Sunday, April 11, 2010

Encapsulating What's Wrong With Politics

The Harlem district that is currently represented by none other than Charlie Rangel encapsulates quite a bit of what is wrong with politics these days. Rangel is a corrupt politician. He his position of power to enrich himself and has repeated violated House rules, failed to pay taxes on repeated occasions and has had so many problems with the law (rent stabilization law, tax law, etc.), that one has to wonder what is in the drinking water in Harlem these days when one of his top opponents in the Democratic party primary is none other than Adam Clayton Powell 4th.

Powell is no stranger to criminality either. He was found guilty of DUI and yet claims that the police were out to get him.

But that's not what makes this situation so bad.

It's that these politicians think that it is their dynastic right to the seat.

Rangel won his seat in Congress way back in the 1970 election (seated 1971), beating none other than Adam Clayton Powell Jr., who himself was embroiled in an ethics flap that went all the way to the US Supreme Court. Rangel has held on to the seat ever since, becoming the very thing that Rangel sought to replace when he ran as a reformer.

Now, the Powell family wants to reclaim their old seat back. And when I mean old - I mean old.

Powell Jr held the seat from 1945 through 1971.

Between Rangel and Powell, they've held on to the seat from 1945 through 2010.  That's 65 years. And Powell 4th wants to return the seat to the Powell name.

Is there no one else in Harlem who can run for Congress other than these two?

Is there no one else who can challenge these two ruling elites that have long past their expiration dates because their politics has failed their district miserably.

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