RANGEL UNLEASHES WORDS OF NORTHEASTERN SUPREMACY AGAINST THE SOUTH

Charles Rangel, D-NY, has started a firestorm of controversy over remarks he made about the state of Mississippi. The New York Democrat, who is set to become a very powerful man in the new Congress, said to the media, 'Who wants to live in Mississippi?' when answering questions about appropriations.

Is this what we can expect from the Democrat leadership now that they have duped the voters and hoisted themselves back into power?

The inflammatory words produced a sharp, quick response from U.S. Congressman Chip Pickering, R-Miss., who said, 'I hope his remarks are not the kind of insults, slander and defamation that Mississippians will come to expect from the Democrat leadership in Washington, D.C.'

Elbert Garcia, a Rangel spokesman in New York, sent The Associated Press a response from Rangel: "I certainly don't mean to offend anyone. I just love New York so much that I can't understand why everyone wouldn't want to live here."

Yeah, right. Imagine if Trent Lott had made similar statements to the Press about New York.

The original Rangel insult appeared in an article in the New York Times about the new political clout gained by Rangel since the Democrats took over Congress. Rangel is in line to become Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Feeling his oats over his newfound power, Rangel told the Times he wants more federal money to go to New York. But apparently to Rangel's way in thinking, this means that he must pit one region of the country against another, since his critical remarks were made in the context of criticism about the amount of federal money that goes to Mississippi.

To most people who live in the South, however, the statement is just one more example of the elitist Northeastern snobbery that is so often directed toward the region.

The attitude of many in New England toward the South is one of 'northeastern supremacy.' By no means is this elitist snobbery unanimous. There are probably more people living here who clearly do NOT exhibit the veiled disdain for the South that one finds among people like Rangel, Kerry, and Kennedy. But many certainly ARE Northeastern Liberal Elitists, and some of them are set to become very powerful in the new Congress.

Rangel heads the list.