Charles Rangel and House Ethics

Read for yourself what the 20-term Congressman has been charged with by a subcommittee of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct after a case was recommended by Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Office of Congressional Ethics. It is hard to deny that some of this stuff he is accused of is the rather fishy side of politics -- as in, why did he do such a sloppy with paperwork or a good-old-boys-will-take-care-of-good-old-boys thing? As head of the House Ways and Means Committee, which, among other things, oversees taxes, why was he so bad at filing his own?

But, even holding one's nose, it is easy to say that under the rules of the game, a whole lot of legislators have done the same, or similar, things. The rules began to change when Speaker Pelosi came into office vowing to clean out the "swamp." It's primary occupants appear to be black members of the House. At last count seven of the 42 members were under some sort of investigation. As radio talk show host Santita Jackson asked earlier today: What is going on?

I am personally leaning towards the position that Rangel (D-New York) should step aside with dignity -- the President's position and that of some of Rangel's whippersnapper opponents in the September 14 Democratic primary in New York. But maybe he and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-California), who is also among those apparently under investigation, are on to something in declaring that they will fight it out no matter what it means ultimately for Democrats' continued control of the House. Maybe this does come down to the principle of the thing.

I've been writing about Rangel for The Root. This is the last piece I posted. There will be more. Let your voices be heard on this.