‘This is all in’

August 2, 2006

Say what you will about [tag]Charlie Rangel[/tag], but the guy’s willing to put his career where his mouth is.

Rep. Charles [tag]Rangel[/tag], a powerful senior Democrat in Congress and the dean of New York’s congressional delegation, said Wednesday that he’ll [tag]quit[/tag] Congress if the [tag]Democrats[/tag] don’t retake control of the House this year.

“I’m a poker player and I’ve had good hands all night long. This is all in,” Rangel said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I would not put everything on the table if I thought for one minute we would lose.” […]

“Hell, if we don’t take back the House, then the Democrats would go down in history, saying that there’s no group in the world that can grab defeat from the jaws of victory,” Rangel said. “It just seems like America is so frustrated and fed up like I am and if she’s not then I may have to say maybe it’s me.”

It’s quite a risk for a guy who’s the ranking member on the powerful House Ways & Means Committee, but I love Rangel’s attitude.

If he quits Congress, then I wonder if he’d be open to any alternatives?

  • I have always loved Charlie Rangel and agreed with everything he ever said (including comments on the draft). I look forward to seeing him chairing the Ways & Means Committee’s hearings.

  • Hypothetically speaking, let’s say that the Democrats don’t take back the House. Is Rangel really going to quit? Is anyone really going to call him on it if he doesn’t?

    This reminds me of Paris Hilton promoting P. Diddy’s “Vote or Die” campaign. She didn’t vote and she isn’t dead yet, so she isn’t holding up her end of the bargain.

  • He’s 75.

    It’s one of the safest Democratic seats in the country.

    What’s the problem? Worst case scenario, he retires.

  • Rangel must be frustrated by the inability to make a difference the Republican controlled House. It may have decided that he can go one under those circumstances and would resign if the Democrats don’t reclaim the House. He may simply be adding a little drama to it.

  • So he’s just going to up and quit and leave the folks who voted for him wondering “wtf?”

    Or is he saying he’d quit at the end of his term…?

    Either way, this comes across to me as a just the kind of stupid stunt the folks with R’s after their names would pull.

    I’m not impressed.

  • I’d hate to lose Charlie Rangel’s voice in the House and I have no confidence in the feckless Dems to win anything. Seems like a bad bet to me. Perhaps intervention is called for here.

  • I halfway like this idea. Can we get Nancy Pelosi, Rahm Emmanuel, and Steny Hoyer to do the same? It would certainly send the message that someone in the party has a sense of shame if Democrats lose yet again, and possibly give someone new a chance to lead. In the meantime, it gives them an incentive to do their damnedest to win a majority in the House.

  • Rangel must be frustrated by the inability to make a difference the Republican controlled House. It may have decided that he can go one under those circumstances and would resign if the Democrats don’t reclaim the House. He may simply be adding a little drama to it.
    Bad typing to English translation:

    Rangel must be frustrated by his inability to make a difference in the Republican controlled House. He may have decided that he can not go on under those circumstances and would resign if the Democrats don’t reclaim the House. This may simply be adding a little drama to it to the announcement.

    In my defense, it’s hot here today.

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