Posts Tagged ‘charlie rangel’
Wrangling up a victory
With elections for seats in the United States House of Representatives coming up just a few months from now, senior Staff Writers Jillian Kumagai, Gina Lee, and Casey Tolan took on a series on Rep. Charlie Rangel’s race to win his title as the representative for New York’s 13th Congressional District.
The first part of the series ran in today’s paper, and tackled the transformations of both Rangel and New York during the past 41 years he has served as Congressman:
Over his 21 terms in office, Rangel has advocated a vast range of policies, among them cracking down on drug trafficking, promoting economic empowerment, and reinstating the military draft. His legislation created nine so-called “empowerment zones,” including the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization that created jobs and assisted small businesses.
As the third-most-senior congressman, Rangel has been in a position that allows him to impact the district, the city, and even the entire country.
Why not chronicle Rangel’s history in a different way– maybe through his most quotable moments over the years?
1. His quick reaction to President Bush: “I really think that he shatters the myth of white supremacy once and for all; it shows that, in this great country, anybody can become president.”
2.”You can no longer raise money and support those people in Washington and say you’re not one of them. It’s like being half pregnant. Either you’re in or you’re out. More »
Today’s paper: It’s Scooby Doo’s birthday!
Spectator doesn’t usually cover the birthdays of beloved childhood cartoon heroes, but the Internet tells me that today is the day “Scooby Doo” made its network debut on CBS in 1969, and I just felt that you all should know. It’s also “National Boss/Employee Exchange Day” and the anniversary of the “Star-Spangled Bangle.” So yeah! Anyway, here’s what’s up!
• Barnard’s making students pay for housing over winter break. Columbia students will have to register to stay in dorms over break, but they won’t have to pay anything. [News]
• Kim Kirschenbaum is out with the latest story in her series “Chasing Charlie,” which profiles Charlie Rangel’s opponents in the upcoming election. Today, she looks at Jonathan Tasini, a charismatic campaigner and a candidate who’s clearly facing an uphill battle. [News]
• Sarah Darville follows up on the story of the woman stabbed at the 96th St. subway station with a few new details. [News]
• The Editorial Board commends professors who have accommodated students of faith this holiday season and exhorts all professors to do the same. [Opinion]
Today’s paper: Aw, here it goes!
It’s the first day of school, everyone! Do we all remember what it feels like to surf the Internet in class, to sit down at a long seminar table without having done the reading, to spend hours in Butler on Facebook and YouTube only then to complain just how tired we’ve become? I find that, like riding a bicycle, such things come back very quickly! Anyway, here’s what’s going on:
- What’s old is new again: Charlie Rangel’s still trying to get re-elected, the University’s still moving forward with M’ville, and Dean Denburg—poor Dean Denburg—still hasn’t been replaced. [News]
- Already missing summer? There’s still time to hit the beach, spend time in Central Park, and stay active—ya know, summery things. [A&E]
- James Dawson, one of this semester’s new columnists and a guy with pretty liberal views, argues that Columbia needs more conservative professors. [Opinion]
- Women’s soccer: not bad! Men’s soccer: uh oh. [Sports]
- Sports columnist Michael Shapiro is annoyed by politicians who only pretend to care about sports. [Sports]
Confused about M’ville? Curious about local politics? Let Spec show you around your new neighborhood
Columbia’s neck of the woods, the very placid-sounding Morningside Heights, naturally has its own heated controversies and neighborhood heroes. You should get to know them!
- Columbia’s slice of the Upper West Side is brimming with development disputes.
- Speaking of which—the University’s controversial expansion into Manhattanville is on track to actually happen, but opponents are still angry, and the Supreme Court may eventually have to sort things out. Oh, and here’s a helpful primer on the debacle’s lingo and key players.
- Harlem: it’s worth getting to know.
- You’ve heard of Charles Rangel. But Keith Wright? Bill Perkins? Meet Morningside’s political heavyweights.
- Riding the subway is a difficult art to master, and as the cash-strapped MTA cuts service and sows chaos, it gets even harder. Here are five things you should know before stepping onto a train.
If you want to know more, poke around on our website for the old stuff and keep reading Spec for the latest stuff—we’ll be covering these issues all semester long.
Charlie Rangel has been parading and partying all over the place
As you’ve probably heard, our local congressman is in the news! His name is Charlie Rangel, and he’s (allegedly) done some bad things. But that hasn’t stopped him from enjoying himself!
Earlier this week, Spec’s Kim Kirschenbaum caught up with Rangel as he boogied down Sixth Avenue in the Dominican Day Parade. (Spec’s Jasper Clyatt was there taking pictures of the festivities.)
Kirschenbaum also caught up with Rangel at his Wednesday night birthday bash, where New York politicos like Sen. Chuck Schumer, Mayor Bloomberg, and a bird-flipping former Mayor David Dinkins came to show their support. Said Bloomberg: “I know a few people couldn’t be here tonight, because, as they tell it, either they had to get a haircut unexpectedly, or they were sure they’d have a headache.” (UPDATE: Spec’s Shelby Layne has photos of this event.)
Rangel, who’s facing calls from some Democrats to step down gracefully (President Obama told CBS that he hopes Rangel can “end his career with dignity”), has defied his critics. In a rambling speech he gave on the House floor Wednesday, he told his colleagues, “I am not going away.”
And just look at the congressman dance!