Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Resign Rangel, Even If You Didn't Break the Law
I've read a lot of stories about the ethics investigation of New York Congressional Rep. Charlie Rangel and I'm no more clear than I was when the investigation began two years ago of whether or not he broke the law or violated congressional ethics. And at this point I don't even care. Still, he should resign. Like it or not, fair or not, politics is as much about perception as it is about truth. The perception of wrongdoing is just as damaging as actually doing something wrong. And people are fed up with those with in power -- whether it's politicians, Wall Street executives or celebrities -- living by a different standard of right and wrong. We saw it in the smug satisfaction so many of us got in watching Lindsay Lohan march off to jail even if she only served 14 days of a 90-day sentence. We tuned in for the perp walks of Bernie Madoff and Jeff Skilling when courts finally found them guilty of ripping off so many people. There is nothing that fills Americans with more righteous indignation than watching wrongdoers escape justice. We have a profound sense of right and wrong as a culture and we expect everyone to be treated the same, no matter their station in life. It's a concept enshrined in our founding documents. And right now, Rangel is the epitome of everything we think is wrong with politics and Washington. When we hear that the Ethics Committee came forward with 13 charges of wrongdoing against Rangel, including not declaring income and not paying taxes, it offends our fundamental sense of fairness. And when he takes a defiant stance essentially daring his colleagues to punish him, that really ticks us off. Would we dare to publicly break the law and defy the IRS? Hardly. Most of us spend a lot of energy making sure we're in compliance so we don't face an audit. We ask ourselves, what makes this guy so special that the rules don't apply? Oh, he's a politician and just another example of how those who govern our country are so far removed from those of us who live in it. If he was truly a public servant who valued the country's interests, Rangel would resign. And in doing so, restore a little bit of our faith in our government and its leaders.
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From an insider's perspective, we'd have an empty city hall if each one were forced to resign for their transgressions.......I'm not going to sanctify or villify him, but having worked at City Hall I will say he treated staff with respect, he had a 'good morning' and a 'good evening' for everyone, not just his colleagues/peers but everyone, and he was truly refreshing to be around. He is incredibly down to earth and I am saddened to hear of this scandal, one that mars such a long career. He fought hard for his constituents! Not every representative can say the same! So now all the good he has done for his community is buried by this act and that's a shame!
ReplyDeleteTracy -- thanks for commenting on my post! I agree that it's a shame and having met Rangel once when I was on fellowship in Congress, I agree he was a friendly man who spent many years doing a lot of good work for his constituents -- something we unfortunately can't say about many electeds. Still, I think that resigning would be the right thing to do for his constituents and the Congress. Perception is so important in politics and if he's perceived as corrupt that weakens his ability to fight for the people he represents.
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