Democrats continue their culture of corruption:
Rangel must go: He's the latest blight on a tarnished Congress
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The ethical swamp consuming U.S. Rep. Charles B. Rangel of New York is as big a problem for Congress as it is for his Democratic Party. But because the Democrats hold the House majority, the pressure is squarely on them to address the scandal.
The only thing that will do that is his resignation or expulsion.
Mr. Rangel, 80, was chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee until federal tax violations and ethics allegations forced him to relinquish the post two years ago. On Thursday, after a lengthy investigation, the House ethics committee issued a 40-page report containing 13 charges of unethical conduct against the Harlem Democrat.
His colleagues accused him of improperly using his office to seek donations, some from lobbyists, for a school to be named for him; failing to pay taxes on and report rental income from a villa he owns in the Dominican Republic; improperly accepting from a Manhattan developer use of four rent-controlled apartments, one of which became his campaign office; and submitting financial disclosure forms with $600,000 in omissions.
All of this comes to a head, of course, in a tough midterm election year for the Democrats. Many of the party's incumbents are vulnerable for re-election to begin with, and the disgrace visited upon the House by Mr. Rangel will only make the election-night damages mount. What comes next is a public trial in the House this fall, at which the 20-term representative has vowed to refute all charges.
Charles Rangel will not go easily, despite becoming the latest lawmaker of either party to bring disgrace to Congress. It's necessary for the Democrats to work diligently, on the floor and behind the scenes, to speed his departure. If they don't, Mr. Rangel's issues could become issues for them all.
Americans of all persuasions are sick of the political cesspool. This is not the time for either party to go the polls covered in mud.
Cartoonist Rob Rogers does "Rob's Rough," an early look at his work and his creative process, exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.
First published on August 1, 2010 at 12:00 am
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