AP: NY congressman Rangel says no offense intended with Mississippi remark

[DeepModem Mom]

NY congressman says no offense intended with Mississippi remark
EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. - A Democratic congressman from New York says he wasn't trying to insult Mississippi in published remarks Thursday, but a Republican colleague from Mississippi says Rep. Charles Rangel should apologize to the state.

Rangel, D-N.Y., was quoted in a Thursday article in The New York Times, saying: "Mississippi gets more than their fair share back in federal money, but who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?"

Rep. Chip Pickering, R-Miss., issued a news release criticizing Rangel's words.

"I hope his remarks are not the kind of insults, slander, and defamation that Mississippians will come to expect from the Democrat leadership in Washington, D.C.," Pickering said.

Elbert Garcia, Rangel's press secretary in New York, said Rangel had received calls Thursday about the Mississippi quote.

Garcia e-mailed The Associated Press a response from Rangel: "I certainly don't mean to offend anyone, I just love New York so much that I can't understand why everyone wouldn't want to live here."...

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/state/15972549.htm

[Arkana]

1. And so it begins.

Expect to hear the GOP heads start squawking over this one on Friday.

[ShortnFiery]

4. Not a problem, we (The Democratic Incoming Leader) control the

News focus. It's simple, don't address it other than an aside - misstatement. ;)

Hell, if Dear Leader wants us to believe that he selected Gates to replace Rumsfeld weeks ago, :wtf: DON'T LET THE MEDIA GUIDE YOUR BUSINESS now that the Democrats are in the Majority.

[NYC Liberal]

29. Rangel ought to say that the Republicans are simply mad that they lost

"Sore losers"

...hey, if it works for them. Shove it back in their faces. :shrug:

[ShortnFiery]

2. Well he has a point, but didn't the republicans call us whiners when

we would correct them on their politically incorrect comments?

[blm]

30. Good thing he didn't say it LAST WEEK - he would have gotten KILLED here at DU by those

who readily buy into the Corporate media spin cycle against Democrats.

[Xipe Totec]

3. Ok. Everybody in Mississippi,

Don't vote for Charlie Rangel.

The rest of you, carry on.

:dem:

[hedgehog]

6. I nominate this for the best response!

Given all the rude remarks I've heard about livng in New York City or State, all I can say is if you can't take it, don't dish it out!

On edit - Rangel went on to add "I just love New York so much that I can't understand why everyone wouldn't want to live here."

[Tight_rope]

5. He's right! "who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?"

:shrug::shrug::shrug:

[oasis]

26. John Kerry has an idea where the uneducated Mississippians end up.

:hide:

[cassiepriam]

7. Nit pick over minutia while the repugs are murduring, torturing

and raping Iraqi men, women and children.

[goforit]

8. This is what I was afraid of......NAME CALLING!!!

[Straight Shooter]

9. All you Dems just walk around and never crack a joke, ever ever ever.

Because we've learned that elephants don't have thick skins, after all. Talk about straining at gnats. :eyes:

Maybe a person wouldn't want to live in Mississippi because that's Frickering Pickering's home state?

[spag68]

10. I've been to Miss. many times

and the people are really ok. That said there's a kind of old south dust and some leftover racism there that is hard to take at times.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

11. I'm very concerned about Mr. Rangels comments.

He should apologize to the troops.

[stillcool]

12. hee-he-he...

looks like he just lost his chances for 08!!

[barb162]

27. I think you're right. Maybe people in Mississippi feel the same

way about NY, but they're too polite to say it.

[Hosnon]

13. Ass - When will Dems learn how to win in the South? nt

[enki23]

14. well, there's always alabama

[alcibiades_mystery]

15. Feigned outrage to follow

OK. OK. It's impolite to say such things. Yes. Even if people in 49 states kinda agree. Alright. Forty-eight. The people of Alabama probably would want to live in Mississippi, if only they could spell it...

(Oh, eat me. I kid...)

:crazy:

[LonelyLRLiberal]

16. In Arkansas, we always say, "Thank God for Mississippi."

That's because Mississippi comes in 50th in a lot of categories, while Arkansas comes in 49th.

Mississippi is okay except for the Republican-ness of the place. Lots of poverty contrasted with wealthy tycoons.

On the good side: Lots of good Southern writers, quirky places like Belzoni, "the Catfish Capital of the World," where the little downtown area sports lots of painted catfishes (like the horses and cows you see in places in Texass). Good place for the Blues greats - Clarksdale, MS. Ole Miss, where tailgate parties are taken to a new level of fanciness. Jackson, where the ladies dress up in full war paint and jewelry to go to Piggly Wiggly or Kroger.

As they say in Mississippi, "Bless his heart, he just doesn't know any better."

[nealmhughes]

17. I think that he wasn't raised right, bless his heart.

[LonelyLRLiberal]

18. "Poor thing!"

"Didn't stand a chance!"

[Hosnon]

33. Here's why I'm so pissed off about this:

We in Mississippi had to watch every news station drum up lists of WHY Mississippi is soooooo awesome.

Everyone was falling over each other trying to prove how great the state is...it was kinda funny.


:dunce:

[yellowcanine]

19. Well he probably shouldn't have put it that way but who does want to live there?

It's hot, it's sticky, they get hurricanes and floods and it has some of the worst schools in the country.

[bobbieinok]

20. during the Civil Rights Movement of the 60s, I developed a 'fear' of

MS.

I had 2 male friends in grad school who took part in Mississippi Summer in 1964. Shortly after they arrived in MS, it was reported that 3 workers had disappeared in Philadelphia MS; their bodies were discovered later. Of course, these were Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaney. But until their names were released, I feared my friends might be 2 of the 3.

Even today, my first reaction to MS reflects this remembered fear.

[Catherine Vincent]

21. He's right.

I've never lived there but if you ask, the majority of people living elsewhere would not pick Mississippi and several other states and not all of them are in the south.

[Mass]

22. When is Hillary going to say it is inappropriate?\nt

[JudyM]

23. I hope we don't hear that from her again in reference to a fellow Dem.

[wisteria]

24. He has insulted the good people of Miss. suggesting that Miss. is

uninhabitable and populated with unfriendly people forced to live there. He owes the whole state an apology. We demand an apology for these insulting comments.
Now, where is the media outrage and the spin?

What is that you say? This is Rangel not Kerry so it is ok for him to misspeak and be human.:sarcasm:

[txindy]

25. LOL You know, I'll bet they would spin it that way, but for one thing.

Katrina. There are so many ways this admin.'s failure to handle that situation can be pointed out in any reference to Mississippi or other Gulf Coast states hit by that storm. I wouldn't want to live along the Gulf Coast in ANY state, including Texas, with the threat of global warming, hurricanes, and repub ineptitude. It's not worth the worry.

Now, will the repubs voluntarily bring up those Katrina images by mentioning Mississippi just to attack Rangel? :shrug: Even they may not be that stupid.

[wisteria]

28. No, they can get Hannity or Limbaugh to do it for them.

Only kidding. You are right, ofcourse.

[rinsd]

31. Jesus Christ, do Dems have foot in mouth disease when it comes to making jokes?

Can someone get Whoopie, Robin and Billy to help these morons out when its come to jokes.

Jokes about Republicans especially Bush will fly.

Jokes about States/Troops/Ethnic groups do not.

How fucking hard is that.

And I know this is a tempest in a teapot but it hands a wounded beast some ammo.

[wisteria]

34. Well in that case kerry's joke was OK, it was about Bush and not the

troops. Please stop repeating lies. Thank you.

[rinsd]

35. I am not repeating lies

Kerry screwed up his joke.

These people need professional comedic help.

[Superman Returns]

32. Rangel is Right

Reminds me of that Ann Coulter quote when she said that New Yorkers were cowards and would run away from an invasion while Mississippians would stay and fight. PSssssss. Those Confederate Traitors.

[hurtsolong]

37. Ann Coulter is not in Congress. Rangel is a congressman.

It was a mistake, a stupid mistake by Rangel. And this has to occur right after the Democrats won both Houses! Such a careless, irresponsible and idiotic statement from Rangel.

[FrenchieCat]

38. At least his did his statement AFTER the election,

so we will survive. But he can hang it up if he was seeking the Presidency in 2008. Ain't gonna happen Charlie, so give it up. Just concentrate on what you were elected to do.....kick some ass ASAP!

[sebastianj333]

36. Yep he screwed up...he and Kerry need some lessons

Let's hope Democrats don't catch Bush's speaking disease!