Vox Pop: It’s Rough Out There for Rangel

“An older man jabbed his finger at the Harlem lawmaker and tore into him. ‘You’re a crook!’ he thundered. ‘I don’t know how you get away with it.’”

“Many walked right by him, some averting their eyes, others waving him off.

“A few made it clear just how unhappy they have become with him. Ali Mirza, who once worked for Mr. Rangel as a page in the United States Capitol, was especially blunt. ‘I can’t tell you how disappointed I am in you,’ he told Mr. Rangel, who was left momentarily speechless.

“After a pause, Mr. Rangel wished Mr. Mirza good luck.

“‘I can’t say the same for you,’ he replied.

“The congressman, who is renowned for his feisty, sarcastic style, at times sparred with his detractors on Tuesday. ‘You should resign with grace,’ a middle-aged woman told him as she headed into the subway.

“‘Who’s Grace?’ he shot back.

“While he relishes the verbal jousting, Mr. Rangel said he understood the anger. But he insisted that it was as much about the brutal economy and an anti-incumbent mood as about his personal foibles.

‘”It’s a rough time out there,’ he said. ‘I’d be heckling, too.’”

Read more: (Michael Barbaro, “Rangel Hits Streets, Finding Love and Aversion,” The New York Times, 09/07/10)