Charlie Rangel is my congressman. Every other year my friends and I donate a few bucks to his re-election campaign, then all go out and give him 90% of the vote. But things here in Harlem are beginning to shift beneath our feet, so I've decided to ask The Albany Project community for a little guidance.
At what point should a Harlem liberal stop supporting Charlie Rangel? That is the question that I pose to my friends. What to do when you are saddled with a crooked Dem congressman? (Yes folks, he has been tried in the court of public opinion and found guilty.)
I first took notice last December when it surfaced that Charlie paid $80,000 to his son Steven for building two websites. A bit dodgy, but nothing I couldn't overlook. Then, claiming the lame excuse of "cultural and language barriers" Charlie acknowledged that he had failed to declare $75,000 in rental income from his beachfront villa. At this point, a few eyebrows in Harlem are beginning to rise, but as much as I tried to overlook the allegations, the charges keep rolling in! |
| Of all the charges against Charlie, the one that hits me is that in August 2009, Charlie amended his 2007 financial disclosure form to report more than $500,000 in previously unreported assets and income, doubling his net worth. That number may be as high as $780,000. So, at the end of the day, Charlie's net worth for 2007 is somewhere between $1 million and $2.5 million, while his previous statement came in somewhere between $500,000 and $1.3 million.
Where the hell is this money coming from Charlie? The average income of the residents in Harlem is $27,000 per year! How do you 'forget' to report half a million dollars when you represent a poor community? Charlie's reaction when confronted was to tell the reporter to "Mind your own g**d***** business." But it is my business, Charlie. It is all our business. It's been reported that the investigation has spread to Reps. Carolyn Kirkpatrick (D-Mich.), Donald Payne (D-N.J.), Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Delegate Donna Christian-Christensen (D-V.I.) Seems lounging at Charlie's seaside villa may be a violation of house rules.
If Charlie were Republican, I would be screaming for his head and demanding he relinquish his gavel. I'm reminded of William "not my-90-grand-in-the-freezer" Jefferson, the Louisiana Democrat who was indicted on 16 corruption charges and was the most senior Democrat to lose in 2008. The Dems lost that seat to Republican Joseph Cao. New York's 15th is not in any danger of going red (I don't think), but 2010 does not look so good with our guys under investigation.
This all boils down to a simple question. Do liberals hold Democrats to the same standards that we demand from Republicans? Will we demand justice for our guys the way we demanded it for Duke Cunningham and Tom Delay? Charlie is 80 years old. Is it time for him to hit that hammock on the beachfront villa and pass his gavel to a Dem primary challenger seeking his seat? |
