"Obama: Rangel Should End His Career With Dignity"

[Clio the Leo]

Obama: Rangel Should End His Career With Dignity

By LAURIE KELLMAN
Updated 8:15 PM EDT, Fri, Jul 30, 2010

President Barack Obama on Friday called ethics charges against Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel "very troubling" and said he hopes the longtime lawmaker can end his career with dignity. Several House Democrats went further, flat-out urging the New York congressman to resign.
"He's somebody who's at the end of his career," Obama said in an interview that aired Friday on "CBS Evening News with Katie Couric." ''I'm sure that what he wants is to be able to end his career with dignity. And my hope is that it happens."
Obama, speaking on the issue for the first time, praised the 20-term Rangel for serving his constituents well but called the more than one-dozen tax and disclosure charges against him "very troubling."
It was hardly an endorsement for the veteran lawmaker, but fell well short of the calls for resignation Rangel received on the eve of the House's August recess. As House Democrats headed home, they wrestled with how to handle the matter in their districts ahead of the midterm elections.

<snip>

House rules and credibility — not criminality — were the reasons cited by more than a half dozen House Democrats known to have called for Rangel's resignation by late afternoon Friday.

A House panel on Thursday made public for the first time 13 charges of misusing his office and tax and disclosure violations against Rangel, 80, as it opened the trial phase of the ethics proceedings against him. If

Rangel and the ethics committee do not settle the case, it goes to a public trial this fall, at the height of an election season in which every member of the House, 36 in the Senate and the Democratic majorities of both chambers are on the line.

Either conditionally or outright, Democrats calling for Rangel's resignation included Rep. Walter Minnick of Idaho, Betty Sutton of Ohio, John Yarmuth of Kentucky, Zack Space of Ohio, Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona and Mary Jo Kilroy of Ohio.

"Too many politicians, both Democrats and Republicans, have fallen victim to the idea that they are 'different' than regular folks and nothing could be further from the truth," Kirkpatrick said in a statement.

"It is our job as members of Congress to hold each other accountable to a higher standard regardless of party," she added. "If the serious charges against (Rangel) are accurate, he needs to resign."

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Obama-Rangel-Should-End-His-Career-With-Dignity-99667264.html

[Arkana]

1. 20 terms?

Yeah, that's 40 fucking years--time for Rangel to quit.

[katandmoon]

2. Obama: "Rangel tax and disclosure charges - very troubling! BushCo war crimes? YAWN."

I just looooooooooooooove consistency.

[Baltoman991]

4. "I just looooooooooooooove consistency"

I can tell you do love consistency by everyone of your posts taking shots at all things Obama.

[katandmoon]

15. I simply refuse to give Obama a pass on his hypocrisy.

[phleshdef]

18. LOL. Obama doesn't need or care about your insignificant pass giving.

Such self important foolishness.

Aside from that, you should read the fucking story before you open your mouth and inject your foot into it. He didn't say what the headline alludes to at all. And even if he did, he isn't saying Rangel should be charged with anything, which is what you are saying should happen to Bush and Cheney. Thats NOT hypocrisy. You just apparently aren't capable of processing your own logic thoroughly enough to realize that ending one's career is a completely different thing than getting charged with a crime or getting jailtime.

[Clio the Leo]

6. Obama helped Bush/Cheney end their careers. He's not saying Rangle should go to jail.

Comparison fail.

[depakid]

7. errr- Bush & Cheney were term limited out

Though matters like Rangle's and Byrd's (among others) do make a very good case for term limits or mandatory retirement ages.

[JTFrog]

14. Cheney wasn't termed out. He could have run for President just like Gore did.

:shrug:

[katandmoon]

16. End their careers? How so? Liz Cheney is picking up where Cheney's heart problems are forcing him to

step down. Bush continues to enjoy the life of a rich, pampered, oligarch after his two terms of wrecking the country -- a wreckage which Obama eagerly continues. No wonder Obama can't criticize Bush/Cheney, he's following too closely in their footsteps, with his Constitution shredding and warmongering.

[Tarheel_Dem]

13. I suppose intellectual honesty doesn't apply as long as you're reflexively anti-Obama, right?

You really need to work on your analogies, and a little logic wouldn't hurt either. You don't even try anymore. :rofl:

[katandmoon]

17. I don't even have to try. Obama's hypocrisy is too crystal clear. You're the one who has to try to

ignore it.

[Tarheel_Dem]

19. You're bereft of any kind of honesty. How sad for you. I notice you didn't...

deign to answer the larger question of intellectual honesty. Analogies, not your strong suit?:(

[Stevepol]

3. I don't think this headline really represents what Obama said about Rangel.

I don't think Obama said he "should" end his career with dignity, only that he thx that's what Charlie wants, that is, for his career to end w/ dignity and Obama was not specifically referring to this event as the last event of that career. He (Obama) goes on to say that he hopes Rangel is able to end his career as he hopes. Don't know what klutz in the NBC news department came up with the headline but it's pretty misleading.

[bigwillq]

5. I agree

Time for Rangel to step down.

I was glad that Dodd decided to step down, too. It was time. Dodd wasn't going to get my vote. I think Dodd did the right thing. Now the seat in CT seems safe. If Dodd ran, I think there was a chance he would lose.

[golfguru]

8. Drain the bloody swamp

I don't care what party label they wear.

"Either conditionally or outright, Democrats calling for Rangel's resignation included Rep. Walter Minnick of Idaho, Betty Sutton of Ohio, John Yarmuth of Kentucky, Zack Space of Ohio, Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona and Mary Jo Kilroy of Ohio."

How can a legislator responsible for writing tax laws cheat on taxes? Unbelievable!
And friend of Goldman Sachs Geithner, secretary of Treasury, is another tax cheat who
needs to be removed. Can you believe he is the boss over IRS?

[scheming daemons]

9. That headline is *NOT* what Obama said.... VERY misleading

Headline:

Obama: Rangel Should End His Career With Dignity


Actual quote:

"I'm sure that what he wants is to be able to end his career with dignity. And my hope is that it happens."



Saying that you HOPE someone can end their career with dignity is NOT the same thing as saying they SHOULD end their career.


The headline writer should be fired.

[FrenchieCat]

10. People commenting without reading anything but the headlines

aren't any better.

[Politicalboi]

11. And the C Street Boys are still in action

They should all be looked into and charged if found guilty. No matter what party.

[old mark]

12. FWIW, Rangel will be probably sanctioned, not "end his career" at all...

and that's not what Obama said in the first place...


mark