Charlie Rangel went to the floor of the House of Representatives to talk about the “moral crisis” the nation is going through and he veered into a discussion of the “Occupy Wall Street” protests occurring in Lower Manhattan.

“Now when we see young people on Wall Street and the Wall Streets around this country being ridiculed for protesting because they have no leaders or organized cause, we should remember that neither is America’s pain or concern organized,” Rangel said. “People are mad as hell. They really think that they have been let down. They work so hard to succeed in this great country. In my opinion, the greatest thing about America is not what you achieved; it’s having the hope that you can make it in America.”

Rangel made an appearance down at Zuccotti Park earlier this week but was apparently chased away by hecklers.

The rest of Rangel’s remarks are below:

And this is why it is so painful to see how this middle class, a recent formation here mind you, is disappearing. They had a home, a job, sent their kids to college for an education. They thought they were secure in their retirement, and knew that one day health care would be available for everybody.

These aren’t political issues, I think they are moral issues and that’s why when I went down to meet with the protestors, I hoped that all of our spiritual leaders would be there to give guidance, encouragement, and direction so we can say this is a civilized society. They can’t break the law, but they can demand attention and that’s what they are doing.

So, it seems to me, we in the Congress are getting involved too politically and ignoring the main issues and the suffering that’s taking place in this country today. When one of the parties is saying they won’t entertain a bill that would put Americans back to work, when they say that their primary goal is to get rid of Obama, when they say that no jobs bill is going to be accepted except what they pick and choose, when they refuse to bring to the floor of this House something that we can discuss to give hope back to the people, I think that’s not just a political question. I think it’s a moral question as well.

God bless America.”

Follow David Freedlander via RSS.