Today is Charlie Rangel’s birthday. Actually, it’s not the day of his birthday, and Rep. Rangel just doesn’t seem to know it. THE WEEKLY STANDARD has obtained an invitation to Rep. Rangel’s “birthday gala,” and although Rep. Rangel turned 78 nearly two months ago on June 11, his b-day bash is this evening. Like George Washington and Martin Luther King, it would seem our country commemorates Rep. Rangel’s b-day on a day other than the one he was born. The only difference between Rep. Rangel and these other great Americans is that Rep. Rangel’s party will be at Tavern on the Green (not one of his rent stabilized apartments). It’s also a political fundraiser to benefit the Rangel Victory Fund. Among the VIPs who will attend are Gov. David Paterson, Senators Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton, DNC Chairman Howard Dean, and New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. William Jefferson Clinton will be the “special guest.” Perhaps he’ll pop out of cake without his clothes on like last year? For regular folk to honor Rep. Rangel, it will cost a hefty price. The cheapest ticket appears to be $2,500. That would make you a sponsor of the event. The next highest up, to be a Host, will cost $5,000. Becoming a Vice Chair will cost you $10,000. And a Chair will cost $25,000. I guess there will be a lot of candles on that cake and food prices sure have gone up in the past year. Potential invitees out there in the blogosphere should be careful in reading the fine print on the invitation. Not all that moola is going to benefit candidates in close congressional races that Rangel has personally endorsed. “The first $1,000 will be allocated to Rangel for Cognress. Every dollar after will be diviced equally among the other participating campaigns committees.” For Democrats interested in increasing their majority rather than hobknobbing with the Democratic elite, attending the gala is not a great investment. After all, Rangel won reelection in 2006 with 94 percent of the vote.
