Rangel Relegated to Sidelines at Democratic Convention

It seems Harlem Congressman Charles Rangel [photo] is being snubbed by organizers of this week's Democratic National Convention in Denver.

It is said that Rangel very much wanted to be on the podium with the party's big names, but those in power apparently decided the Congressman wasn't needed.

The main problem, of course, is that Rangel was one of Senator Hillary Clinton's staunchest supporters during the campaign for the Democratic nomination, a campaign in which Hillary and her husband Bill were involved in heated back-and-forth accusations with Obama, including charges of race baiting.

Many blacks are resentful that Rangel and other Harlem politicians chose to stay with Hillary Clinton, even when it became clear that Obama was on course to become the nation's first serious African-American candidate for the presidency.

On the other hand, there are those who think Obama should have allowed Rangel to have a prominent role at the upcoming Convention, even out of self interest, given that Rangel is chair of the very powerful House Ways and Means Committee.

But Rangel has been weakened somewhat, at least superficially, by recent New York Times reports that he had several rent-controlled apartments at the Lenox Terrace apartment complex, at a time when many of his constituents are struggling to find affordable housing.

A miffed Rangel may not remain in Denver for the full four days of the Convention.

(Read story.)

Comments

[Ken]

As a strong Obama supporter, I found myself astonished to find that Mr Rangel, along with most of the other members of the Harlem political elite were early Clinton supporters. There were, I think, two reasons for this.....first of all, it would simply have been "impolitic" for a member of the New York delegation to vote against a sitting Senator from the same state;and secondly, I don't think that they believed that Obama had the "wherewithal" to go all the way; and to have supported him would have dashed a long standing (if not wholly fulfilling) alliance. Politics as usual. What did they know?