Chuck Rangel

This district is the smallest district in the country in geographical size, and encompasses Upper Manhattan and neighborhoods such as Harlem, Spanish Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood, part of the Upper West Side, and part of Queens in the neighborhood of Astoria. Rangel has a relatively liberal voting record, as shown by his active role in civil rights, but is known to take a conservative outlook and issues such as the draft. As the representative of a very diverse community, including African-Americans (Harlem), Hispanics (Spanish Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood, Astoria), and a large portion of liberal cultural and artistic workers (Upper West Side), Rangel does a very good job of representing the views of his constituents; he has shown that he is not afraid to protest for civil rights. For example, on July 13, 2004, along with 2 other representatives, Rangel was arrested on trespassing charges while sitting outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington to protest the human rights abuses in Sudan.

The biggest issue that Rangel advocates is that of a nation wide military draft. He thinks that currently the military only appeals to minorities who see it as a source to make money. By reinstating the draft, Rangel aims to create a military that is more reflective of the nations diversity. Rangel also argued that the president and his administration would have never wanted to invade Iraq if a draft put their sons and daughters in harms way. In response to critics of his proposed bills, Rangel states that those who do not want to serve in the military could fulfill their draft obligations by non-military activities such as port and airline security.

Charles Rangel has a strong, predominantly liberal voting record on issues I consider to be important. These issues include abortion, stem cell research, civil rights, and the war in Iraq. Rangel voted for embryonic stem cell research in May of 2005, and voted against banning partial birth abortions in April of 2000. As for civil rights, Rangel voted against making the Patriot Act permanent in December of 2005, and against the banning of same-sex marriages in July of 2006. He is against the war in Iraq, which is shown by his vote to not authorize military force in Iraq in October of 2002, and his vote to start redeploying troops out of Iraq starting in 90 days after the vote, which was in May of 2007.

Congressman Rangel has taken a very active legislative role while in office. The largest of his legislative action involves the draft. In 2003, 2006, and 2007, Rangel has proposed a revised version of his Universal National Service Act. Only the first proposal, in 2003, was voted on, and it was rejected by a vote of 2 in favor, and 402 against. Not even Rangel voted for this bill, which leads some to believe that the bill was solely used as a source for Rangel to show his distaste for the war.

The only committee Rangel is assigned to is the Committee of Way and Means. However, this committee is considered the most influential and respected of all the committees, and Rangel is the chairperson. Because the range of this committee is so large, it is ideal for congressmen such as Rangel who have a wide array of policy concerns. This way Rangel is able to support the wide and diverse constituency that makes up his district. All of the bills regarding taxation are forced to go through this committee, which makes a seat very valuable.

The 15th District has seen a lot of growth, as its population has grown by 4.8% since 2000. About 45% of the population are black or Hispanic, while the other portion is largely Caucasian. However, with such a large area of jurisdiction, it is hard to pinpoint how the district as a whole acts economically and socially. The district has remained relatively the same the past few years, and is recognized as one of the most democratic districts in the country. Places such as Washington Heights and Inwood have recently seen a large influx of Hispanic residents. The issues facing the constituents of this district are similar to those of congressman Rangel. As a very democratic district that voted 90% for John Kerry in 2004, they mostly all take the common liberal stances of gun control, women's right to choose, and anti-war.