It has not been a good week for black politicians in America.
New York Congressman Charles Rangel has been officially censured by the House of Representatives as a result of being found guilty for fundraising and financial misconduct. Because of the verdict, Rangel will no longer be able to chair the all-powerful House Ways and Means Committee.
In related news, Los Angeles Congresswoman Maxine Waters is demanding a quick trial resulting from ethics investigation of alleged malfeasance in office.
Rangel, the long-serving representative from Harlem, was voted to be censured overwhelmingly, 333-79. It represents only the 23rd time in history that the House chose to invoke the most serious form of punishment, sans expulsion.
The Korean War veteran and 20-term congressman was forced to appear at the front of the chamber while Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi embarrassed him by reading the censure resolution before his colleagues.
After the reading, Rangel, 80, addressed his colleagues, saying it was painful to hear the vote, but that he believes that it is part of the “political tide.”
However, Rangel said “compared to where I’ve been [referring to the death and despair he witnessed during the Korean War], I haven’t had a bad day since.”
It is, however, a bad day for black politicians, the Congressional Black Caucus, the black community and President Obama. Rangel is now a lame-duck politician and represents one less powerful figure that Obama can count on to help pass his policies through Congress. –terry shropshire
