Rangel: Bush 'Impeachable' for Social Security 'Fraud'

[paineinthearse]

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/4/14/125032.shtml

With Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff
For the story behind the story...

Thursday, April 14, 2005 12:15 p.m. EDT
Rangel: Bush 'Impeachable' for Social Security 'Fraud'

Top House Democrat Charlie Rangel said this week that President Bush had committed an "impeachable offense" by trying to destroy the Social Security retirement system, calling Bush's reform plan "a fraud."

In comments to the New York Sun, Rangel blasted the president for trying to "dismantle" Social Security, saying it would hurt black Americans disproportionately. After calling the White House proposal fraudulent, Rangel said Bush's attempt to reform Social Security was an "impeachable offense." For black Americans, the congressman added, the struggle against the proposed changes was "not only a civil-rights fight, but a fight for America."

Rangel called on African-Americans to continue their "missionary" work against the Social Security proposals and likened the effort to marching with Martin Luther King Jr. from Selma to Montgomery. Before raising the spectre of impeachment, the top Democrat told a Town Hall meeting in Harlem that the Bush Social Security plan was both "vicious and mean." "We have to get rid of the bums that are trying to take away from us," Rangel complained, saying he was referring to "people who sleep with Bush, Cheney, Wolfowitz, and the rest of them."

[rodeodance]

1. Go Charlie Go-YES YES

[FreedomAngel82]

4. Sounds good to me

His whole program is a fraud. He has no plan and there is nothing wrong with Social Security. Boxer was on some CSPAN program and was telling how in the 80's they worked with Reagan on fixing it to where it was fine and everything.

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[clovis29]

39. Huh?

I don't understand... I mean, yes, I am sure that is true, but what is the point?

[Guckert]

45. Sorry, Freepers were monitoring this thread here is the link.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1384291/posts

Just a little fun at their expense. i guess i should have splained it better.

[Contrary1]

47. How stupid can these people be?

"Hey, DUmmies! Bush just attended the Pope’s funeral. Why don’t we impeach him for violating the separation of Church and State decree as interpreted by the ACLU? Hey DUmmies! Bush just tossed out the first ball of the season in D.C. last night. Why don’t we impeach Bush for dereliction of duties for spending time at a baseball game instead of attending to his White House business? The list is endless..."

So busy coming up with stupid remarks that they wouldn't know the truth when it slaps them in the face, which it will. Maybe they should stick to the matters that mean the most to them...who their cowboy idol wants to bomb next. Now that's something to rally behind. Sacrificing their children for Shrub's wars is the least they can do.

To use one of their own more profound statements: "And don’t forget to mop up those Urinations of HAPPINESS off the floor."

What idiots.

They are right about one thing though...the list of impeachable offenses is endless.

[brettdale]

2. IMPEACH NOW

sTART THE IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS NOW

[Turn CO Blue]

7. Oh, yes. Getting chills thinking about taking off work to watch

the * Impeachment on CSPAN! Hallelujah! What a day THAT would be!

[renaissanceguy]

33. Maybe more of a reality in '06

when we get back more seats in both houses.


http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues/472476

[BlueIris]

38. Indeed. If we make it that long. n/t

[Clarkie1]

3. Kick and nominated.

Because I like Charlie a whole lot for a whole lot of reasons.

[ReadTomPaine]

12. Gotta love how he gets the issues in the news...

Getting words like "Impeachment" and "Draft" on the floor and in the news is how you start people talking and a consensus moving. He's also one of the most consistently funny and articulate men I've ever seen in government office. He's a gem.

RTP

[HeeBGBz]

5. Interesting

I hope someone will act on it.

[sueh]

6. Ahhh, makes me feel a little better...

when a Democrat in the House talks about impeachement.

"Bring it on!"

[burythehatchet]

8. that would be around 12th on my list of impeachable offenses

[LittleClarkie]

25. I can dig it, but remember they got Capone on tax evasion

Anything is better than nothing. Get him on whatever you can get him on. And they won't have planned for something small.

[blogbear]

9. Sounds like a plan!

[Nothing Without Hope]

10. This is great - finally someone puts it out there without mincing words

And he HIT IT OUT OF THE PARK!



Recommended

[leesa]

11. OK with me,but why isn't lying to launch an illegal invasion of a disarmed

nation and thus causing the murder of tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis a problem? Why isn't lying about Medicare an impeachable offense? Why isn't interfering with the investigation of 9-11 an impeachable offense? Why isn't impeding the investigation of Plame outing, Energy commission findings and the investigation into purchasing media an impeachable offense? Why isn't destroying our economy an impeachable offense?

[zann725]

22. Yeah, it is absurd. So many Impeachable offenses...so little time...

Al Franken also said several times that Shrub's comment implying that the Social Security Bonds may not be honored by the government at some point is an impeachable statement. I forget which Article in the Constitution Franken referred to, but apparently Shrub's implying he might NOT honor these Bonds is an Impeachable comment.

[Bluesplayer]

27. why can't he

just get a blowjob and make it a done deal? Oh yeah, there's that little problem of finding someone willing to do it....

[CoffeeCat]

13. I like Rangel's rhetoric...

...but I have to say--where in the hell was this kind of rhetoric when we found out we were torturing prisoners in Abu Graib? I would really like to hear the same level of outrage expressed about our sick, hidden torture camp on Guantanamo. What about the half million Iraqi children who live in poverty now, due to our mistakes?

I just get so frustrated! I feel so helpless, because no one seems to be doing anything about these horrendously egregious offenses.

I am glad that Rangel is speaking out on Soc Sec.

However, this tough, honest rhetoric reminds me of how rare it is--and how we never hear it on issues that are much more important than Social Security.

[zann725]

23. "...more important than Social Security"????

n/t

[quaoar]

14. Perhaps Rangel is referring to the 14th Amendment

Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

[Virginian]

40. Pick one (caution, rant)

I can get Social Security out of that. SS has investments in treasury bonds that he wants to use for his war. Those investments were paid by hardworking Americans as insurance against poverty in their declining years. He wants old people to be poor.

Lying to start hostilities on an defenseless nation would be impeachable to me. He wants to kill off our fighting force and deny them benefits if they come home alive.

Outsourcing the capture of Osama bin Laden after accusing him of the 9/11 attacks and stating that we would get him "Dead or Alive." He wants bin Laden alive and free. He is friends with the family.

Failure to talk to the 9/11 commission under oath. He didn't want to be prosecuted for lying under oath.

Dirty tricks during both elections. Like Nixon, anything to get himself elected. Even if it means rigging the voting machines.

No bid contracts to Haliburton. That is more Cheney's baby, but Bush is complicit. It is like giving away tax dollars paid by the working class because the investment class are not taxed at the same rate.

Changing the inheritance tax code to give his wealthy contributers a free ride.

Changing the investment tax code to give his wealthy contributers a free ride.

Changing the bankruptcy laws to give his wealthy contributers a free ride. This is promoting serfdom.

Ignoring the employment crisis. The unemployed are no longer eligible for benefits, so they aren't counted. There are a lot of us out there who don't count any longer.

George Bush is bad for America. Too bad he doesn't just impact the minority that voted for him. The rest of us have to suffer, too.

Yes he should be removed from office, but don't count on it. Not in this heavily Neo-con congress. Those are the people benefiting from his policies. They will lie to their constituents to get votes and then ignore their needs once in power. Praise Jesus and pass the kool aid. The rest of the country doesn't pay attention unless it is an election year. They have short memories and don't remember or never knew how their elected representatives sold them down river. When the next campaign comes around they will just vote for the person who seems like they spend the most time in church or is the best looking or seems more fun. Those are the mindsets of the people who elect these evil sociopaths. Don't confuse them with the facts; that will make them angry.

[Triana]

15. bu$hit's SS ripoff is bad for women, too...

...was a great article on that here recently. It screws everyone who isn't already retired, basically, and some groups more than others.

Not that the mysogenist prick bu$hit gives a rat's ass about women in this country, or anywhere else. I've always gotten the impression he'd as soon have them chained to the stove, bed, or birthing room and not allowed an education, to own property or have a job or be allowed outside the home without a burka and a male escort. He is the head of the American Taliban, after all.

[grannylib]

17. But...but...Bay Buchanan says it's the DEMOCRATS who want women

to be the property of their husbands; that's why they Godless Liberal Left supported Michael Schiavo in his quest for ownership of his wife...
Right????

What a bunch of horseshit.
These people are shameless.

[Triana]

30. projection...

...common that the guilty project their crimes onto others, innit?

[Sparkly]

16. Yeah, Charlie!!!

:bounce:

[In Truth We Trust]

18. Thats Fraud spelled with a W as in: George W FraWD

[AuntiBush]

19. How about those "I.O.U'S?" Today, it was announced

on C-Span at the Senate floor that right now, April 2005 already he's taken out over 91 billion dollars. Where is it?

All those I.O.U's out of Social Security. Talk about Fraud and all the lies to the American people enough to turn young against disabled and elderly, right against left, depressing media calling them "liberal," Halliburton, Enron, Flip-flopping from "siding for life for Terri," to sending more to the gas chambers in TX like 1 retarded man and a born again Christian - like himself (yeah, right).

When will we wake up...

[democracyindanger]

20. Slightly OT, but what bugs me

is that Rangel wasn't making "comments to the New York Sun"--they were comments to the crowd at a joint Social Security town hall with the NAACP and the AARP. It isn't the "story behind the story"--it's the story ABOUT the story.

Oh well, what can you expect from a wingnut site like newsmax?

[Maraya1969]

21. HERE IS MY PROBLEM WITH THIS!!!!!!!!

I have hear of so many impeachable acts that Bush has done.

I feel like there are a bunch of people talking about cutting a tree down. They keep standing around it and no one MOVES. Someone needs to get a chain saw and some ropes and START the job!

WHO is going to Start this job? WHO is going to start this fucking job? I sure would do it but I have no authority. I would not stand around and TALK about taking the damed tree down.

I can't get a straight answer on this one and I really need to know. We all do so we can push the right people to get on down to the hardware store and buy a chain saw!



:freak: :freak: :freak: :freak: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

[tkmorris]

24. You don't understand methinks

They CAN'T do this without Republican help as the Senate is now. They can't even begin a vote on it. There is no chainsaw to buy here, all the stores are owned by Republicans for now and are not open for business.

[Maraya1969]

55. So when they hung Clinton it was only because their was an

independent council at the time? At least until the time it got to a vote?

[ProudDad]

57. It was a repuke congress

That's how they got to impeach Clinton....

This repuke bunch won't begin impeachment procedings against this fascist bastard.

[Bluesplayer]

26. Clinton's plan

Impeachment is a word that needs to be used every day, until inertia alone makes something happen.

Let's also remember Clinton's plan for SS - a balanced budget and a strong economy - what a concept!

[Disturbed]

28. When will we wake up...?

I beleive that millions of us are wide awake and have been paying attention since 2000 when the Bush Junta and the Supreme Court staged a Fascist Coup. It's most of the Dems in Congress that are either scared to rise up and scream or actually complicit with the Bush Junta's agendas.

[paineinthearse]

29. NY Sun: Rangel Attacks Social Security Plan

Rangel Attacks Social Security Plan
BY MEGHAN CLYNE - Staff Reporter of the Sun
April 12, 2005
URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/12049

Addressing black retired workers on the steps of City Hall yesterday, Rep. Charles Rangel called President Bush's campaign to reshape Social Security a "fraud" and urged African-Americans to combat the White House efforts as part of their civil-rights struggle. In a "Save Our Social Security" town-hall meeting sponsored by the NAACP and AARP, members of those groups, along with unaffiliated black senior citizens, heard the Harlem Democrat say proposed changes were "one indicator of how vicious and mean they are." The congressman was referring to the Bush administration's plan to allow workers to save a portion of their payroll taxes in private, transferable accounts.

For black Americans, the congressman added, the struggle against the proposed changes in the entitlement system was "not only a civil-rights fight, but a fight for America." Mr. Rangel called on African-Americans to continue their "missionary" work against the Social Security proposals and likened the effort to his marching with Martin Luther King Jr. from Selma to Montgomery. "We have to get rid of the bums that are trying to take it away from us," Mr. Rangel said of the Social Security sys tem, referring to Republicans in Washington and City Hall - "people who sleep with Bush, Cheney, Wolfowitz, and the rest of them."

<snip>

Mr. Rangel also said the president's push to "dismantle" Social Security would have a particularly harmful impact on black Americans because they receive disability and survivor benefits from the system in higher proportions than do whites. Mr. Rangel disputed the Republicans' vision of Social Security insolvency, but said that if changes need to be made to the system, then raising taxes or increasing the retirement age would be a better solution. Some supporters of the president's plan, however, said Mr. Rangel's suggestions - and particularly his resistance to changing the structure of Social Security - would end up doing far more harm to African-Americans than anything the Bush administration has proposed.

<snip>

To a talk-radio host, Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson, the position of Mr. Rangel and the Naacp seemed little more than self-interest. Rev. Peterson is the author of "Scam: How the Black Leadership Exploits Black America." Granting black Americans free exercise of private retirement accounts would undermine their reliance on Democratic figures such as Mr. Rangel, the Reverends Alford Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, and the Black Caucus, Rev. Peterson, who is a Los Angeles based pastor, said. "They've kept black Americans on the Democratic plantation in order to use them for their own personal gain, power, and wealth," he said. Based on his work in the black community, Rev. Peterson, who is black, said, most African-Americans support Mr. Bush's Social Security proposals.

more.....

[Vinca]

31. Why isn't he impeachable for lying to the country about going to war

and causing tens of thousands (or more) deaths of innocent people? I'll take anything considered "impeachable," but social security doesn't seem nearly as important as piles of dead people.

[ProudDad]

58. Definition of Impeachment

"Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body formally levels charges against a high official of government. Impeachment does not necessarily mean removal from office; it comprises only a formal statement of charges, akin to an indictment in criminal law, and thus is only the first step towards possible removal. Once an individual is impeached, he or she must then face the possibility of conviction via legislative vote, which then entails the removal of the individual from office.

Because impeachment and conviction of officials involves an overturning of the normal constitutional procedures by which individuals achieve high office (election, ratification, or appointment) and because it generally requires a supermajority, typically only those deemed to have seriously abused their offices will suffer impeachment."

The OPERATIVE words are "Legislative Body". That means the repuke congress... They are not going to impeach their golden boy...

Don't bother worrying about it, ain't gonna happen.

[Algorem]

32. The 3 wazoos The New York Sun quotes:

Robert Woodson-

http://mediamatters.org/items/200407160008

FOX guest cited phantom poll to blast NAACP and boost Bush

Belittling the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and citing misleading poll data, FOX News Channel guest Robert L. Woodson Sr., founder and president of the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, vigorously defended President George W. Bush's decision to reject his fourth consecutive invitation to speak at the NAACP's annual convention. When FOX News senior White House correspondent Jim Angle -- who was filling in for Hume as host of the July 15 edition of Special Report with Brit Hume -- prompted him on the source of the poll data, Woodson faltered.

From the July 15 edition of FOX News Channel's Special Report with Brit Hume:

ANGLE: Let me ask you first, in your view was the president right or wrong to pass an opportunity to speak?

WOODSON: He was absolutely correct in passing this up opportunity.

<...>



http://www.mediatransparency.org/people/robert_woodson.htm

...selected to serve as an advisor to Congressman Newt Gingrich in 1996 on neighborhood issues.

He focuses his attacks on reviving our nation's inner cities through economic growth and policies which encourage home ownership and "'workfare' not welfare.

Woodson is a frequent visitor to Milwaukee, the home of the Bradley foundation, which provides millions of dollars to the NCNE.

Jesse Lee Peteson-

http://www.therationalradical.com/dsep/fox-news-african.htm


Self-proclaimed "leaders" of the African-American community such as the Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson of an organization called Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny, and Kevin Martin of a group called Project 21, are repeatedly given an amount of airtime by Fox far out of proportion to their positions, if such exist at all, as African-American leaders."

Fox allies like the ultra-conservative Newsmax.com get into the act also, running "stories" like "Civil Rights Leader Questions NAACP's Legitimacy." And who is that "civil rights leader"? You guessed it, the Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson.

http://mediamatters.org/archives/search.html?string=Jesse+Lee+Peterson

FOX’s Hannity finally disclosed ties to Rev. Peterson

After Media Matters for America documented FOX News host Sean Hannity's undisclosed ties to Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson's Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny (BOND), and Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz reported Hannity's belated acknowledgement that he "probably should have" told his viewers that he sits on the organization's advisory board, Hannity finally disclosed the connection when he introduced Peterson on the February 1 edition of Hannity & Colmes:

HANNITY: Joining us now is the author of the book Scam, the Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson.

By the way, full disclosure, I'm on the board of the Brotherhood Organization of New Destiny, and I received a wonderful award from Jesse's group years ago, the Booker T. Washington Award. And thank you, Jesse.

PETERSON: That's right. Thank you, Sean, we appreciate it.

HANNITY: And I hope others that are ...


William Beach-

http://mediamatters.org/items/200501310005

Echoing GOP, Heritage Foundation's Beach launched bogus attacks on AARP's Social Security poll

Echoing the Republican National Committee, which denounced a recent American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) poll (subscription-only link) showing that the "appeal of Social Security private accounts drops when consequences are known," FOX News host Bill O'Reilly and his guest, Heritage Foundation senior fellow William W. Beach, cast the AARP as a dishonest "left-wing organization" and attacked the poll. But Beach's complaints about the poll -- that its questions gave respondents false information and that the questions were poorly structured -- were misleading and baseless.

O'Reilly began the "Follow-Up" segment of the January 27 edition of FOX News' The O'Reilly Factor by suggesting that any left-leaning advocacy organization is necessarily dishonest, asking, "Is the AARP an honest organization or bent on a left-wing agenda?" Then he introduced Beach, who harshly criticized the AARP poll, though it was unclear why Beach was qualified to assess the poll's reliability since he is an economist by training, not a pollster. Indeed, his chief credential seemed to be that he is a staunch advocate of President Bush's proposal to create private investment accounts in Social Security.

Beach labeled the poll "a classic push poll" and went further:

If I poll you and say, "How would you like to own a home?" you'd probably say yes. And most people would. Then, if I do a follow up and I say, "But would you like to own this home if you knew it was going to burn down tomorrow?" Well, you'd give a completely different answer...

[Ouabache]

44. whats really sad is that Woodson is one of the black descendents of

Thomas Jefferson. At least I saw that implied in a book I read.

[Charon]

34. Impeachable offense

Did Congressman Rangle say exactly which sections of the SS law that congress passed and Bush signed, should be used to impeach the President?

[Name removed]

36. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Guckert]

46. Sorry, Freepers were monitoring this thread here is the link.

Just having a little fun.... Are they NOT a front group for NAMBLA???? who knew???

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1384291/po...

[cyberpj]

37. paineinthearse - Here's an archived posting of mine related to this -

I had hoped we would press on this, then, but .... nothing. There's so much out there to be used and yet nothing STICKS!

Social Security Trust Fund Fraud May Become Bush's Watergate,
Suggests Author of 'The Looting of Social Security'

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=1566269

[roseBudd]

41. I helped get petitions signed wed. on my lunch break and I went...

right to the bus stop and said, "would you sign a petition to keep Bush from fucking with our SS?" The African American bus riders gave me 3 pages of signatures in 30 minutes.

Many said, "he'll do it anyways" and I said he can't as long as our democrats stand strong and we need to let them know we got their backs."

[babylonsister]

43. rosebud57, all your efforts do not go unnoticed.

:yourock:

[november3rd]

42. Rangel for President 08

He's the real deal: dedicated, consistent, true blue

He has the experience, the savoir faire and the connections in government to turn this country around.

He has a great personality and he ain't afraid of anybody!

[FrenchieCat]

56. Rangel said he's too old for that,

BUUUUUuuuuut, he did endorse a great candidate after his own heart, last primary.

[hughee99]

48. How do you Impeach someone...

For a plan that they haven't even officially announced yet? We all know what the basics of it is going to be, and I have no doubt when it's actually is finalized, that it will suck every bit as much as we all think it will, but "impeachable offense"? Come on... I'm sorry but when we do impeach him on something substantial like the war, I want "Impeachable offense" to mean something (unlike it did in the 90's). If we start calling it an impeachable offense every time * comes up with a stupid idea, it just sort of seems to take the teeth out of the terminology. But that's just my opinion.

[Catchawave]

50. I think "fraud" is an impeachable offense

not to mention lying to the American people. Guess we're building our case right now :)

[paineinthearse]

51. "...impeachable offense every time * comes up with a stupid idea..."

:rofl:

The indictment list would be a mile long!

[hughee99]

52. I 100% agree. n/t

[Generator]

49. Music to a deaf man's ears

Let's hear it for Rangel! Yes, Bush you are a fraud. That is the best word to describe everything you ever do.

Fake news, fake agenda, fake war on terror, fake answers, fake social security reform. Fake election results..oh the list is endless.

[Cha]

53. Charlie's layin' it out real fine!

I think the SS "would be scam" by bush & whores would be "impeachable", too! But I'm so used to the fascist press letting those cowarderly monsters get away with murder that I figured nothing would be even brought up about it.

[realFedUp]

54. File the papers Mr. Rangel

let's put this one at least in the
history books before Ms. Cheney rewrites
them all.

[fooj]

59. Works for me!

:woohoo: