Rangel Remembered

Underbelly's Alabama bureau, an old Capitol Hill hand, remembers Charlies Rangel:

I met [Rangel] the night of swearing-in ...that same night, he and I sat for a few minutes with a then famous Capitol Hill staffer Maxine Dargens ... . [We] retreated to her office in Rayburn building with drinks, and were resting and chatting. I was lobbyist for Communications Workers of America. ...

I had expected Charlie to be a run of the mill New York congressman -- a go along to get along guy. but, as we chatted in her office, the questions he asked, the points he explored both with me and "Max", surprised me. He came across as a really bright, inquisitive, knowledge seeking guy. I was impressed. Actually, intellectually, Charlie was head and shoulders above the run of the mill congressman. ...

But -- somewhere along the line, he decided to accumulate wealth. And what
he did was illegal. ... Now, this guy, great brain, great political instincts, goes into the history books as a crook. no way to get around it, no matter how the investigations end up.

The AB goes on to speculate that what really gets into the craw of Rangel's constituents is the rent-controlled apartments. They are struggling along in market apartments that can cost thousands of bucks month. And Rangel has rent controlled. Four of 'em. Hard to forget, and hard to forgive.