April 15 is only a few days away, and here’s hoping Charlie Rangel put some new people in charge of his tax prep because the folks who handled it last time didn’t do what one would consider an adequate job. Might we suggest that Rangel give Turbo Tax a rest this year and possibly contact some of the good people at H and R Block, just to make sure things run a little smoother this year.
Jokes aside, it was politics as usual for Rangel:
- He went on NY1 to blame the press for his ethics violation and to compare opponents of Health Care Reform to those who protested against the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960’s.
- His allies launched a power move to oust the dapper and often hilarious State Sentator Bill Perkins, who I’ve have had the pleasure of interviewing. The man can turn a phrase, and if things heat up it will be exciting to watch these two titans of Harlem politics go after each other. Perkins made the mistake of breaking rank from the Harlem political machine in February, speaking out against the ethics violations of both Governor Paterson and Rep. Rangel. It probably seemed like a good move at the time. Rangel was looking weak, and Perkins was possibly thinking of making a run at Congress. Go after Rangel and Paterson as they head into a downward spiral and show your constituents that you’re not going to put up with scandals and unaccountability from politicians. CD 15 has a ton of new residents, and these newer residents, mostly white and Hispanic, are probably less likely to cling to Rangel because of his legacy as a great Black politician. Unfortunately for Perkins, he now has to deal with the consequences, and that means have Harlem democrats refer to him as a Judas and start parading around candidates to take a run at his seat, which as the Daily News pointed out is a moot point if he decides to run against Rangel.
- And he received word that he’d be facing a familiar foe. Adam Clayton Powell IV announced his candidacy for CD 15. Rangel’s already beaten Powell in the 1994 race, but he gave Rangel the closet scare he’s had in a long time. Rangel won with only 58% of the vote, which, while still formidable, isn’t the usual 90% he usually pulls. He could prove to be much more of a formidable candidate than any of the other challengers, as the Clayton Powell name still holds sway in Harlem and Powell is a much more established member of the Harlem Political scene after serving in the NY State Assembly since 2000 and being active in New York politics for the past 2 decades. Clayton Powell differs from Rangel in that he prefers to get arrested for more routine crimes, like Driving While Impaired, instead of more complex financial boondoggles.