Charlie Rangel – Is He Out? Is He In? How Does This Relate to ObamaCare?

Image courtesy of Mako Snark

This is enough to make your head spin!

First it was reported by MSNBC that Charlie Rangel stepped down from his chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee. But then Politico reported the following after Rangel met with Nancy Pelosi.

Charlie Rangel emerged from a closed-door meeting in Nancy Pelosi’s office Tuesday night to declare that he’s still the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and hasn’t agreed to give up his gavel – even as some media outlets were reporting that he’d done just that.

But asked whether he’d still be the chairman tomorrow and in the coming days, Rangel said: “I can’t make all those promises at my age.”

And when Pelosi was asked whether Rangel was resigning, she said “no comment.”

As late as Monday evening, the New York Democrat seemed to be surviving his latest ethical challenges. But the tide turned against him quickly, and by Tuesday night, at least 14 Democrats had said that Rangel should go. Democratic leaders expect more to come, and the Capitol is braced for Rangel to lose his gavel one way or another – by force or voluntarily, temporarily or permanently.

“The dam broke today,” said a senior Democratic aide.

The latest news is that Rangel is taking a leave of absence. How convenient.

Allahpundit ties it all together, and thinks this is a bad omen for ObamaCare.

Translation: At least 39 Democrats are so terrified of Rangel’s toxicity that they’re willing to risk a fracture with the Congressional Black Caucus to save their own asses in November. In fact, at least one of those 39 was a member of the CBC himself: Artur Davis, who’s running to become governor of red-state Alabama and who became the first black congressman to call for Rangel to step down this afternoon. Once he defected, the anti-Rangel forces had the political cover they needed to get tough with the now-former chairman.

Exit question: If 39 (or more) Dems are too terrified of the electoral consequences to stand by Uncle Charlie, how much more terrified must they be of standing behind O-Care? In which case, where is Pelosi getting the votes?

It looks like Pelosi’s losing her grip on the swamp her caucus. No wonder they haven’t voted right away on ObamaCare. But don’t count her out. The latest is that they’ll ram it through before Easter. You know, Pelosi can’t risk the members of her caucus getting another earful from their constituents before the vote. It could ruin everything!

That doesn’t mean you still can’t give them an earful. Light up the phone lines.

Via Another Black Conservative, via Memeorandum