of incumbency. Despite corruption charges, the venerable Black Democrat Charles Rangel, now in his 80s, was re-elected to Congress by his Harlem constituency.

Orrin Hatch, a cranky conservative Republican beat back a challenge to his Senate seat from harder right Tea Partiers in Utah.

It takes a lot to unseat an American politician with seniority.

Barack Obama is hoping that he too will be returned to office despite all the money and conservative fervor trying to topple him. Never in history has so much lucre and political animus been targeted at one politician.

The Supreme Court’s ratification of key provisions of his health care ‘reform” will buttress his appeal, giving him some new bragging rights at a time when the economy remains depressed. Yet, even his former Economic Advisor Larry Summers says the economy will not rally enough to help him.… Read the rest

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Read The Latest Attempt by the U.S. Congress to Bring Back the Draft

By on August 4, 2010 in News 8

RangelDraftRead it for yourself on GovTrack. This is the fourth attempt for the Universal National Service Act introduced in July of this year by Congressman Charlie Rangel, who I agree with Danny Schechter has overstayed his welcome as a “servant” of the people in the U.S. Congress.

While I can understand Rangel’s point for introducing the bill, these type of political theatrics do little to address the underlying issues they attempt to.

Jul 15, 2010 — Introduced in House. This is the original text of the bill as it was written by its sponsor and submitted to the House for consideration. This is the latest version of the bill currently available on GovTrack.

HR 5741 IH

111th CONGRESS, 2d Session

To require all persons in the United States between the ages of 18 and 42 to perform national service, either as a member of the uniformed services or in civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, to authorize the induction of persons in the uniformed services during wartime to meet end-strength requirements of the uniformed services, and for other purposes.

… Read the rest

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Charlie Rangel Must Die To Purge Congress Of Sin

By on July 30, 2010 in News 13

Charles_RangelCharles Rangel must die, politically that is. He has become an embarrassment to a House Speaker who vowed to “clean the swamp” of Congressional corruption. It took him 80 years but Harlem’s war-hero turned Congressional elder, Charles Rangel, is this week’s media poster boy for all the ills of an institutionally corrupt system.

He must be purged so that honesty can be seen to prevail in an institution that only enjoys a 22% approval rating. Oh, the damage he’s done to the “reputation” of the House. How dare him lie on his rental application–a crime, which if enforced widely—would indict half of his fellow New Yorkers. And never mind, no one is talking of indicting his landlord who winked at the transgression.  Remember, wherever there are takers, there are also givers.

So, Charlie must die. He had stuffed his Merc in the wrong parking lot. He has violated every sense of propriety as Michael Wolf noted so earnestly:

“Charlie Rangel, one of the most successful political figures of his generation in New York, is now, in the Washington Post’s estimation, a “pariah.” He’s a pariah partly because—quite unable to believe he is no longer a man of far-reaching influence, a fixer of legendary power—he has down to the wire refused to get out of the way of Democratic efforts to get him out of the way.”

This pariah must die politically to cleanse Washington of its sins.… Read the rest

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