Rep. Charlie Rangel Responds To Use Of Racial Slur: I Thought Cracker Was A 'Term Of Endearment'
By Rahel Gebreyes, Nov. 11, 2014, Huffingtonpost.com
Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) has no problem using dramatic language to make a point. In fact, the congressman, who received some heat for comparing Tea Party members to the segregationist, “white crackers” of the Jim Crow era, is surprised that his word choice caused any controversy at all.
In a HuffPost Live interview on Monday, Rangel responded to those who took offense to his use of the term in a 2013 interview with The Daily Beast.
“I thought [cracker] was a term of endearment,” he told host Marc Lamont Hill. “[The Tea Party is] so proud of their heritage and all of the things they believe in.”
Rangel found some hypocrisy among those who agreed with his comments overall but drew the line at using the word “cracker.” He did offer a reluctant apology for offending anyone with the derogatory term, but he shrugged off the “ridiculous” criticism.
Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) has no problem using dramatic language to make a point. In fact, the congressman, who received some heat for comparing Tea Party members to the segregationist, “white crackers” of the Jim Crow era, is surprised that his word choice caused any controversy at all.
In a HuffPost Live interview on Monday, Rangel responded to those who took offense to his use of the term in a 2013 interview with The Daily Beast.
“I thought [cracker] was a term of endearment,” he told host Marc Lamont Hill. “[The Tea Party is] so proud of their heritage and all of the things they believe in.”
Rangel found some hypocrisy among those who agreed with his comments overall but drew the line at using the word “cracker.” He did offer a reluctant apology for offending anyone with the derogatory term, but he shrugged off the “ridiculous” criticism.
Read the full story and see the video: www.huffingtonpost.com
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