Moving aside for a moment from Blago, Obama and sundry Illinois issues, we still have Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-Tax Evasion) to concern ourselves with:
The House ethics committee is expanding an investigation of Rep. Charles Rangel, chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. The ethics panel issued a statement Tuesday saying it had voted to expand an already far-ranging probe into the New York Democrat to examine whether he protected an oil drilling company from a big tax bill when the head of that company pledged a $1 million donation to a college center named after the congressman.
The move means the Rangel inquiry will likely stretch well past early January, when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had previously said she expected the matter to be resolved.
Republicans have called for Rangel to step down from his chairmanship of the powerful Ways and Means panel during the investigation. The expanding investigation means the ethics cloud hanging over Rangel is likely to follow him and Democratic leaders into the next Congress as they seek to pass major stimulus legislation and buoy the sinking economy.
Naturally, Rangel should step down – and just as naturally, he won’t. Not unless his fellow Democrats start to feel that his continuing as Chairman harms their chances in 2010. And given how convinced the Democrats are that they’ve won a new 60-year stretch of power, my guess is that the reality of the situation will escape the Democrats for a while, and perhaps right on in to the 2010 mid-terms.
Remember, Democrats, the ball is entirely in your court – we’ve got a semi-ability to filibuster a bit in the Senate, but for at least the next two years, America will dance to your tune. Now, you have a chance to really cement your victory and do some good things for America…but you’re first going to have to ditch your corrupt members. Your problem is that your corrupt members are at or near the top – its not like Pelosi is pure as wind-driven snow here, ya know? I know, its rather hard – some of the most corrupt members (Rangel, eg) have been your most reliably liberal votes…but honesty is the best policy. On the other hand, the best thing for the GOP is for you Democrats to just keep being Democrats – the people were mighty turned off by us, and we deserved our defeat…but unless you’ve got a radical makeover in your plans, the people will swiftly get even more turned off by you.
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