Charles Rangel: “I think we are all proud that we are able to at least go back home and face the people who are going through this…”

“I think we are all proud that we are able to at least go back home and face the people who are going through this economic crisis. They are sitting around the table. They know America is not going to let them down. They know that they have hope and vision for the future. They know that they, and others, have had economic setbacks. Because as David Dreier, my dear friend has said, they are in trouble now. They are not working and they are losing hope, but they are depending on everybody, Republicans and Democrats, to be there for them. At the end of the day they will look at each other and ask, What does it look like in the Congress? Are they going to give us a little assistance, a little dignity, a little pride? Can we keep our kids in school? Can we pay the rent? Can we go into the supermarket and have a decent meal over the weekend? They're not going to let us down. No. I don't know about you. I've been here 38 years. And the one thing that I always hear when I get back home is, 'And how did you vote on that?' I would suggest to you that you staple David Dreier's statement to your newsletter so that they can interpret it with you and say, I didn't vote for you, but I didn't want to let you down. I didn't vote for you, but I did advocate a permanent extension of the President's tax cut. I didn't vote for you, because I really believe that if I give you some money, you're not going to get out there and try to get a job.”