Power

Rep. Charles Rangel, D-Harlem, may or may not be guilty of the charges now being levied against him. I want to make that clear at the outset, and will repeat it at the end. That’s beside the point.

Rangel cannot be beaten at the ballot box, and sits in the middle of the health care debate, an advocate of strong and meaningful reform. The fact that these charges are rising above the Mendoza line of credibility at this time is telling a story, but few outside the halls of Congress will hear it.

It’s the story of power. Daily political dabblers that I deal with simply do not understand power. Many of them will express concern about money in politics, but none will do anything about it, as their favorites are major recipients. Corruption is rarely known to heal itself.

But power is more than money. It is a threat. Money can remove a man from office by financing his opponent, but Charles Rangel is immune to that threat. He holds office at his pleasure, always reelected since the days of Watergate.

He is vulnerable, however to exposure of nefarious deeds.

And any man or woman in Washington, with few exceptions, can be found guilty of something. So-called “evidence” can be real or planted, but real is better. The decision about whether a person misdeeds are exposed is not arbitrary. It depends on whether a person is cooperative or not.

In Rangel’s case, exposure of his alleged misdeeds at this time points to an overt threat, not only to him, but to every person in the House and Senate who will vote on health care reform. Each must realize that he could be next. So removal of Rangel from office, or at least loss of his chairmanship of Ways and Means, serves two purposes: Removal of an opposition force, and an example to everyone else who might be guilty of something.

There are many, many guilty people in those chambers. Opportunities for procurement of money and property abound. For the men, gay or straight, the chances for frequent and easy sex are abundant, and any partner can turn up at a press conference with photos. Entrapment is easy, and hard-driven, narcissistic men are usually easy prey.

The key is this: Once the guilt is established, the evidence in place, it need not be exposed. It is merely leverage.

And, if the man or woman plays ball, it will never see light of day. In fact, the opposite. Money will follow, and campaign coffers will be stuffed, lucrative employment will follow tenure in office.

There are very, very few people who can rise above this, and stay tenured and clean.

Rep. Charles Rangel, D-Harlem, may or may not be guilty of the charges now being levied against him. That’s beside the point.

Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) has been slavish in his devotion to the health insurance industry, to a degree that far surpasses any ideology (he’s never been accused of being ideological). He has angerred and puzzled his base, maybe even burned some bridges. But he has not wavered in service of power.

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-Harlem) has not shown any devotion to the health insurance industry. In fact, he has openly opposed them. He is under pressure now to step down. Baucus is secure in his chambers, free of threat of removal, well-financed. He was unopposed in his last election bid. That’s likely no accident.

I suspect Charles Rangel to be innocent of wrongdoing. I could be wrong. There are few saints among us.

I suspect Max Baucus to be guilty of something. I don’t know what, but someone has something on him. Men of that caliber are easy prey.

And that, dear student, is how power works. It’s money, for sure. But it is so much more than money. It’s wiretaps, secret bank accounts, planted evidence, real dalliances, and most important: Rewards for service go on even after leaving office.

And if you think such power exerts itself only in Washington, or in politics, I beg you take a trip to your state capital. Or city hall.