Rep. Rangel Defends Sen. Clinton’s MLK Comments
EmailABC News’ David Chalian Reports: In defending his candidate for president, New York colleague Sen. Hillary Clinton, Rep. Charlie Rangel seemed to fumble what Illinois Sen. Barack Obama said about Dr. Martin Luther King’s work to enact civil rights legislation. Rangel told NY1 Monday night "…for him to suggest that Dr. King could have signed that act is absolutely stupid. It’s absolutely dumb to infer that Doctor King, alone, passed the legislation and signed it into law."
The only problem – Obama neither said nor suggested any such thing. Senator Clinton first invoked Dr. King’s work on civil rights legislation and the role of President Lyndon Johnson in a recent interview with Fox News a week ago in New Hampshire.
Rangel also went on to tell NYI that "How race got into this thing is because Obama said ‘race.’" Rangel would seem to be at odds with the facts since Obama avoided commenting on Sen. Clinton’s MLK remarks until he called them "unfortunate" and "ill-advised" on Sunday.
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mr. rangel! if you’re gonna carry the clintons’ water for ‘em, at least have your facts straight. and you’d have to be ray charles not to see that the clintons were the ones who got this whole ball rolling.
by the way, please remind me which one of them’s running for president: the panderer or the philanderer?
Posted by: sickofitall | January 14, 2008, 7:52 pm 7:52 pm
Rangel is always two steps behind. He does not know that the Clintons have thrown in the towel. What an Old Political Hack.
Why he should not resign and something else beats me.
Posted by: diogu | January 14, 2008, 7:54 pm 7:54 pm
Wow, people need to REALLY get facts straight before they open their mouths. NEVER has Obama turned this into a racial issue. >>I believe Clinton purposely accused Obama of race-baiting to scare whites from voting for him.<< And by the look of these comments on other articles, its working for some. But she can play the gender card like she's playing dominoes. Let her tell it, if she wins all males would be kept in cages. Sad……
Posted by: ROB | January 14, 2008, 8:21 pm 8:21 pm
It appears Mr. Rangel has been sitting for too long in Bill Clinton’s smoking room. One has to wonder how many more zombies they have lined up ready to do their bid.
Posted by: Ngom | January 14, 2008, 8:21 pm 8:21 pm
Representative Charlie Rangel is a good man with a lot of common sense, but notice how he even got confused as to what Hillary said regarding the “Civil Rights Act.” Hillary was giving the president at that time, credit for supporting the civil rights act. The more Hillary’s comment was discussed by clinton head-hunters, the more distorted it became.
Posted by: Pointman | January 14, 2008, 8:27 pm 8:27 pm
I recently heard a small clip of a speech by rep. Adam Clayton Powell who served in the same district (Harlem) where rep. Rangel now serves…..Powell was an eloquent and a persuasive speaker….Fast forward: How Mr. Rangal was allowed to serve once removed from Powell all this while is beyond me……If there is anyone….please…anyone who can get this man out of office, please challenge him in the next election….We need a change in Harlem…..Rangel, your time is running out…..’cause your comments concerning senator Obama are dumb and nonsensical…..He did not say that….
Please retire man…..
Posted by: Tony Wallace | January 14, 2008, 8:43 pm 8:43 pm
Louis, I agree. I challenge ABC to actually report on the issues instead of inflating non-stories too.
Posted by: chermathews | January 14, 2008, 8:55 pm 8:55 pm
Me Three!
Posted by: JohnDoe | January 14, 2008, 9:02 pm 9:02 pm
Obama, thank you for listening. I knew you would come through. Of all involved in these detractions, you were the only one qualified to put out the fire.
…………………………………
Now get back fired up, because we are ready to go!
To heck with what Hillary is about, let’s hear some more about what you are about. It is all good!
Posted by: j7 | January 14, 2008, 9:05 pm 9:05 pm
Wow. Rangle called Obama “absolutely stupid”. That is totally rediculous and not fitting conduct of a congressman. Aren’t there congressional ethics rules about making comments like this? Shouldn’t Rangle be disciplined? Does he realize that he may calling the next POTUS “stupid”? How “stupid” is that?
Posted by: Bob, DC | January 14, 2008, 9:11 pm 9:11 pm
HRC may win the democratic presidential nomination but she will lose the majority of the Black American vote. I have voted for the 30 yrs, always voted in the Pres election. I will sit out or vote for a repub, btw, I thought the dems took the black vote for granted and I registered as an independent over 10 yrs ago and encouraged my daughter and son to do so also. As for Rangel, he is definitely out of touch. Yes we can bring about change together as progressive thinkers and doers.
Barack Obama ’08!!!
Posted by: Koa | January 14, 2008, 9:31 pm 9:31 pm
Rangel really seems to have the sequence of events wrong on this one.
Can ABC please provide its readers some fact checking on this?
This claim that Obama somehow cried race over Clinton’s MLK statements is patently false by all accounts I have read and heard. Any racial offense expressed about Clinton’s comparison of MLK and LBJ came from the media and NEUTRAL black Democrats responding to media questions about the tone of the Clinton campaign.
Obama wisely kept his mouth shut about this in the days following. When he was forced to respond, Obama simply called the remarks “ill advised.” Once it was clear that this was becoming heated and divisive issue, as you can see he called a press conference to try to “tamp” things down a bit. This was a respectable and, yes strategic move to highlight his strength as a consistently honorable campaigner.
This “race-baiting” story is a Clinton-devised bit of political strategy to sap Obama of the votes of race-averse whites and middle class blacks. It plainly distorts the facts of the case to appeal to voters’ baser side. It’s truly shameful stuff.
I deeply hope Americans will see this mud for what it is.
Posted by: Truth | January 14, 2008, 9:31 pm 9:31 pm
My God – what an idiot Rangel is!
How on earth Harlem has had the misfortune to represented by this fool is beyond me…
Posted by: angeloR | January 14, 2008, 9:43 pm 9:43 pm
Rangel has obviously been paid off by the Clinton’s!
Without even knowing the facts he came out and attacked Senator Obama!
I guess the Clintons gave him the
Wrong Script!
Posted by: reaganfan | January 15, 2008, 12:18 am 12:18 am
It seems that we are are to vote for The Clintons not Hillary Clinton. Rangel must understand that this is A NEW DAY.
Posted by: juana | January 15, 2008, 2:32 am 2:32 am
I woke up this morning to see this clip on the news and was aghast. How ridiculous that a political leader would call someone “dumb” and “stupid” with regards to facts he knows nothing about!!! This is the Washington that Senator Obama is fighting against. We should not accept this any longer. We are paying for this crap!!!!!!!!!! What a disservice to our community and our country!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Shannon | January 15, 2008, 10:30 am 10:30 am
Oh how dare you Mr. Rangel…how dare you to attack Obama. Obama is perfect and he knows it all! Don’t dare you or anyone else to say anything about my Obama. LOL
Posted by: Pat | January 15, 2008, 11:34 am 11:34 am
Posted by: Koa | Jan 14, 2008 9:31:02 PM
Please don’t sit the vote out. No, instead vote Republican. I’m not a republican telling you this. I am a Dem. I think Hillary would be the wrong person to go against the Repubs.
Her cheerleaders are so blind that they cannot that the CLINTONS time is OVER. They think they can push her down our throats. Well, reject them and Hillary. She will be defeated in the end anyway. So, join me and other Dems. and throwing the election to the REPUBLICANS. Our goal is to really help the Repubs defeat her and send a message to: her, her husband and her supporters that just b/c her name is HRC and just because some people are nostalgic doesn’t mean she should be the party nominee; especially when she is facing a humilating defeat.
Posted by: Christina | January 15, 2008, 12:38 pm 12:38 pm
Geez, why not just end this thoughtful item from a news reporter with “Vote Obama”? Reporters do not engage in polemics, at least not in reputable news organizations.
Incidentally, Obama may not have said “race” but he meant “race.” His co-chairman and fellow Chicago street fighter, Jess Jackson Jr, both said and meant.
Posted by: JonM | January 15, 2008, 1:38 pm 1:38 pm