Saturday, March 27, 2004.

It was an issue of complacency. People were feeling safe and sound in 2000. This momentary lapse allowed what Rep. Charles Rangel termed "mean-spirited people to steal the presidential election."

The day after his daughter gave birth to his second grandson, Rangel spoke at the RA on behalf of a renewed focus on the future of our children. We need to provide our children with health care and a strong education, Rangel said: "We owe it to ourselves. We owe it to the next generation. The things we have taken for granted are coming back to haunt us. We know what we have done wrong."

Rangel, in his 34th year in Congress and the dean of New York state's delegation, decried the Bush administration's full frontal attack on civil liberties, Social Security and Medicare - and its deception that led the nation into a war with Iraq .

Rangel highlighted Martin Luther King Jr.'s legendary 1964 march in which he participated as proof "we have the capacity to make history."

"I wanted to make sure I can tell my grandkids 'yes, I did something,'" to prevent a handful of people from taking the nation in the wrong direction.

Rangel asked the delegation to ask themselves, "Is this the place your mom and dad left? Did you do everything you could - not just for yourself but for people throughout?" The congressman asked RA delegates to get active and hold public officials accountable. He said the administration is too focused on shrinking government and cutting taxes for the rich at the expense of the rest of us. Our focus, Rangel said, should be on providing a safe and healthy environment for children so they can grow into good people.

We want to look back at 2004 and say, "We were registered, we were voting. They may have stolen one election but they will not steal another. We landed a stroke for freedom and we took back our country," Rangel said.