Tributes : Congressman Charlie Rangel, Congressman Gerry Connelly, and George Wendt aka Norm from CHEERS Part 2

Bob Dole 1993 - 1995 The Last Man Standing

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This special edition honors three figures we lost in May of 2025. Two political figures who loomed large on the national scene, Charlie Rangel and Gerry Connelly, and one of the stars of our hosts second favorite show of all time "CHEERS" , George Wendt aka "Norm!!"

Charlie Rangel served in Congress for 40 years out of Harlem in New York. He was a major player in Watergate on the House Judiciary Committee, and later served as the Chairman of Ways and Means. He was a lot of things through out his tenure on the National stage but boring was not one of them. We will look back on this great character of politics , his impact, and some of his ethical troubles too. But one thing was for sure he was a tough partisan with guts and we will show his famous moment on the House floor when he told his investigators to put up or shut up in their long winding investigation.

Gerry Connelly, was as quiet and reserved as Charlie Rangel was not but still Connelly had an impact on a variety of issues our nation faced through out his many years in Congress. His Obituary wrote : "He spent a decade working as a staffer for then-Senator Joe Biden on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee where he developed his deeply-honed knowledge of foreign policy before entering the private sector. His elected life of service spanned 13 years on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, including 5 as Chairman, and 16 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. While serving in Congress, he was elected as the Ranking Member of the Oversight Government Reform Committee, and President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly twice."

He also held a special friendship with his Republican Counterpart on his Committee , Representative James Comer, and here we will hear Comer honor his friend.

Finally, we will shift gears and leave the world of politics to honor a comedic actor, and huge part of our childhood, as we also lost "Norm Petersen" in May. The lovable barfly accountant, that helped make the TV Show "CHEERS" a hit for 11 years on NBC. Actor George Wendt passed away in his sleep in May but he left an enormous body of work that will keep us smiling for decades to come. We wanted to honor him here on this podcast too.

Questions or comments at , [email protected] , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
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Chapters

1. Former Rep Charlie Rangel dies at 94 - WABC (00:00:00)

2. Virginia Rep Gerry Connelly dies a month after announcing plans to step down - Local News Virginia (00:00:41)

3. Cast of "CHEERS" reuniting 30 years after shows finale - NBC News (00:01:35)

4. Music Intro (00:02:09)

5. Faces of Watergate with Dennis Daily - Charlie Rangel (00:02:33)

6. Charlie Rangel on the House Floor disputing the Ethics Charges against him (00:03:09)

7. Host Randal Wallace welcomes you to the show and introduces Representative Rangel (00:04:42)

8. Will Charlie Rangel lose his seat? - CNN (00:06:45)

9. Host Randal Wallace introduces Congressman Rangel's ethics issues and his guts (00:09:31)

10. ABC News - Rangel's Rant (00:10:50)

11. NYC Remembers former Harlem Congressman Charlie Rangel - New York City Local News (00:13:10)

12. Charlie Rangel Moment of Silence (00:19:51)

13. Breaking News Representative Gerry Connelly dead at 75 after cancer battle - FOX News (00:19:59)

14. Host Randal Wallace talks about Congressman Gerry Connelly and his relationship with Representative James Comer a Republican (00:22:39)

15. Representative James Comer honors late law maker Gerry Connelly by introducing Esophageal Cancer recognition legislation (00:23:19)

16. Gerry Connelly on CNN - A Healthcare House Call with Dana Bash (00:26:15)

17. Moment of Silence in memory of Representative Gerry Connelly (00:29:25)

18. Cast of "CHEERS" reuniting 30 years after shows finale - NBC News (00:29:37)

19. Host Randal Wallace talks about how much he loved CHEERs and honors George Wendt aka Norm (00:36:05)

20. Remembering Chicago native and Second City Alumni George Wendt - CBS News Chicago (00:37:26)

21. Moment of Silence in honor of George Wendt (00:40:04)

22. Closing music (00:40:12)