Charlie Rangel Teaches Soledad O’Brien How To Dance (And Also Discusses Some Of That Ethics Stuff)

Soledad O’Brien’s exclusive interview with Rep. Charlie Rangel begins with the two of them laughing it up over Rangel’s advice on how to be a great birthday party dancer. It seems like an odd way to open a segment on a tremendously embattled official facing enormous ethics charges and a tough reelection race. However, it makes more sense as you watch the rest of the In America piece and get that the takeaway seems to be, “Sure, Charlie Rangel has a lot of legal problems facing him, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have a great time!”

That’s why, if you choose to watch the following video with the sound off, it is four and half minutes of “Happy Old Guy Hangs Out in the City” – the most delightful video ever. Look, he’s dancing! Look, he’s laughing! Look, a dude in trendy shorts is talking about how much he likes him (I know you have your sound off but, trust me, he is)! Isn’t this so much better than a bummer segment about the sad end to a once respected man’s career? All it needs now is a clown!

The only problem with the sound off approach is that you miss out on some great Charlie Rangel quips. He promises, “I may not be the best congressman in the world, but I’m the best one running.” He blames his ethics investigation on racism again. The aforementioned dance lessons he gives boil down to the rule that you should never dance for more than 30 seconds. But as great as those moments are, losing them is a small price to pay for video that just makes you feel good.

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