Charlie Rangel: I thought calling Tea Party “white crackers” was a term of endearment

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel says he meant it as a compliment when he called Tea Party members “white crackers.”

Rangel maintained that he believed the term was “a term of endearment” when he used it in a 2013 interview and that he was surprised by the controversy his comments stirred up. He offered a half-hearted apology on Monday for using the term in his comparison of Tea Party members to Jim Crow segregationists. He had this to say in the interview with HuffPo’s Marc Lamont Hill.

“They’re so proud of their heritage and all the things they believe in. I can tell you this: with all of the feelings I have against the people, that have been against justice, fair play and equality, and the freedoms as we know it. If I offended them for calling them a ‘white cracker,’ I apologize.”

“With the names I’ve been called, I never really put ‘cracker’ in that category… but I certainly would like to have dinner with some of the people I’ve offended…”

SHARE THIS ARTICLE