Rangel: Republicans better than terrorists at hurting the country
(CNN) - Longtime Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel of New York compared congressional Republicans to terrorists and likened supporters of the tea party movement to “white crackers” in an interview published Friday.
Rangel said House Republicans are doing more damage to American competitiveness than al Qaeda, according to The Daily Beast. "What is happening is sabotage. Terrorists couldn’t do a better job than the Republicans are doing.”
As for the tea party, the outspoken congressman said the movement should be defeated in the same way segregation was confronted during the Civil Rights movement.
"It is the same group we faced in the South with those white crackers and the dogs and the police," he said. "They didn’t care about how they looked. It was just fierce indifference to human life that caused America to say enough is enough. ‘I don’t want to see it and I am not a part of it.’ What the hell! If you have to bomb little kids and send dogs out against human beings, give me a break."
Rangel, who's now in his 22nd term, has become known for some of his outlandish statements in the past and has struggled to hold onto his seat in the last couple of elections after facing questions over ethics violations. He was ultimately censured by the House in 2010.
Rangel doesn't have negative feelings about all Republicans, though. According to the Daily Beast interview, he likes neighboring Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey.
“Chris Christie, who is a big Northeasterner, and people only go for Christie because he is reasonable. He says something nice about the president helping out Jersey and now he is on the hit list by Republicans,” Rangel said.
He also looped in his friend, Republican Rep. Peter King of New York, as someone who's on Republicans’ “hit list."
King defended Christie in a recent spat with Sen. Rand Paul, a libertarian-leaning Republican from Kentucky. King and Christie publicly disputed Paul's stances on federal surveillance programs, while Paul painted the congressman and the governor as establishment Republicans who live in a part of the country where the GOP is shrinking.
- CNN's Ashley Killough contributed to this report.
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While I hate what the Republicans are doing to our country at the moment I think it is the best thing to happen for the Democrats. I fully expect all of this to come to a head and the Republican Party will just implode into itself. They can not go on like this much longer. The public is angry with them , the people they serve are unhappy with them and now they are unhappy with each other.
Here comes the rhetoric to distract from the real important issues.
To this administration ALL scandals and coverups are fake.
Rangel is nothing more than a nutty old black man.
Rangel is a criminal and a racist. If anyone did what he did we would be in prison for years. Rangel hurts this country.
The Republicans Ended Segregation Mr Rangel. There was never a party switch look at all the civil rights laws they were passed by Republicans in the 1960s. What year was the switch. How come Robert Byrd A Democrat who voted against it did not switch. AL Gore Sr Democrat did not switch who voted against it. He is Al Gores Dad.
I would compare it more to a hostage situation. The GOP is holding the country hostage and refusing to help move the country forward because they don't like the President or their corporate handlers don't like the President.
Charming fellow this congressman.
He's right. He's not the most likable person in the world, but he's right.
Gee this is a good way to start working together for this country. Grow up kiddies and act your age.
Rangel is a race baiting tax cheating piece of trash, throw him out of congress for all his ethics violations and never print his hate speech again. HE is THE example of politicians who break the law and get off with zero penalty, if any of us had cheated on our taxes the way he did we would be in prison.
well said Charlie but prepare to here the insults for your tax issues re: your properties. Nonetheless, the truth is the truth. It was Bin Laden that openly admitted Al Qaeda couldn't destroy this country of infidels in direct combat but the plan would be to destroy the U.S. financial and lil Dubya and Darth Cheney did all they could to comply. Speak to that GOP/Tea folks ! ! ! ! Bet you will just "hem and haw" about Obama being bad blah blah..
This coming from a guy who has been in the Congress for 44 years and has accomplished little, except having tax issues when he was in charge of the committee responsible for the tax code
It's time for Charlie to retire , open a jazz club in the Dominican Republic.
Go fishing with John McCain .
What a complete bigot.
I hate to agree with the sleazy Rangel, but I am glad he spoke out.
Its about time someone called it like it is. terrorest.
I find Rangel to be nothing more than a race baiting crook. He has been in government a lifetime and yet the African American community is worse off than it ever was. Rangel and the Democratic party are absolute failures. The inner cities and the education system has been controlled by liberals and democrats for decades yet what progress has been achieved. Look to Detroit to see what democratic party lies has led to. I still remember a few years back when the crook Rangel was crying while being censured for his ethical failures.
Here is a person who has spent 40 years in Congress, owns foreign vacation homes, and cheats on his taxes. Now he shows his leadership by calling his political opponents racists and terrorists in order to incite hatred and division? Rangel, Weiner and Spitzer...these are the men New Yorkers choose for leadership?
Rangel is 100% correct, and I've been saying the same thing for years. The GOP / Teabaggers are nothing more than domestic terrorists, holding the country hostage to push their version of Sharia law.
Charlie Rangel is a racist pure and simple. IIt's not ok for him to call (white) people names and get away with it, but I'm not allowed to call him anything. He's a cheat and swindler who keeps getting elected by being a race baiter and low information voters keep electing him.
It's interesting that Rangel, a black man, can use derogatory words to describe white people...analogous to the N word...without any repercussions or outcry. Double standard...
Rep Rangel is absolutely correct. He should have added that the NRA right wing nuts in this country have more guns than international terrorists in the Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan combined.
Rangel........as a black racist in America, is far MORE of a terrorist within......than all republicans combined.
Rangle is part of the nutty left wing liberals that has hijacked the democractic party. This element of liberals are nothing but a bunch of intolrant bigots who will say anything to get their way. I hope one day the people of america will turn their backs on these radicals in both parties. This is what is causing this climate of bad politics in our country. The bomb throwers in the GOP and Democractic party should be shunned.
Where is the outrage over this bigots comments?