"You say... 'Steve.. how can I be a millionaire... and never pay taxes?' First... get a million dollars. Now... you say, 'Steve... what do I say to the tax man when he comes to my door and says, "You... have never paid taxes"?' Two simple words. Two simple words in the English language: 'I forgot!' How many times do we let ourselves get into terrible situations because we don't say 'I forgot'? Let's say you're on trial for armed robbery. You say to the judge, 'I forgot armed robbery was illegal.' Let's suppose he says back to you, 'You have committed a foul crime. You have stolen hundreds and thousands of dollars from people at random, and you say, "I forgot"?' Two simple words: 'Excuuuuuse me!!'"
Just
an old Steve Martin routine that I'll never forget and that sprang to mind once again just now... when I read
this story about how Charles Rangel is getting off the hook for his tax problems.
ADDED:
Glenn Reynolds says:[I]f I were the GOP I'd put together an ad featuring Biden's credit-card connections, Dodd's sweetheart mortgage scandal, and Rangel's ongoing problems and run it all over. I can't believe they won't do something like that, since it's a gimme, and I'm surprised that the Dems couldn't get him out of the picture.
Posts
101 comments:
I loved Steve Martin's stand-up work. I had them on 8-track in junior high school.
Carly Fiorina was asked if Palin could've run a corporation. She said no.
But I'm sure Charlie Rangel could.
It says more about Nancy Pelosi than it does about Rangel. She refuses to dump him.
Classic.
But I don't think Rangel is off the hook. Maybe with his cronies in Congress, where all the bums should be tossed out. But the Feds haven't stopped the long process towards charging him, have they?
Remember Ann's coverage of the Abramoff scandal? Me neither.
Holy cow, for a split second I thought that was going to be a "Steve Martin has died" post. phew!
If Obama wants to come back in the polls, he'd demand Rangel step down.
Grandmother's Song:
"Be courteous, kind and forgiving,
Be gentle and peaceful each day,
Be warm and human and grateful,
And have a good thing to say.
"Be thoughtful and trustful and childlike,
Be witty and happy and wise,
Be honest and love all your neighbors,
Be obsequious, purple, and clairvoyant.
"Be pompous, obese, and eat cactus,
Be dull, and boring, and omnipresent,
Criticize things you don't know about,
Be oblong and have your knees removed.
"Be tasteless, rude, and offensive,
Live in a swamp and be three dimensional,
Put a live chicken in your underwear,
Get all excited and go to a yawning festival."
The Great Flydini on the Tonight Show.
Doyle: There was this, to refresh your memory -- featuring good old Quxxo (as Jacques Cuze).
Remember when Abramoff was the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee? Me neither.
Charles Rengel spent 4 years fighting in Korea being awarded a Bronze Star with Valor and didn't have any rental units. To question this war hero's honor after leading 40 men in freezing weather out of a Chinese Army encirclement goes beyond the pale. Sickening. Disgusting.
Remember back when Doyle wasn't a giant, bleeding hemorrhoid? Me neither.
George - I had never seen that before. That was hilarious - and no dialog! Thanks for sharing.
Oh, shut up, garage.
Hey, Hillary lost! Haha.
Remember when media pointed out that Barack Obama is knee-deep in friends, supporters, and campaign officials involved in the sub-prime mortgage scandals? Me neither.
Palladian
So you hate our troops, or you love the Chinese Red Army? Which is it?
Doyle said...
Remember Ann's coverage of the Abramoff scandal? Me neither.
Which scandal? You're talking about his outfit, right?
Jeff...a pastor like you should not be watching that kind of a video.
I forgot is good. But a sincere I'm sorry is even better. Contrition, Charlie. Just show contrition and all will be forgiven. Don't think it'll work? Just watch him go that route and walk away scot free.
garage mahal said... Charles Rengel spent 4 years fighting in Korea being awarded a Bronze Star with Valor..
Which just goes to show you how racist America is. The White soldiers in the Korean war fought no more than 3 years from June 25, 1950 until the armistice signed on July 27, 1953.
But the black man was forced to fight an extra year!!
To question this war hero's honor ..
Did you feel the same way about Randy Duke Cunningham?
Doyle said...
Remember Ann's coverage of the Abramoff scandal? Me neither.
If memory serves me right, jsut as many Democrats as Republicans would have been ensnared in that scandal. Good old Jack played both sides of the aisle.
Charles Rengel spent 4 years fighting in Korea being awarded a Bronze Star with Valor and didn't have any rental units. To question this war hero's honor after leading 40 men in freezing weather out of a Chinese Army encirclement goes beyond the pale. Sickening. Disgusting.
By that standard, we should let Randy Cunningham out of jail. Being a war hero doesn't excuse you from obeying the law.
Besides, the Korean War didn't last 4 years.
That would be a suicidal ad for the GOP. Because the obvious response ad by the Obama campaign would be to remind people that McCain failed to pay taxes for years on his condo in La Jolla, CA. Then we get back to talking about all of McCain's houses.
The McCain campaign would be smarter to just let that one lay there.
"Besides, the Korean War didn't last 4 years."
Give garage a break, librulz don't know about scary warz!! Warz iz for reTHUGz!!1
The absolutely best part of the Rangel scandal, which I read over the weekend via Drudge, is that whenever he called over to the Dominican to get info on that property of his, they would bust out in Spanish.
Because, you know, he's the only person in New York who couldn't find a Spanish-speaker to help him with the translation.
They say Pelosi will cut him loose by Friday. We'll see. Instapundit's suggestion is exactly the way to go 'til whenever.
Cheers,
Victoria
The McCain campaign would be smarter to just let that one lay there.
But then, if they went there again, there's Freddie Mac and Fannie Mac, which Obama has yet to comment on. Gee, wonder why.
We can play this game all day.
Maybe the reason Obama won't denounce Rangel and the reason that Pelosi won't dump him is that Rangel is actually Barack Obama's father! I mean, it's possible, which meets the Andrew Sullivan standard for evidence. I think the Atlantic should run with the story.
Fannie Mae. I have too much Mac on the McBrain.
"We can play this game all day."
All day? I'm afraid we're going to be playing this game until November.
"I forgot". Hmm I am going to try and remember that.
Which just goes to show you how racist America is. The White soldiers in the Korean war fought no more than 3 years from June 25, 1950 until the armistice signed on July 27, 1953.
Correction: Rengel served in the Army from 1948 to 1952. Anyways you one of the troop haters too? Diminishing the service of a war hero now? Questioning his length of service fighting commies?
And I'm NOT saying your unpatriotic, or hate our troops.
Garage,
Fomer Ways and Means chair Dan Rostenkowski was a veteran too. What does that have to do with being corrupt? Danny boy went to prison.
…is that Rangel is actually Barack Obama's father! I mean, it's possible, which meets the Andrew Sullivan standard for evidence. I think the Atlantic should run with the story.
And baby Barak was smuggled out of Harlem to Chicago where he grew up. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
Jeff ... a pastor like you should not be watching that kind of a video.
Oh, the Bible's full of sax and violins. And humor, too -- but it's harder to pick up without knowing the historical contexts.
I think this bit is a great one -- Ed MacMahon bust a gut laughing, and Johnny almost choked on his cigarette.
Remember Ann's coverage of the Abramoff scandal? Me neither.
Is that the same Abramoff who donated $36,000 to Charles Rangel? Yeah -- let's talk about that. :)
He kept the money, by the way.
I was touched by the story in Martin's autobiography (highly recommended) that when he first went on the Tonight Show in the early 70s, Carson wasn't very impressed, and Martin was relegated to appearing when Johnny was out.
At this point he'd had some moderate success and could have walked away, but he went back to work on his material and skills, worked hard, and got another chance to prove what he could do.
Because the obvious response ad by the Obama campaign would be to remind people that McCain failed to pay taxes for years on his condo in La Jolla, CA.
The McCains were delinquent in property tax payments. Rangel "forgot" to tell the IRS about his income in the first place. If he had reported it and then failed to send in the check on time, this wouldn't be much of a scandal -- he would just pay the penalties for late payment and go about his business.
I'm a homeowner, as I'm sure many people here are. If I don't pay property taxes, I get hit by steeper and steeper fines. This appears to be what happened to the McCains.
I'm also a taxpayer. If I "forget" to tell the IRS about $75,000 of my income, I go to prison. Rangel has to endure snarky remarks on the internet.
Then we get back to talking about all of McCain's houses.
There's a reason Obama dropped the "McCain's houses" line of attack: nobody cared.
Victoria:
Barack Obama DID talk about Fannie and Freddy yesterday.
He questioned why so many of their lobbyists are working for the McCain campaign. His best line was, "If you believe that they are working for John McCain so he can put them out of business then I've got a bridge to sell you. It's up there in Alaska."
See it on U-tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMYa9nQnoUA
Garage,
You left out the Purple Heart. He was awarded that for a wound. Just so ya know.
I'm surprised that the Dems couldn't get him out of the picture.
Aren't we entitled to know what deal did Rangel make to get a free pass?
Anybody with subpoena powers?.. Oh, it must be against the rules of the house to subpoena yourself.
Correction: Rengel served in the Army from 1948 to 1952. Anyways you one of the troop haters too? Diminishing the service of a war hero now? Questioning his length of service fighting commies?
And I'm NOT saying your unpatriotic, or hate our troops.
You never answered the question about Randy "Duke" Cunningham. After all, he was the Navy's only ace in the Vietnam war. That solidifies his hero status. He was forced to resign from Congress and go to jail for violating the law. Does the law only apply to Republican war heros or should it also apply to Rangel?
If the GOP was smart... NEVERMIND!!!
Speaking of McCain ads,
he is running ads on Spanish language radio (hat tip to my bilingual friend Tedski) blaming Obama for blocking his immigration reform plan last year (even though Obama supported it), and promising to continue to push for it, even while he is saying in English that he no longer supports it and would now vote against the bill he wrote last year.
That's a man who stands on principle, all right. He tells people who speak Spanish what they want to hear in Spanish, and then tells people who would flip a gasket if they heard that exactly the opposite in English.
To be honest, do you even KNOW what exactly John McCain would do if he did become President? Maybe the real plan is written in Athabascan so nobody can figure it out.
Thank goodness Obama is so clear. Dare I use the word "Swahili"? No, that would be racist.
He questioned why so many of their lobbyists are working for the McCain campaign.
They should just ask Obama to return the money they gave him. Then they wouldn't HAVE to work. :)
Charlie Rangel is a complicated guy.
He's both a war hero and a goniff.
"This is a storm the likes of which almost none of us have ever lived through before," said James A. Wilcox, professor of banking and finance at the Haas School of Business at University of California-Berkeley. "It is clearly the worst since the 1930s."
"It's clear this is going to be a very difficult next six months,'' said Mark Zandi of economy.com. "The markets are in turmoil, we're losing jobs, the unemployment rate is going to rise steadily throughout the period. It won't be until 2010 until the economy finds its groove.''
“Now the wealth effect is running in reverse. ‘The headline I have been saying to people is that today we learned we are a lot less wealthy as a country than we thought we were,’ said Stephen Levy of the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy.”
If I were Obama, I'd buy a wheelchair and start smoking Luckies with a long cigarette holder. A small dog would help, too.
And then he could pick it up by the ears-wait wrong damn warmongering Dem...
Remember back when Doyle wasn't a giant, bleeding hemorrhoid?
No, but sometimes I feel nostalgic for the days he was a skidmark on crusty underwear.
Then there's Lincoln he had a pet river otter, but he was a Republican.
If memory serves me right, just as many Democrats as Republicans would have been ensnared in that scandal.
I forgot!. Let me remind you! Let's talk about who was ensnared. As in convicted. Two White House officials. Republicans. Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio). Shall I also remind you how nicely tied Rep. Delay (R-Texas) was to Mr. Abramoff? And all the other Republicans who were convicted?
I haven't looked long -- about to teach a class -- but I can't find any Democrats who were convicted in that particular scandal. Please list them if you can.
...if I were the GOP I'd put together an ad featuring Biden's credit-card connections, Dodd's sweetheart mortgage scandal, and Rangel's ongoing problems and run it all over. I can't believe they won't do something like that, since it's a gimme, and I'm surprised that the Dems couldn't get him out of the picture.
Echo. Remind America that the Democrats have been in control of Congress.
Makes the down-ticket disaster for the Dems even more likely.
Tie in Obama's $1 million earmarks per day as a Senator.
[...]
Meanwhile, Team Obama is "redeploying" from the battleground state of Virginia to the battleground Pennsylvania.
Larry J
To answer your question of course Rengel's military service has nothing to do with him obeying laws. It was an obvious swipe at McCain and Republicans shielding McCain from any criticism because he was a POW. A far as crooked Democrats, throw em all out. And I'm one. A Democrat. But not crooked.
Peter
I had never actually looked into Rengel's military career before now, and he did get a Purple Heart too. I always liked Rengel and I've seen him Kudlow before and they seem to love the guy.
Why must Dems ALWAYS play the Tu Quoque fallacy? Why can't they simply call a spade a spade?
I remember concservatives here being very harsh re GOP congress-critters who where busted. I eve said they should be taken out back and shot.
Barack Obama DID talk about Fannie and Freddy yesterday.
Wow, one of the biggest bail-outs in US history, and Obama takes what, 3 weeks to comment on it?
I'm taking it he didn't mention his connexions to the scandal-tainted people in his own campaign?
From Instapundit, a reader makes this ad about it:
James A. Johnson - former Fannie Mae CEO and Obama Advisor
Just cost you billions in taxes
Franklin Raines – former Fannie Mae CEO and Obama Advisor
Just cost you billions in taxes
Barack Obama – If we can’t afford his advisors, how can we afford him?
And then people diss Palin when she thinks the better of a Gibson treatment for 11 days.
Cheers,
Victoria
Ya does anybody remember the charges that were dropped against Conrad Burns?
Well no right because that only happened conveniently after he lost the election.
That didn't make the National Network news.
Ya does anybody remember the charges that were dropped against Conrad Burns?
The father from Diff'rent Strokes?
Fen said:
"Meanwhile, Team Obama is "redeploying" from the battleground state of Virginia to the battleground Pennsylvania.'
So that means PA is a firewall huh. I have not heard that term since Hillary's burnt like a crisp.
Let me remind you! Let's talk about who was ensnared. As in convicted. Two White House officials. Republicans. Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio). Shall I also remind you how nicely tied Rep. Delay (R-Texas) was to Mr. Abramoff?
Isn't it dishonest to throw DeLay in a list of people "ensnared, as in convicted" as a result of the Abramoff scandal? DeLay hasn't even been charged, let alone convicted, of criminal activity in the Abmramoff case.
Anyway, Peter was sort of correct. While more Republicans than Democrats were involved, plenty of big-name Democrats were involved as well, including Harry Reid and Charles Rangel. That's why the scandal never went much of anywhere -- it would have been a Pyrrhic victory for the Democratic leadership.
vbspurs-
Senator from Montana between that and macaca Republicans lost the senate.
Speaking of which-if you are a freshman House member in one of the older demographic states of oh, say Florida or PA you should be checking your shorts right about now.
Larry J
To answer your question of course Rengel's military service has nothing to do with him obeying laws. It was an obvious swipe at McCain and Republicans shielding McCain from any criticism because he was a POW. A far as crooked Democrats, throw em all out. And I'm one. A Democrat. But not crooked.
Fine, we've agreed that if Rangel broke the law, he should be thrown out of office and prosecuted. Your earlier posts suggested that Rangel's distinguished service in the Korean War made him above reproach.
No politician is above the law or above reproach - period.
Heh, Madawaskan. Was trying to make a wee jokey. Thanks though. :)
…is that Rangel is actually Barack Obama's father! I mean, it's possible, which meets the Andrew Sullivan standard for evidence. I think the Atlantic should run with the story.
Bella Abzug the mom?
Why can't they simply call a spade a spade?
Racist.
Larry, guys:
Your earlier posts suggested that Rangel's distinguished service in the Korean War made him above reproach.
No, dude. He was trying to cynically use the argument that a man must have his service to his country taken into account. He was suggesting that trumps everything negative in a person's life, BECAUSE that's what he thinks Republicans are saying about McCain. So what's sauce for the goose, etc. etc.
IOW, it was sarcasm, not his opinion...
Hillary-
If she had campaigned for the small caucus states and if the Florida and Michigan debacle hadn't have happened with the momentum of -particularly Florida, we wouldn't have Senator Obama as the nominee.
Obama is lucky that's one thing Republicans shouldn't forget.
vbspurs
Cripes!
I hate when I'm obtuse-it happens.
Hell somebody remembers Bella Abzug!?
Five Rengels and a your? This is not the Garage I know.
What would K**LOV**E say?
At least the Dems have a record of accomplishment to run on. "After two years of control in both houses of Congress, we are cleaning up the culture of corruption!
Well, the cleaning-up part is accurate.
Hell somebody remembers Bella Abzug!?
I was being interviewed one time, and I noticed the guy suspected I was Conservative from my answers. You can't ask a specific political question, so he decided to get cute with me. He threw me a curve ball.
He: "If you had to choose one person from history who would LEAST represent your values, or personality, who would it be?"
Me: "Bella Abzug"
It took me 3 seconds to come up with the response. I didn't get the job. I'm sure for other reasons.
Cheers,
Victoria
Victoria, I am sure you didn't get it because of your strawberry blond hair...
What-not Hitler?
How 'bout Pol Pot?
But then that would be playing it safe...perhaps.
Ga!
I'm waiting for the MSM to run endless stories on how this paints all Demos as corrput. You know, they way they always do when a rethuglican screws up.
As someone who stays away from almost all blogs and only reads Althouse (and a blog on tablet pc's) with any regularity I appreciate Ms. Althouse reminding me of the existence of Instapundit.
Does anyone think it is a coincidence that a financial/investment firm that has been in existence for over 150 years (think of it, the company navigated the Civil War, WWI, the Depression, WWII, the turmoil of the 60s, the financial disasters of the 70's, 9-11, etc.) has gone belly up now? Could the most extreme and pervasive symbiosis between Wall Street, K street, and government in my lifetime have anything to do with it?
"If you had to choose one person from history who would LEAST represent your values, or personality, who would it be?"
Herod the Great.
Let him work on that one for a while.
vbspurs said...
Carly Fiorina was asked if Palin could've run a corporation. She said no.
But I'm sure Charlie Rangel could.
Fiorina said Obama, Biden, and McCain also lack the quals to run a large corporation.
Go figure!!!
In other news, former Senator Frist is rumored to have said that Palin, Obama, McCain, and Biden lack the quals to do open heart surgery.
(In fact Palin is the only one of the 4 that has any business experience, serving as business manager of a small fishing fleet)
Quals for being president are different than being a CEO. We have only had two of those "real CEOs and Noble Entrepreneurs - Herbert Hoover and HW Bush. Both no great shakes as Prez, both defeated when running for reelection.
Naturally, those in the tank for Obama are treating Fiorina's statement of truth as a huge gaffe. Israeli Wolf Blitzer thinks it discredited Palin....
We had a bona fide whiz with Mitt Romney - Republicans rejected him.
==================
Most of the Fannie and Freddie Mac execs were Dem appointees. Democrats involved in the bailout were most concerned that such great loyal Dems get their golden parachutes.
Charlie Rangel did a little small scale cheating on his taxes.
As I recollect, so did the Reagans and the Clintons. And paid penalties.
Its chickenshit compared to the real corruption.
Of the Revolving Door which enriched the likes of Billy Tausind and Denny Hastert. Or the nepotism that had Sen Feinstein channeling hundreds of millions to her billionaire husbands defense businesses, Daschle having his lawyer wife collecting a million for being a lobbyist to his own Transporation Committee, the 6 DeLay family members feeding at the K-Street trough Tom DeLay set up.
Considering that Senator Obama had both disgraced of FREDFAN on his payroll, he would be well advised not to push this issue--But being the clueless person he is, he will. And he still has to explain, I think, why both he and Senator Biden are the top recepients of FREDFAN contributions (McCain, being number 8)
Victoria, I am sure you didn't get it because of your strawberry blond hair...
Wow, someone's been reading my comments closely. ;)
(Actually, that was indiscrete of me. I won't mention any private details about my physique in future)
OK--I will come to the (halfhearted) defense of Rep Rangel..Yes he served gallantly as a soldier and thats all to his credit. But he, like most of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle represent Washington politics. The republicans richly deserved their electoral fate; it just hasnt caught up the democrats.
And yes--I join Cedarfords critique of the system. Our political culture in Washington is corrupt with very few exceptions. Rangel isnt one of the bad guys.
Could the most extreme and pervasive symbiosis between Wall Street, K street, and government in my lifetime have anything to do with it?
Let me add the media to the above described undifferentiated symbiotic mass that has helped create the current challenging economic topography.
Glenn Reynolds is an idiot.
krylovite: Glenn Reynolds is an idiot.
Thats a disqualifer. Why don't you do a blogging heads against him? You can even pick the topic, Micheal.
"(Actually, that was indiscrete of me. I won't mention any private details about my physique in future)"
Thank God, that third nipple thing fell under the To Much Information act of 1986.
Look, I like Charlie Rangel. I do not agree with his policies, but I like the guy.
However, he is a servant of the people; as such he is to be held to a higher standard. He is on the committee that writes the tax laws and regulations that the rest of us have to abide by.
I have no pity for Charlie Rangel. He is also an attorney and former US prosecutor, so he should know better; the excuse that I'm an unorganized idiot just does not fly.
There are also the ethical and legal problems regarding his apartment(s) and office in Harlem.
He should resign from his leadership role or be thrown off.
How is it that the fact that Obama is #2 behind Dodd in receiving bribes from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac not front page news?
The reason Obama doesn't want an investigation (which, by the way, is a really dumb idea of McCain's for other reasons--namely because it shows he doesn't have the balls to actually call Obama out) is that he'd be smack in the middle. Add in the Rezko crap and Obama looks even worse.
as such he is to be held to a higher standard.
I don't; I want him to be held to the same standard as everyone else. Fat chance at that.
what Joe said--look at the link on Glenns blog--McCain nails Obama hard--Obama wasnt there to vote for the stimulus packsage, is right behind Chris Dodd in FANFRED money, and appointed the former CEOS of both organizations to his campaign. That is change you can believe in. Obama is a cheap Chicago pol. an empty suit. Glad to see McCain going after his sorry ass.
Bought and paid for.
"as such he is to be held to a higher standard".
I want him to be held to the same standard as everyone else.
I'd be happy to see him held to any standard at all. :)
Carly Fiorina was asked if Palin could've run a corporation.
Carly Fiorina couldn't run a large corporation, so it's no surprise she thinks nobody else can.
Joe said...
How is it that the fact that Obama is #2 behind Dodd in receiving bribes from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac not front page news?
There is a vast left wing conspiracy. They have determined that it is more important to make history than to elect honest, experienced, and qualified people to high public office. The only reason Obama is the chosen one is because Buckwheat is dead.
That is change you can believe in. Obama is a cheap Chicago pol. an empty suit. Glad to see McCain going after his sorry ass.
Been saying that all along. Everybody keeps attacking it. The guy is bought and paid for by the Chicago Democratic Macine.
There are many things that Glenn Reynolds is not - he is not a photographer, despite his protestations that "his friends like his pictures". He is not a hack, unlike his leftist counterparts. He is pro-choice, so he is not a right-to-lifer. I could go on, but most of all, he is not an idiot. Nor does he need me to defend him - just look at what he accomplishes on a daily basis, then look at your pathetic life, then shut the heck up.
Thats a disqualifer. Why don't you do a blogging heads against him?
I agree, I'd be fantastic on bloggingheads!
It makes sense for me to start my bloggingheads career against rightwing lightweights like Glenn Reynolds. Then I can take on the heavyweights like Jonah Goldberg. Just promise not to cry when I take down all of your heroes in the idiot brigade.
Hmmmm.
Personally I like Rangel's "and they started speaking Spanish" angle.
Yes Mr. IRS-Man I was trying to pay my taxes but then my accountants started speaking Spanish ...
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