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

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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. 

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