I admit that I haven’t been following primary electoral politics as much lately as I have in the past. Mostly, I’ve been pretty busy with life to pay much attention. But I also think I’m partially just uninterested at this point. All I know is that Sarah Palin – despite how I may feel about her - has been flexing her true political muscle all over the country, Democrats in South Carolina have lost their collective minds, and the Tea Party evidently tends to support anti-masturbaters.
But one story that did catch my full attention was the surprising unsurprising news that Charlie Rangel, former Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, won the Democratic primary in his district despite the mounting ethics charges currently against him. Included in the charges, Rangel has been accused of: seeking money for a New York college center named after him using House stationary; using false reports to Congress to hide at least $600,000 in assets, using a rent-subsidized apartment for a campaign office; and failing to pay taxes on rental income from a beach villa in the Dominican Republic. This isn’t exactly the same as getting a little nooky from a call girl.
This is another shining example of how voters fail to look beyond anything other than political affiliation, race, longevity, or any number of cursory things in choosing their leaders. While the spotlight of this particular post is on Rangel, this voting phenomenon is nothing new, and certainly not unique to him. Voters – either uninformed or indifferent – will support candidates who look like them, “relate” to them, and talk like them; but not necessarily those who will actually work in their best interest. Here we have one of the most powerful men in Congress using his status and position to line his own pockets. Of course, his are all “alleged” charges, but that’s simply another way of saying “he’s innocent until we’ve had a chance to dust the money for his fingerprints.”
Stories like this make me less and less confident in our political system, its agents, and the electorate who puts these people in their positions. But I suppose that as long as the American voter continuously drums up superficial reasons to keep corrupt politicians in power, we deserve to be exploited. We feed into the culture of corruption. The fruits it bears is of our own doing.
- ACL
First of all “he’s innocent until we’ve had time to dust the money for fingerprints”. That’s funny!
How do we leave the “culture of corruption”? How do we vote for someone who “doesn’t look like us”? Currently like it or not, we have a two-party system – either Republican or Democratic – all else fails. Independents become vote splitters. At the local level – sure – we can put someone into office who has fresh new ideas and those whom we can prime for future, national elections, but in our current state of being, there is no place for an Independent at the national level.
Despite Rangel’s checkered political life, his closest competition came by way A.C. Powell IV (or is it the 4th, or 5th, or 3rd . . . well . . . a rose by any other name . . . ) who was not that far behind Rangel as goes ethics. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not condoning the practice of voting for a name or a party or anything closely resembling such. I’m just asking the question “Where is the door that leads us out of this “culture of corruption”?”
Speaking of not so funny, I’m still reeling from D.C. voters re-electing Marion Barry so many times. Peace.
Should have read “or is it the 5th, 6th or 3rd”. Sorry. Where is that edit button??!! lol peace.
Despicable. Nothing more needs to be said.
Dre, I’m not a huge Rangel fan right now myself and I think he’s scum if everything is true. But your statement “Voters – either uninformed or indifferent – will support candidates who look like them, “relate” to them, and talk like them; but not necessarily those who will actually work in their best interest.” is far off the mark.
Remember William Jefferson? He lost reelection when he was found guilty of accepting bribes. Remember Jim Traficant? He lost re-election while he was in jail AND was given the book by Congress. Many Republicans faced similar fates or resigned before they were forced to face the voters.
I agree that voters can be occasionally stupid. But they can also remember things.
Politicians run “for the good of the people” but when they get caught red-handed, suddenly the real object behind what they do is revealed – the almighty ME that must be preserved at all costs, the public be damned.
We should all remember that few sane people would consider political office. If done properly it is very hard work for lots of grief from the electorate and hounding by the lobbies. What office WILL reliably attract, however, is the person with insatiable ambition. Voter beware!
Hey Dre,
You left something out. According to “The Hill”,(site;http://thehill.com/homenews/house/111641-ethics-recites-rangel-charges) the official coverage of the U.S. house, Rep. Rangel solicited funds illegally, on congressional letterhead, from, “the foundations of Verizon, New York Life, JPMorgan Chase, Citi, Ford, AT&T, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Wachovia and Bristol-Meyers Squibb for a gift of “$30 million or $6 million/year for five years” to help fund the proposed center. Hmmmm, I wonder if the Republicans know Rangel’s using their solicitation list.
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