So it was just a “New York Hello.” Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) told reporters Monday that he crashed Rick Perry’s hush-hush fundraiser with Hispanic Republicans in the Big Apple so he could say hi.
“As a courtesy, I stopped by Inwood to welcome Governor Rick Perry to the most beautiful congressional district in our nation,” Rangel said. The meeting — which organizers said they were trying to keep off the radar — took place in Rangel’s 15th Congressional District.
Rangel said the timing of the visit was “ironic” as it came on the same day President Obama rolled out his deficit reduction plan. Rangel said it was easy to draw a clear difference between the two men, and in the manner of a fired-up New York political personality, he, uh, political invited Perry back to the 15th.
“While we have an obligation to do the right thing and show compassion to those who are most vulnerable in our country, it is frightening that Governor Perry has shown no compunction in executing his constituents or calling Social Security a Ponzi scheme,” Rangel said. “The Governor could come back to our District anytime he wants, because his visit only reinforces the need for us to rally around the President’s plan to reduce the deficit in a fiscally responsible way and get Americans working again.”
Politico reports that despite the Rangel interruption, the event went pretty well for Perry. Organizers told the site they raised around $50,000 for Perry’s campaign. Outside the event, Rangel offered Perry a New York compliment when asked for his opinion of Perry.
“He’s tall and he’s from Texas,” Rangel said.
