'Make Checks Payable to Rangel Victory Fund'

Nice to see this crook shaking people down to the very end. Under the guise of celebrating his 80th birthday, which actually occurred a couple of months ago, the corrupt Democrat hack used the occasion last night to glom some money for his legal defense and re-election.

What a guy.

The night's big event in the Grand Ballroom at The Plaza hotel was described in the invitation as Rep. Charlie Rangel's 80th birthday gala.

Unlike most birthday parties, just being invited was not going to get a guest through those mirrored doors.

And the birthday boy was not going to be satisfied if his pals brought him a present like a new tie or one of those pocket handkerchiefs he wears with such flair.

Even Hermes was not going to make it, no matter how snazzy the wrapping paper or how big the bow.

This was a fund-raiser, and everybody was expected to pony up from $200 for a "special guest" to $2,500 for a "sponsor."

Not to pay was not to get a ticket.

Not to have a ticket was not to go.

And if you didn't go, you were liable to feel complicit in a bash in a whole other sense.

Anybody who stayed away was not simply declining to contribute toward Rangel's campaign for another term and help pay the lawyers who have been trying to resolve the ethics charges against him.

If you stayed away, you would be viewed as shunning, maybe even deserting, an iconic New York figure.

Yet, if you went ahead and bought the ticket and attended, you were putting your money where you mouth might not necessarily wish to be.

"Make checks payable to Rangel Victory Fund," a reminder posted outside the ballroom read.

Meanwhile, the always gregarious former Mayor of New York, David Dinkins, kept things classy.

A who's who of Democratic officials turned out to celebrate scandal-scarred Rep. Charles Rangel's 80th birthday last night -- whooping it up as if he didn't have an ethics charge in the world.

In fact, former Mayor David Dinkins, 83, went so far as to flip the bird to a protester who called Rangel a "crook" outside The Plaza hotel gala.

Not everyone matched Dinkins' gusto, but the New York political establishment did turn out in force.

Apparently the New York Democrats were able to scare up enough people so Rangel could pretend people actually care about him.

Earlier yesterday, Rangel boasted of success in his bid for a huge turnout. "Despite what the media wants you to believe, #BirthdayGala is sold out!" he wrote on Twitter.

If he indeed put that on his Twitter page he's removed it since. He might want to update the photo on that page as well since he no longer has a gavel.

Update: Here's some video from CNN. Dinkins is shown at the end. Man, he looks like he put on a hundred pounds. I remember being at a wake about nine or 10 years ago and he showed up there. All the cops and firemen there turned their backs to him when he appeared. A real low-rent guy despite his always being portrayed so kindly in the media.