In Defense Of Congressman Charlie Rangel

Leave Charlie Rangel Alone!!!!

I have noticed over the past few days that the Corporate media (as expected) has been getting the Rangel Story all wrong. They have basically missed the point and they have repackaged Charlie Rangels message to mean something totally different. The media is not even telling half the story on Rangels message, let alone the whole story.

Even Barak Obama has missed the point, stating that he disagreed with Rangel and didn't think more troops would help in Iraq.... (totally missing the point that Rangel is attempting to make).

"What I don't want is a situation in which we have bad strategies and we institute a draft simply to throw more bodies at a bad strategy. That is not going to work," he said. Barak Obama, Monday November 20th, 2006. Taken from the AP/USA today. Source.


Will someone please tell Barak to learn more about Foreign policy and military affairs before considering a run for the Presidency? Even on the issue of immediate troop reductions, he is actually on the wrong side of reality. There will be no troop pullout beginning in 4 to 6 months. This IS NOT going to happen. In fact, the Defense Department is now considering an increase in U.S. troops as a short term measure. So any major troop reductions are far off.


First of all.... this is nothing new. The media is acting like this is a new development. Rangel was saying this 3 years ago....He made national headlines about this issue during the 2004 Presidential campaign and around the time that Michael Moore's documentary Farenheit 911 was released. So it is not a new story.

Secondly, people are missing Rangel’s point.... And Republicans are having a field day distorting what Rangel is actually saying and what he's actually trying to do. This is what Republicans are experts at doing....(distorting any message that Democrats try to put out there) especially with so many henchmen representing them in radio and TV media.

Please pay attention to what Rangel is saying in its entirety....

I was listening to Matt Sludge last Sunday as he was playing a 4 second clip of Rangel saying he would support a draft.... playing the clip over and over and over again.... not explaining what Rangel was actually saying in its true context.

Please listen to Rangel’s FULL STATEMENT....not just the 4 second sound bites from the Republican propaganda machine.

When you hear what Rangel is actually saying, and compare it to the distorted message put out by Republicans....& their media, you will find two totally different messages.

This is why Democrats need their own media infrastructure to get their message out.
I think the lopsided media will be what leads to the final death blow for Democrats in 2008....because at this rate, Dems won't make it out of 2007 without being destroyed by the mighty Republican machine.

Let’s get this straight…. Any Bill for a Draft WILL NOT pass..... I know it, Rangel knows it.... and most folks who understand the issue also know it... It's a way to spark debate... Rangel is making a point. However, I will say that the timing is a little off. He could have also framed the issue differently….by avoiding calling for legislation. It is scary for people who do not read the newspaper or keep up with politics. There are a lot of oblivious Americans who may hear the report and think that Rangels legislation actually has a chance to pass….when it doesn’t. It is a symbolic move only.

Pelosi is doing a good enough job burying the Dems on her own.... She doesn't need any help. But I’m afraid Rangel’s call could distort the Democrats agenda….at least temporarily, at a time when the focus should be on getting the country back on some kind of reasonable and sustainable course and uncovering (and cleaning up) all of the Republican corruption that has been left behind from the past several years that they have controlled the government.


Rangel’s Point?

If Wally Cleaver is put at risk by the reckless White House, a lot more Americans, and a lot of influential people will be paying more attention to what the hell is going on.
If a draft was set up fairly, I could see it having the desired effect.... In that sense I see what Rangel is saying...and agree.

Just the thought of a draft wakes people up.... The Cleaver Family (White middle, upper middle, and upper class families with SUV's from the burbs) will suddenly want to question U.S. Foreign policy a whole lot more...rather than giving blind support to Presidents or political parties..... There has been this blind attitude in this country, especially since 9/11 that the government must know best….therefore we must not question those in power. If we could just get that far- to where people really begin to pay attention- then America would be much better off....and that seems to be the aim of Rangel.... Rangel is talking about accountability.... in the above scenario, much more accountability would be required...and demanded. I'd like to see him hit a few nerves and see what happens.

U.S. Foreign policy would be completely different if Bush, or any other President, is tasked with sending the sons of his social class (his CEO friends, his neighbors, and his colleagues) to war.

Rangel also stated that national service does not necessarily mean fighting on the front lines in the U.S. military.

Even the great liberal philosopher Noam Chomsky called for a draft not long ago, for basically the same reasons. Noam Chomsky is as anti-war as anyone could possibly be.
In that sense, Rangel is not alone.

I fully support Rangel’s idea.... I think it's brilliant. I just wish he would have been more careful about how he said it...considering that Democrats have no major media infrastructure to speak of.... meaning that everything they say has to go through the Republican filter before the American people have the chance to hear it.