Susan Crabtree, The Hill, September 11, 2009
Congressional Black Caucus members are standing squarely behind one of their own: embattled Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.).
In separate interviews with The Hill, several members of the CBC, including Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich.), Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) and Mel Watt (D-N.C.) all expressed unmitigated support for Rangel holding onto the Ways and Means post.
Overall, The Hill interviewed about a dozen members of the caucus, who all defended Rangel and said he is innocent until proven guilty.
{snip}
The support from some of those closest to Rangel comes as the longtime lawmaker endures withering criticism from watchdog groups and calls from Republicans and editorial boards for him to resign his chairmanship.
The most recent criticism concerns amended financial disclosure forms that could nearly double Rangel’s net worth. Amended forms showed that Rangel had revealed at least $650,000 in undisclosed income.
{snip}
Watchdog groups say the recent revelations show a pattern of failing to take ethics rules seriously, and the troubles come at a difficult time for Democrats, as Rangel chairs one of the committees charged with undertaking healthcare reform.
{snip}
Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), the fifth most senior member of the Ways and Means panel, has been mentioned as a possible replacement if Rangel decided to step down or was forced out.
But Lewis would not even entertain the idea when asked about it.
{snip}
Several CBC members took shots at newspapers that have called on Rangel to resign his chairmanship.
“The Washington Post has no say over what we do as members of this body, and they should keep their opinions to themselves,” Rep. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) remarked.
“The Washington Post doesn’t vote here—the members do!” said a clearly irritated Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.). “In the United States of America, you’re still innocent until proven guilty.”
{snip}
{snip}
Several CBC members also said they weren’t worried that Rangel’s problems would become a political liability.
“I don’t think anyone sees this as anything more than a witch-hunt,” Fattah [Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.)] said.
Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.), a 28-year House veteran, has served his entire tenure with Rangel, whom he called one of the most effective members in Congress.
“He knows how to pull people together—he’s a coalition-builder,” Towns said. “I would encourage people to look at the whole Rangel.”
Original article
(Posted on September 11, 2009)
Comments
This is why they are gonna win (maybe they already won, they really rule America), they will strengthen their grip on power once immigration reform passes.
If this happens, the whites will lose power forever and will be reduced to beg for small favors.
Because Obama seems to have great chances for a second term, whites have slimmer chances and elections (if there will be elections) will be defined solely by race.
“Black members of Congress close ranks.”
Just more of the same bigotry and tribal unity by the radical black representatives of the radical blacks in this country who care nothing about anybody who isn’t black.
Patriotis means something different to blacks. It isn’t what the tea party crowd believes about loving America. To blacks patriotism is what those like the racist “Professor” Gates believes: Screaming racism to help out all his brothers and sisters.
(And to make himself revealed as the fool he really is.)
Harvard is getting to be known as the “Institute for the Advancement of AA Incompetents.”
The real mystery here is why Rangel isn’t under arrest for tax evasion.
Any other citizen failing to disclose sums of this magnitude would be doing a stretch in a federal prison.
Every day there is a new revelation about Charlie Rangel, the guy in charge of making tax laws. Despite his knowledge of tax laws, Charlie keeps hiding huge amounts of his income. For years he has been hiding his income and lying on House forms. He lies about his primary resident saying it was in Washington DC to receive a tax break but he could not have a primary resident in DC and represent NYC. He also has 4 rent controlled apartments in New York that he doesn’t qualify for. He also forgot to mention his real primary resident, a town house worth over a million dollars. He completely about almost everything in his financial disclosure forms and has done so for years. We all know that the CBC will go hammer and tong after every Repub who fails to dot his I’s or cross his T’s and are relentless in attempting to bring them down, but apparently a Black Dem can do anything illegal he wants and the CBC demands proof beyond a reasonable doubt to even bring the subject up. Let’s face it, Charlies is a big crook and should not even be in the Congress, let alone chairing Ways and Means.
These elected criminals sincerely do believe they are to be revered; virtually worshiped. It’s the same attitude they have about the Obamacare plan: it’s fine for the little people, but they are above it.
Rep. Brown seems to have missed the fact that this is a nation “of the people, by the people and for the people” and not for the crooks that our Congress seems to be made up of. Their list of crimes is endless - financial skulduggery and sexual misbehavior runs rampant in Congress - earmarks, payoffs, votes for profit, catering to special interest group - you name it. Are these people criminals before they cross the Potomac, or is there a school for learning the ropes?
—Jake wrote: “Every day there is a new revelation about Charlie Rangel, the guy in charge of making tax laws. Despite his knowledge of tax laws, Charlie keeps hiding huge amounts of his income. Let’s face it, Charlies is a big crook and should not even be in the Congress, let alone chairing Ways and Means.”
In charge of writing the tax laws — the incredible irony of it! But Jake, what better place for a crook than in Congress?
And Rangel replaces the late Adam Clayton Powell, a notorious crook who didn’t even bother to deny the fact, yet was elected by his adoring Harlem constituents for term after term. To blacks, being a crook is no shame; he’s just taking it from The Man. Today, Harlem even has an “Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.” named in his honor!
Being a black crook (or any political crook) pays very well indeed. Instead of going to jail, you get avenues, buildings, airports named after you. If you’re a big enough crook, maybe you’ll even get a monument in Washington.
“what better place for a crook than in Congress?”
Here is tribalism at its best. Look back at almost every event that challenged a black. Other blacks supported irrespective of the truth of the matter. They are case hardened against being objective when a criminal matter involves another black.
The CBC reflects a third world mentality about corrupt dictators from third world people.
On the other hand, what’s the “Congressional White Caucus” going to do about the thieving Charlie Rangel?
Bowser hit the nail on the head at the end of his post. The bottom line is, blacks are completely used to crime, fraud, feeling like they are owed everything they can steal, and seeing the world as “us first”. It’s in their culture and in their genes. This kind of corruption is RAMPANT in every black country. Always, always every black will rally around a black accused of a crime. Doesn’t matter if he’s guilty. He’s black, and that’s all that matters to them. It’s why the South fought hard to keep blacks off jury duty. They KNEW what the outcome would be - hung juries or black criminals found not guilty through jury nullification. The blacks have been proving that point for decades now. Why do we ignore it? Why do we TOLERATE it?
“He knows how to pull people together—he’s a coalition-builder,” Towns said. “I would encourage people to look at the whole Rangel.”
Charles Rangel is a disgrace. In fact, the entire Dem ruling body; Pelosi, Reid, Durbin, Schumer, Waxman, Leahy and the rest of them are simply idiots. How in the world did this bunch of malcontents get in a position to wield such power anyway? I can not fathom being so dense as to think those who attend Tea Parties are subversive plants? They are mad Americans. The fact that any vet, but especially those who are returning from the Middle East, are now considered dangerous is appalling. The real terrorists they want to molly coddle, sing songs with and have group hugs yet disparage vets? Are these people insane?
As an American I am appalled by Obama apologizing for America and world wide too. If it wasn’t for America, many of the EU block wouldn’t be speaking their native tongues. Obama and the left hate America and all she has stood for and for over 230+ years now. Change we can believe in huh? America wasn’t “broken” until this bunch of over medicated miscreants unleashed their stupidity on us all. Right now farmers in the Southeast are not allowed to use water to irrigate because of one small baitfish? Just think, it’s going to get worse. The latest czar, Cass what’s his face thinks that animals should have the right to sue humans…more insanity. Then there is ACORN. Nice huh? Condoning child prostitutes…children. And guess who trained this bunch of criminals? Yepperoo Obama. When you consider what this Marxist Obama is surrounded by; communist czars and the rest of the socialist left undoing everything they can think of do you really think we will survive? They’ve stolen half the $$ in many retirement accounts, looted social security, medicare and medicaid and now apparently there is several trillion now unaccounted for. Yes you heard that right. And no one is even attempted to investigate it seems. And where is the media in all of this? Complicit in it and up to their eyeballs; too busy blaming Bush to this day.
Talk about irony; Obama was one of the attorneys who sued many banks on behalf of poor people who couldn’t get loans and forced them to loan the money. So he too was part of the problem with the economy going under along with Frank, Dodd and so many other clowns. Yet now, Obama is over the entire economy and it is forcing the dollar to sink to new lows daily. America is great huh?
As an American I am sick, pissed off and very angry, and I have simply have had enough. If I wanted to live as a socialist I would have moved to the EU years ago.
FedUp
“bottom line is, blacks are completely used to crime, fraud, feeling like they are owed everything they can steal, and seeing the world as “us first”. This kind of corruption is RAMPANT in every black country.
Blacks and their defenders will invariably retort that there are plenty of crooked white politicians too.
Yes, unfortunately that’s true. But that doesn’t change the truth of Bills statement. The important thing is that this kind of thing is RAMPANT in every black country, city, county, or place, and is taken for granted as a matter of course. In Africa, it’s a way of doing business. It’s normal. Among whites, though corruption exists, it’s deplored, not admired; and when it’s found it’s harshly dealt with, not rewarded.
Look this guy up; his father was a Puerto Rican. He doesn’t look like a “black” at all. Mulatto is more like it. His accent is “old-timey” New Yawker, not afro ghetto-speak ebonics.
I lived in his district for years, in uptown Manhattan, NYC.
Point being, why do blacks have so many “leaders” who are clearly not of their kind?
Bizzare & puzzling, to me.
When it’s all said and done, Charles Rangel will simply shrug his shoulders and say, “I didn’t do nuffin’,” and the msm will give him a pass, as they did and continue to do to old Barry Jermyn Obama the Wise. Getting into congress is simply a different form of winning the ghetto lottery for colored folk. Why should it surprise anyone that a colored man intent on taking every penny he can from yt and distributing it back to his colored brethren in the form of “health care” would try to hide his own unearned wealth from the evil white tax man? Taxes beez racist. This son of a thousand colored fathers will escape punishment, and will continue to suckle at the lactating teat of the federal gubmint for many years to come, unfortunately.
“Overall, The Hill interviewed about a dozen members of the caucus, who all defended Rangel and said he is innocent until proven guilty.”
Is this wrong? What am I missing here?
“Point being, why do blacks have so many “leaders” who are clearly not of their kind?
The same reason “whites” have Bill Clinton, Sarah Palin, Guiliani, Ed Koch, and George W. Bush as “leaders;” It takes all kinds.
It irks me to no end and no doubt, alot of regular American citizens, when Congressman and Senators have the unmitigated gall to say that they don’t answer to newspapers or the citizens they are supposed to represent.
Rangel’s undisclosed income is just a spit in the bucket as to what he really has been hiding. Didn’t it just come to light that along with himself and 6 staff members who failed to file tax returns for 6 years but the IRS waived the penalities and interest and said that they just made a mistake. Well guess what, my husband and I owe several thousands dollars to the IRS, which we make payments on each month and probably will take us years to pay and I doubt if the IRS will forgive our penalties and interest any time soon. Were they to do so, we could pay off our taxes in a lot less time.
Once again, this shows how our politicians continue to flaunt the laws they make for the rest of us.
I hope this jerk has to resign and I hope the Republicans and the newspapers have enough guts to contine the onslaught.
— Cousin Charlie said: ” Look this guy up; his father was a Puerto Rican. He doesn’t look like a “black” at all. Mulatto is more like it. Point being, why do blacks have so many “leaders” who are clearly not of their kind?”
Just look at Michael Jackson’s kids, for instance. If anyone believes those are really his kids (and they do believe it), they are delusional.
So what is their concept of “black” anyway? It is basically anything that is anti-white.
In my opinion, he should be tossed into prison. It would be federal, of course, but consider all the state prisoners down for doing little petty things repeatedly like stealing a pair of sneakers and whatnot. We toss minnows into prison while the whales all get their own Free Willy party.
Blacks support crime. It is part of their culture.
— john wrote ….”The real mystery here is why Rangel isn’t under arrest for tax evasion.”
Congressman Jim Trafficant was just released from 7 years in prison, for much less — only the second such case since to go to prison the Civil War! Of course, he went against the Establishment Powers, instead of playing ball with them… and that you simply don’t do. He was disciplined. We’ll see what happens to Rangel. Probably nothing.
“Point being, why do blacks have so many “leaders” who are clearly not of their kind?
The same reason “whites” have Bill Clinton, Sarah Palin, Guiliani, Ed Koch, and George W. Bush as “leaders;” It takes all kinds.
I don’t get this. Will someone please explain?
Cousin Charlie from TN wrote at 6:48 AM on September 13:
Point being, why do blacks have so many “leaders” who are clearly not of their kind?
So Barack Obama is our leader as well. Charlie Rangel is a BLACK puerto rican. Therefore he is over 50% black their for he is black. Remember being half black or even a quater black is the samething as being black in this country.
Replace black with white then ask yourself that same question
Rallying around a crook. It reflects more on the Congressional Black Caucas then it does on Rangel.
Dear Anonymous - if you haven’t figured out yet, in this country, even if you are half white, you get A LOT more mileage and perks if you present yourself as black. Even more mileage than if you are half white and half hispanic.
Besides my usual inclination towards genocide and scorched earth, I think all of congress and senate and the Supreme Circus should also be done away with AND I MEAN DONE AWAY WITH.
“I don’t get this. Will someone please explain?”
I think it’s pretty simple actually, the people I mentioned are Scotts-Irish, Mafiosos, women, gay, etc. but they are all WHITE as Rangel is black.
One of the funny things about this site is the constant affliction with separating light-skinned from dark-skinned blacks when it is convenient. If Rangel wanted to date a member of your family, would you see him as much different than a black from Africa? I don’t think so.
Hey at least blacks are supporting blacks. when was a last time whites supported one another?
How can we be sure Barry S even won the Diebold electonic election?
