Barackface: Charles B. Rangel

Showing posts with label Charles B. Rangel. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Maloney Lied Repeatedly In Radio Debate

Image via Wikipedia

Maloney spoke a string of lies in her radio debate.

She said she does not own BP stocks, she never has. Factually correct. Her family by now has sold all BP stocks it owned. When the Maloney family owned BP stocks, it was in her late husband's name, not hers.

By that logic, Maloney's net worth is zero dollars. She has not made any money. But the truth is her net worth is 20 million dollars. A-l-l of that came from Wall Street. I don't begrudge her wealth. I wish more of the same on as many others as possible.

But to suggest your family owning BP stocks had nothing to do with your voting the Dick Cheney votes on the oil industry in the early 2000s is hogwash. This is Charlie Rangel behavior.

Maloney's 20 million dollars are relevant in that she played a key role in undoing the regulations in 1999 that made her family a lot of money but that gave America its Great Recession a decade later.

Maloney has been accused of having hosted fundraisers with Wall Street PACs right when she was working on Wall Street reform. In the radio debate she said her congressional staff did not organize those fundraisers she attended. Factually correct. But the truth is she has separate staff for fundraising. Her fundraising staff organized those fundraisers that violate the basic ethics rules of Congress. Is that a problem or is that a problem? Did Maloney lie in saying her people did not organize those two fundraisers?

This is Charlie Rangel behavior.

"She lied," Reshma Saujani said. Saujani was pointing out the obvious. But the Maloney trolls are saying for Saujani to point out that Maloney was lying borders towards the "negative."

Looking the other way while wrong is being done, is that positive? That is not positive, that is irresponsible.

Maloney has lied repeatedly.

The biggest lie though was Maloney saying she had authored "70 bills." What she did not say was she got only three of those passed, one was to do with renaming a post office.

Wall Street Journal: Maloney, Saujani In Primary Debate: "Congresswoman Maloney has failed New Yorkers. She has failed to lead, failed to offer a single new idea in this race, failed to serve responsibly and ethically," Ms. Saujani said in her opening statement. "She says that I'm running a negative campaign. Carolyn, all I'm doing is telling the truth." .... Calling for a House ethics investigation into Ms. Maloney's conduct, Ms. Saujani accused Ms. Maloney of holding fund-raisers with lobbyists for the financial-services industry while negotiating legislation to reform Wall Street..... Ms. Saujani accused her of lying: "You said that your staff and you were not involved in those two fund-raisers. I'm holding the invitations right now and they say checks can be mailed to Maloney for Congress. It's this type of lack of ethics and integrity that people are tired of." ..... Ms. Saujani was scheduled Tuesday night to hold a fund-raiser at the home of Alan Jones, managing director of Morgan Stanley.

New York Tech MeetUp

Monday, August 30, 2010

Powell, Rangel, Harlem

New York Times: Powell vs. Rangel: Testy Remake After 40 Years: About 30 years ago, Representative Charles B. Rangel invited a 19-year-old summer intern named Adam Clayton Powell IV into his office at the United States Capitol for an emotional conversation: He had run a bruising primary campaign in 1970 to unseat Mr. Powell’s father, he acknowledged, ending the career of a celebrated Harlem politician....... These days, it is the younger Adam Clayton Powell who is trying to take Mr. Rangel out. And he is making no apologies. ..... relentlessly attacking the 80-year-old lawmaker ..... has called Mr. Rangel’s conduct “corrupt,” described his bid for a 21st term as “pointless” ...... After blithely ignoring his six rivals for the last year, or tersely dismissing them as unqualified, Mr. Rangel has started to take unexpected jabs at Mr. Powell ...... The attacks, however, have only raised Mr. Powell’s profile in a contest awash with personal history and deep-rooted family rivalries. Mr. Rangel has held his seat for 40 years, but the streets of Harlem still echo with the name of Mr. Powell’s father ....... his father was something of a god in Harlem ..... “Charles Rangel became part of the system. He embraces the political trade and the political games, and he rejoices in the backslapping and connections.” ...... Mr. Powell cultivated a loyal base of voters that he felt Mr. Rangel, the darling of Central and West Harlem, had overlooked: the Puerto Rican and Hispanic voters in the district’s eastern section. ...... Mr. Powell conceded that the relationship with the intern was “inappropriate” ..... “If the worst I have is a violation because somebody thinks I had one too many, I will take it,” he said of his conviction for driving while impaired. ..... The campaign has about $20,000, compared with $500,000 for Mr. Rangel ....... at 62, Joyce S. Johnson “should be planning her own retirement, not Charlie Rangel’s retirement.” ..... Powell introduced himself to three women on the sidewalk. Each urged him on. ..... “Keep it in the family,” said one of them. “It’s time for a change,” said another. “What goes around comes around”

I guess Harlem is seeing some high drama.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Charlie Rangel: An Unrepentant Motherfucker

Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building ...

Image via Wikipedia

New York Daily News: Forget The Obama Slam: Rep. Charles Rangel Is Now President's BFF: Two days after ripping President Obama ..... Democratic primary challenger Adam Clayton Powell 4th said voters should dump Rangel because of his rocky relationship with the President...... "We need to send someone to Washington to work with President Obama, not disrespect him, not get into a fight with him," Powell said at a candidates forum..... At a forum Monday, Rangel popped off over an Obama comment last month that the 80-year-old congressman should "end his career with dignity." ..... The President spoke after Rangel was slapped with ethics charges. "Frankly, he has not been around long enough to determine what my dignity is," Rangel said Monday...... "In the next few years, I will be more likely to protect his dignity." ...... He said Obama's remark had rankled because "I just thought dignity was an individual thing other people can't really describe."

This guy is way past retirement age. He did announce he was retiring, did he not? Why did he backtrack?

The allegations against him are serious. They are real. If he has any loyalty to the party, he needs to get out of sight, out of mind, yesterday.

Charlie Rangel and others like him are the reason there is no democracy in China. This country should be moving in the direction of total campaign finance reform. Rangel and others like him instead are running in the other direction. This dude is no progressive.

This is a thoroughly corrupt human being. This guy is rotten to the core.

One commenter has said: "Unethical is not illegal, and as Mr. Rangel stated, everything that he had done was fully vetted by the sainted Mr. Morganthau, the distirict attorney."

I would know a thing or two about Rangel and Morganthau ganging up. Fuck these old bastards. They need to disappear already. One has gone, the other needs to as well. The fuck with these two old hags. When it comes to these two, I am pretty much color blind.

Obama's Got Momentum: He Could Defy History In November

This motherfucker will wear his senility like a medal all the way to his graveyard. Look the other way. Ignore this dude.

New York Daily News: Challengers For Rangel's Seat Hope For An Upset, But Even The Frontrunner Has Drawbacks
New York Daily News: Rep. Charles Rangel Swats Back At President Obama In Candidates Forum

"Rangel may have lost his Chairmanship and possibly his mind, but his hubris is intact."

Monday, August 16, 2010

Carolyn Maloney: Chicken

Charlie Rangel: Motherfucker
Charlie Rangel, Carolyn Maloney And Their Ethics Violations
Rangel And Maloney Need To Vacate The Premises And For The Same Reasons

Slavery was ended because Lincoln kept showing up for his debates. The Great Depression was fathomed because FDR kept showing up for his debates. Man went to the moon because JFK showed up for his debates. The Cold War was ended because Reagan showed up for his debates. Obama became the first black president because he showed up for his debates.

But Maloney is missing in action.

Carolyn Maloney is scared of Reshma Saujani's intellect. (Reshma's Is Top Primary Race To Watch In America: BusinessWeek In May, Reshma Saujani Is The Second Stimulus Bill This Country Needs, Reshma Saujani: Top 10 Women To Watch In America) That is totally understandable. But that still does not give her the option to stay away from the weekly debates.

First Debate August 26, Thank You Baruch College
We Will Debate An Empty Podium If We Have To
Maloney: Stifling Debate, Stifling Innovation, Stifling Job Creation

A 10% unemployment rate in the country is a crisis situation. It is not at all in the same league as slavery but it is half way on its way to a Great Depression. This crisis situation is the number one reason Maloney needs to show up for her weekly debates. Otherwise she is saying go to hell to all the unemployed people. (Reshma Saujani Is The Second Stimulus Bill This Country Needs)

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Perfect Time For Congress Reform

Unofficial seal of the United States Congress

Image via WikipediaBefore the November election is a perfect time to enact Congress reform. It is enough time. It is about time, don't you think?

Wall Street has been reformed, but the US Congress that made Wall Street bad behavior possible is still the same old, same old. And that is pointing fingers at both the parties.

Charlie Rangel is the Bear Stearns of US Congress. The damage has to be contained this time. The damage has to be localized. This guy has to be isolated and quarantined.

It has been hard for me to read up on his 13 allegations. I have actively tried to avoid doing that. It is like watching crime happen in real time. It is not a good feeling. You can avoid the news articles. But it is near impossible to avoid the headlines. They are all over the place.

Look at some of what this guy has done. He would send a letter on official letter pad to some big, fancy corporation asking them to donate 100,000 dollars to the Charlie Rangel Vanity Endowment Fund and when they did he would quietly put in an earmark in some bill to send 10 million dollars to that corporation. That is every taxpayer's dream money manager. And that is only one of the 13 allegations. One thing that has not even been included in those 13 allegations is how his relatives, friends, associates have been running this network of NGOs. Donating to those NGOs earned you "virtual" currencies in the Rangel empire. Rangel would do you favors if you donated to those NGOs from which Rangel made no profits.

The show on the Hill has started to stink.

The Huffington Post: Reshma Saujani: A New Ethic of Leadership in Broken Washington

Eight House members, from both parties, are currently under investigation for raising money from financial services lobbyists just before voting on the financial reform bill..... independent ethics oversight, curb conflicts of interests, and eliminate the influence of lobbyists. .... Today, members of Congress must police themselves...which is why they don't. ....... At the same time that BP's deep sea drilling permit was under review or the Wall Street reform bill was being negotiated, members of Congress maintained hundreds of millions of dollars in personal investments in the same companies they were in the process of regulating. While peddling poisonous subprime loans, dozens of Congressional members actually betted against the housing market prior to the 2008 crash and their investments outperformed the market by over 12 percent....... In 2009 alone, more than 13,000 registered lobbyists spent more than $3.5 billion influencing elected officials on legislation, the highest amount ever recorded...... I have not taken a penny of special interest corporate PAC money during my campaign, and I believe all PAC contributions should be banned. It is time for a new system of publically financed campaigns

NYDailyNews.com: Democrat Using Rangel Against Democrat

Maloney wrote a $2,500 check to Rangel’s re-election campaign ..... Maloney has chosen to donate to an elected official facing a 13 count ethics investigation — and she is urging Maloney to reconsider.

Sunday, August 08, 2010

Rangel Has Gone Radioactive

Image by azipaybarah via Flickr

New York Times: Guest List for Rangel's Birthday Bash Shrinks

One New York representative said he could not make it because he had to march in a local firefighters’ parade. Another said that, as much as she wanted to go, she had to visit family out of town. Yet another just sent his regrets, saying he would be traveling that day — in Connecticut.

In Search of a New Playbook the Democrats have been failing to delineate the differences between themselves and Republicans, to remind voters what Republicans would do if returned to power and how little their policies have changed from those during the two terms of President George W. Bush. ...... Recently, this has started to change. President Obama has become uncharacteristically combative, delivering a series of ardent speeches that other Democrats would do well to imitate. .... They don’t have a single idea that’s different from George Bush’s ideas — not one. Instead, they’re betting on amnesia.” .... Protections for patients against insurance companies. Rules keeping adult children on health policies, and requiring coverage for pre-existing conditions. A new consumer financial protection bureau to fight lending abuses. The preservation or creation of nearly three million jobs, averting Depression-level unemployment. ...... For most voters, the only real issue is high unemployment, and it is here that Democrats seem to have set aside bold thinking and fallen into the Republican trap of placing deficit fears ahead of job revival. ...... the myth that the deficit is causing unemployment, and advocate using government in ways that might re- inspire voters.....As the economy recovers, there will be money available for sane and careful deficit reduction, territory the Democrats know far better than their opponents. A House or Senate controlled by Republicans, leading to longer stalemates and years of political posturing, is not the way to get there. Instead of shrinking from their accomplishments, Democrats should use their remaining time to build on them.

The Clintons

Bill Clinton Has Left The Building
Bill Clinton Had Icecream For Lunch
Hillary In Person
DL21C Annual Summer Bash: Barack Won The Straw Poll
Hillary's Bobby Kennedy Comment: Bitter Heart, Bad Taste
Obama, Reshma
Charlie Rangel: Motherfucker

New York Times: Guest List for Rangel's Birthday Bash Shrinks Organizers reserved the gilded main ballroom at the Plaza Hotel, booked Aretha Franklin to serenade Mr. Rangel and sent out an elaborate video invitation featuring a testimonial from Bill Clinton (who, as it happens, was also invited but said he had to be in Arkansas that day).

Friday, August 06, 2010

Charlie Rangel, Carolyn Maloney And Their Ethics Violations

The corner of Wall Street and Broadway, showin...

Image via Wikipedia

Charlie Rangel has been charged with 13 "serious" - the president's word - ethics violations. A few weeks back Carolyn Maloney raised money at an event from some Wall Street PAC types at a time when the Congress and Wall Street were in negotiation on the Wall Street reform bill. Similar behavior had six other members of Congress under investigation.

Why is Carolyn Maloney not under investigation? To have Charlie Rangel under trial, and to not have Maloney under investigation smacks of double standards, smacks of racism, frankly.

They both engaged in similar behavior, but old man Rangel is the only one being put on trial for it. Why would that be?

We now live in the age of Obama. Such double standards should no longer be the way we conduct our business. Put Maloney under the ethics bus, yo.

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Rangel And Maloney Need To Vacate The Premises And For The Same Reasons

The Rangel Drama

They both have engaged in unethical behavior. The House Ethics Committee has been too busy with Rangel, and so it has not had the time and resources to zero in on the fact that Maloney was raising Wall St PAC money the same time she was working on regulation efforts. Six other House members got caught in the net for similar behavior.

They are both old. They are both past retirement age. They have lost touch. Maloney has been there 18 years, Rangel has been there 80 years. That's enough. Now you are overstaying your welcome. It is time for a new generation to step in.

They have no new ideas. They offer no solutions. They are the problem. These are not exactly 21st century people.

The Rangel Drama

WASHINGTON - MARCH 3: Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

President Obama to Rep. Charlie Rangel: Drop Dead (shortformblog.com)

So far I have refrained from digging into the details of the unfolding Rangel drama. I have not had the interest. I have had better things to do with my time. I noticed there was talk of some kind of a vacation home in the Dominican Republic, but that was in Fall 2008. He finally stepped down from whatever committee he was chairing in the House. Good for him.

Before I look into the details of the more than a dozen allegations against him, to me the political aspect is obvious. If the Rangel drama is going to play out in full view like it looks like is going to, the Dems just made their job of keeping the House that much harder. It was already a tough task to begin with. Why is the New York congressional delegation so intent on depriving my president of a House? This is no uncalled for.

I thought this guy had already announced a year before that he was not going to seek another term in office, he said he was too old. Can't dispute that. But looks like he has changed his mind.

The best thing politically for him and especially the party would have been if he just stepped down from the office. What's the pain in stepping down from an office a few months early?

I don't understand this behavior on the part of pols like Maloney who don't seem much interested in keeping the House for the Dems. Either that or she has a huge political blind spot. Neither look good.

This ethics trial will rob the Dems of much oxygen. They could have been talking about issues instead.

I am in disbelief with the stupidity, the political stupidity.

People like Maloney who feel loyal to Rangel should have been the first to ask him to vacate the premises. Leave office, go into retirement.

Starting from September 15, Reshma 2010 is going to join the national effort to keep the House. But that task just got so much harder. And so now I think I am going to be forced to read up on some of the details. This feels so unnecessary.

If the Rangel drama becomes too much of a distraction, the president should completely cut loose of him. Rangel should not be allowed to take away from Obama's intent to keep the House.

Obama, Reshma

"I think Charlie Rangel served a very long time and served his constituents very well. But these allegations are very troubling. He’s somebody who’s at the end of his career. Eighty years old. I’m sure that what he wants is to be able to end his career with dignity. And my hope is that it happens."

President Barack Obama • Saying that Charlie Rangel should retire and just go away. The House ethics subcommittee has recommended a reprimand for Rangel, which would be light compared to the censure and expulsion he could get. Still, though, Rangel won’t admit his guilt and as a result is making the situation much worse for himself.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Off To Get Some Political Juice

Image by tsevis via Flickr

Going To A Political Event

This headline would have sounded oddly odd last year. But this year it sounds just right. So far I have managed to stay away from political events. Even last year my complete digitality meant I would largely pass through people's fingers. People would have a hard time pinning me down. He has a blog. Does he want to be on the media committee? No? He shows up for every event everywhere. Does he want to be on the insider conference call? No? Weird. He knows all the top Obama volunteers in all four boroughs - the five families - but what is his title? No title?

I was only interested in showing up for events - event planning not being my cup of tea - and getting my word out on the big picture. My presence was utterly local, I never stepped outside the city boundaries as an Obama volunteer, but my focus always was national.

Long Walk To Freedom: Just A Third World Guy Dazzled By The City April 2007
Long Walk To Freedom May 2007
Barack Has To Talk Much About His Mother
Barack's Mother Makes An Appearance
Give Me A Huge Rally In This City Before Summer Is Over September 2007
The Largest Rally In US Presidential Campaign History September 2007

But that was last year. Our guy is in office. We won. We are the new regime. It is befitting that we do the big political events in town. We are running for reelection in a few short years. Got to keep the networks alive and humming.

I might have been absent from the active political scene in the city so far this year, but I have not become non-political. Anything but. I have become a single issue politician. I am a Third World Guy. Internet access is the voting right for this 21st century. So help me God.

Iran

Iran is of interest to me this year like Obama was of interest to me last year. It will break my heart to see this revolution also go to waste. I feel like I could contribute, since we did this in Nepal in 2006 and again in 2007. It can be done. The President of the United States might have boundaries and limitations, as might the US Congress. But we the netroots face no limitations. We can do all we can imagine. The basics of a revolution like in Iran are not that different from that of a US presidential election.

Money
Message
Organization

The goal has to be to overthrow the theocracy, to establish a democracy, and to seek a domino effect to topple dictator after dictator after dictator across the Arab world.

Rangel

I don't give a flying fuck about Charlie Rangel. I never did. I could smell Charlie Rangel's mediocrity from 10,000 miles away. It is so much easier to smell that mediocrity from less than 10 miles away. That little pumpkin motherfucker, that little hippopotamus motherfucker. Okay, we got both the plant kingdom and the animal kingdom covered. Now we can let go of old man Rangel.

Now you know I don't like a-l-l black politicians. Barack is special.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Going To A DL21C Event

I have decided to go to the DL21C event tomorrow. I have no interest in Bill Thompson. I have no interest in the mayoral race, period. But I gave my shout out to Bloomberg back in December. Better - way better - Gillibrand (Kirsten Gillibrand Is A Good Choice) than Thompson, but oh well. I guess I want to play my small part in rapprochement. Peace out.

Wikipedia: Kirsten Gillibrand On May 15, 2008, Gillibrand gave birth to her second child, Henry Nelson Gillibrand, making her the sixth woman to have a child while serving as a member of Congress. Her House colleagues gave her a standing ovation for working until the day she gave birth.

This country has a long way to go in terms of making the workplace gender friendly.

That last event invite from DL21C, (An Event Invite From DL21C: This Can't Be Real) I t

Image via Wikipedia

hought through the technical ramifications. It came from Caputo. It also came from someone who knows I like women politicians.

If it were not for my immigration status glitch, the Caputo saga last year would have had another ending altogether. I myself was completely surprised on June 4.

I mean, I am on record at this blog having come out strong for Hillary 2008. That was until Barack said he might run. (Switching To Obama) Obama 2008 was the therapy I had been looking for all my life. I needed it. For me.

The go to event for me in town is the New York Tech MeetUp. But I think I like the idea of showing up for random DL21C events. I am as political as ever. I am open to the idea. You don't make peace with friends. Here's my contribution to peace in the Middle East. I am going to a DL21C event.

Mideast: Permanent Peace Is Possible
Mideast Peace: Tech Industry Style

It is just that an organization that calls itself 21st century is not as digital as it can be.

But I am going to first reply to that Caputo Facebook mail. I am coming, if DL21C does not want me to, an email back would be much appreciated. Just to be on the safe side of not having to go through a show-him-the-door experience.

Bloomberg has been a remarkable Mayor, one for the history books. I think he deserves another term if only as a reward for the good work he has already done. It also does not escape me that he happens to be Jewish. After Spitzer so flamed out, I like the idea of at least one high flying Jewish person still around. (Larry Ellison) There are black guy Mayors all over America, two in DC. This guy is the only Jewish Mayor. Right now I have no plans to, but later in Fall I

Image via Wikipedia

might even show up for a few events. So it might not hurt to study the opponent who completely turned around on me the first (and last so far) Thompson event I went to. A few weeks later I endorsed Bloomberg. (Independent For Bloomberg)

I don't give a flying fuck about Charlie Rangel. By extension I don't give a flying fuck about Bill Thompson. Proof? I have not bothered to google him up. I don't know anything about him, and that is just so fine with me. Rangel endorsed him, didn't he?

I seem to be so blase about the local races. I got my startup. That is all the rush I need.

2009 has been a Twitter and a Netizen year for me, not a Facebook and Barackface year.

Okay, so here's an email to Cordelia Persen. Just checking to make sure.

Image via Wikipedia

Pages

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

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Monday, August 30, 2010

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Thursday, August 26, 2010

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Monday, August 16, 2010

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Saturday, August 14, 2010

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Sunday, July 26, 2009

Sunday, June 14, 2009