"The leadership has failed.
Even so, the leadership can and must be recreated from the masses and out of the masses."
Rosa Luxemburg

Charles Rangel if he was effective at one time,
is a total failure and sounded like a cornered rat.

Can't wait to vote this criminal out of office.

Derrick from Harlem
one might wonder why rangel would come on wnyc if "the ratings of WNYC compare to about opening your window and yelling out it to the street."
i've read the comments page for years and i've seen the number of comments go over 100 many many times so 39 is nothing
you can "admire a Congressman" but you should not deny others for wanting change especially when it comes to this snake oil salesman. THAT said he'll win, no one in NY-15 cares about his honestly.

Hahahhahahahahahahahahahaha!

You're never alone when you're a schitzophrenic...

Sophie and Jay you seem so.... similar! LOL!

Hey Jay, we've been busted! lol

LMAO...
You caught me... I wasted my morning posting under 23 names. Bravo. You're a genius. You deserve Mr. Rangel as a congressman.

Finally someone said what I thought about WNYC for a long time. Thank you Derrick.

"j f" and "Sophie" do you think it's impossible for someone to admire a Congressman? Or are you working for the other side. Good luck with your multiple posts. You have an interesting choice of 23 names. At least I stuck with one:)

"Derrick from Harlem" are you related to Rangel?

Hey Derrick - if that's your real name...
Do you work for Rangel?

First of all, this entire comment section on this segment is a sham. These comment sections day in day out, get but a few comments. That's because the ratings of WNYC compare to about opening your window and yelling out it to the street. Now you have 39 comments? Guaranteed: not one other segment will get near that amount of comments. You'll say it was politically charged? Bogus. There is no accountability on this site to register as unique visitors. You simply keep on changing your name on the page and reposting. To put forward the idea that this reflects some kind of truth about 39 individual users and comments as about as truthful as creating wierd back door constructs and insinuations to cast someone in a disreputable light, without a smoking gun or piece of evidence, just artistically constructed impugning through implication. How do you like them words? But this is WNYC and this is WBAI: truth is not the forefront. The forefront is proving your presupposed thesis that you and the producers come up with before you even get on the air, once you get on the air. If Congressman Rangel was whisked in and out of a speech in the Caribbean over one day, which was annoying to him at best, how in the world are you going to make that seem like some donor let him spend a holiday on a tropical isle? If he says he doesn't own four rent controlled properties, that is easily verifiable. But besides Bob Hennelly maybe, this show doesn't do shoes on the street journalism. It sits around with its lattes and pores over newspapers and Internet sites, comes up with a cutesy title and intro, and goes on the air with a thesis that at best tries to prove its own cleverness or trendyness. Simon's comment that Rangel didn't respond to what he'd do if reelected is false: he said he'd bring home the Federal dollars to his district, which he's done for 40 years and which no one can do better. And to the (ahem) other commenter who says he sounds like a caught eight-year-old, actually he sounded like a 40 year veteran Congressman asking for verification of charges, or at least some citation of a journalistic or publication that an interviewer can actually reference. Now it behooves the show to do a piece on the conservative group that is planting these stories on Rangel. But, alas, that would take investigative journalism; i.e., perhaps picking up a telephone, and it's hard to multitask and do that, because how do you balance the frappucino and the telephone at the same time.

I predict that this one will go down in NPR history.

Congressman Rangel is a perfect example of why term limits are necessary for Congress. This man couldn't even come up with a coherent reason to remain in office. With the dodging and weaving in regards to the ethics violations, he should go into boxing.

Allowing Congress to self-police is akin to allowing Financial Services to self-police. The results are the same. The House Ethic Committee is so complicit in protecting each other vs. the the American people. They couldn't even rule on Tom Delay's transgressions. If I were Congressmen Rangel, I would defer to this body to determine my guilt or innocence, too.

i have a new bumper sticker.

NEVER REELECT ANYBODY

this guy sounds like a guilty 8 year old.
NEXT!

Oh, and thank you Brian. Important interview, and a tough one. You handled it as well as I think anyone could without it descending into a brawl.

Wow. I mean really, wow.

"I won't be interrogated?" I don't expect any politician to be squeaky clean. And I know that partisans target prominent members of other parties. But really Mr. Rangel, you should answer these allegations.

I say "should" instead of "need to" because I'm sure Mr. Rangel will be elected again. Certain districts just keep the corrupt guys in, and Rangel's district is one of them.

As for the House Ethics Committee... HA! They are a bunch of politicians who will make their decision on Rangel based upon politics, not facts.

I lived in his district for over 5 years. Charlie Rangle is a big joke! Spanish Harlem and Harlem is a mess in terms of rent, small business growth, drugs and education. Time for him to go!!! We can not keep these kind of lifetime politician they do no good to anyone but themself.

It's.... my Evil Grandma Fannie!

I'm bothered by the allegations about 4 or so rent stabilized apts and failure to report rental income BUT I wonder why all of these allegations came out just as the US elected Obama, whether there's a connection or not. I wonder at all these allegations coming out at the same time -- Somebody REALLY wants Rangel out.
BTW, I find Lehrer's questioning smarmy and snarky but that's nothing new.

Rangel's nickname should be "Smooth Operator." He's hiding something, he's dodging bullets, he's turning on the charm. Politics as usual. Sigh.

Can you ask him about the drum beat for war in Iran?

This man is so corrupt, so arrogant, so entitled, so out of touch it is beyond belief. Thank you Brian for nailing this jerk to the wall. What a lying little worm! He can't even answer a direct question, and doesn't feel he has to answer to you? He wants to talk about why he should be re-elected and you should just do his bidding and not ask real questions? What is he, a Monarch? Rangle, your time is up. How stupid do you think the public is? You're a public figure--you DO have to answer to the public, and that includes the press.

Good ol' Charlie Wrangle... forthright, direct, and honest as ever.

This guy is one of the slipperiest pepople ever to "grace" the halls of Congress. His longtime strategy whenever anyone questions anything he's ever done is to attack the questioner personally and impugn said person's integrity.

Oh, he's a warm and charming fellow as long as you don't expect him to truly to explain himself.

What a slimeball he is and always has been.

Yes, great job on this interview, Brian - you've given him enough rope to hang himself.

Wow. He is just flat out lying about his tax evasion and apartments. "I don't know how else to say it..."
I understand. It's hard to lie.

hahahahahaha
Oh my god!! Oh my god, we should take his word for it!! hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaa. He doesn't even see what he's doing.
Thank you, Brian, you should get an award for this interview, a big important award. Thank you. You tried but the man is there so long he's become solid teflon, hahahahahahahahaha.
I hope this makes You Tube.

I loved & admired Mr. Rangle for years and years. He's broken my heart. Sorry, Charlie. You lost me.

This is when I get a sense of how difficult Brian Lehrer's job is. Not only does Mr. Lehrer have to ask -- diplomatically -- about charges of corruption, he then has to let it go _and_ let go Rangel's ad hominems.

Bravo, Mr. Lehrer! Tough job.

sounds like rangle is hiding something.
i guess if the voters in his district want a sneaky snake oil salesman as their rep that's up the them.

Does he think he's fooling anybody?

Brian, I turned off the radio rather than listen to this man. He is a snake and corrupt as the day is long.

He won't be interrogated? Then why did he agree to be interviewed?

Oh man, this guy pisses me off. ENOUGH of these corrupt politicians. Perhaps he should read the comments on this page to understand which way the wind is blowing.

Damn! So Rangel is just denying that he had FOUR rent-stabilized apartments.

Let's just run his lies on the Lehrer show in the campaign against this greasy liar.

Why does Lehrer have to cite his sources, when Rangel can say "a group of people" found him most effective at getting legislation signed into law?

I'm happy to rain on Rangel's parade. I'm about as liberal/left as you can find in the US (the Sparts are more left-wing than I am), and I saw the charges against Rangel in the New York Times and elsewhere.

The Ethics Committee in the House??? We all know that's one of the _least_ desired seats -- a perfect way to earn the animosity of every other lawmaker.

So Rangel is happy to lap up praise from the press but rejects any bad reports.

A corrupt liar. What a sad come-down for a politician who was once one of the really good guys.

So who trusts Nancy Pelosi? She should go too! See what happened to her yesterday at some meeting she attended? Maybe the American people ARE getting wise to this nonsense. Finally!!

What has he done in Congress since the Dems took the majority in 2006? I expected to hear as much from Charles Rangel as we do from Barney Franks or other committee chairs. I heard nothing from him, then the scandals broke and all he becomes is a defender of himself. What has he done at all to deserve re-election?

Am I the only one who finds his raspy voice like sandpaper on my ears?

It's amazing listening to this guy. He is as indispensable to his constituents as was Arlen Spector.

LOL again. See, he's there so long he's got the script down pat. He's reciting it by memory. Spin, head spinning spin.
How many Bahama mama's can he drink before falling down?
Baloney
My blood pressure is rising at an alarming rate.

Rangel prates about helping us regular folks while he gets THREE rent-stabilized apartments??? What a liar.

I grew up by Columbia University (40 years ago) and Charlie Rangel was in office. It's time for him to gooooo!

Hang it up Chuck... You're a disgrace.

Is Congressman Rangel now sympathetic for us "ordinary citizens" who might make an honest mistake with submitting our taxes but are prosecuted nonetheless? Is there anything he would vow to do if re-elected to address these unfair instances?

Throw him out .... we need somebody new

Perhaps the US is going the way of southern European states, like Greece and Italy, where political corruption is just popularly accepted as Standard Operating Procedure. That would explain the near-total indifference of New Yorkers to Charlie Rangel's clear financial misdeeds. Or tacit acceptance of Chuck Schumer's slavish obedience to Wall Street, Pedro Espada, Blanche Lincoln and on and on.

The tendency of people to identify others' political representatives as the ones that must go is well-documented. But has the evidence of system-wide corruption ever been greater? (At least in the post-WW2 era?)

If we can't get the Rangels and Espadas and Lincolns out now, then when?!

Brian, Please ask Congressman Rangle how many rent controlled or stabilized apartments he has, and why.

It's time for Charlie Rangle to move on and out of congress. It's time for just about all of them to move on. Really, term limits should be instituted for all elective office. Remember, very simply put we all die and so we're all replaceable, so why hang on. Dapper Charlie has filled his pockets well, got "things" named after him, filling his ego and I'm sure he has done some good for his constituency in all those decades. So, now after 30-someodd years... buhbbye Charlie. Let's get some fresh blood in there.