Rep Charles Rangel D-NY Steps Down

Recent article in the paper: A rash of ethics lapses has given Democrats an election-year headache: how to convince skeptical voters that they're any cleaner than Republicans they accused of fostering a "culture of corruption" in 2006.

From the conduct of governors in Illinois and New York to back-room deals over President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, Democrats are drawing their own criticism when it comes to the ethics of public officials.

The party that pledged to "drain the swamp" if given control of Congress finds itself sinking in the muck nine months from Election Day, when every member of the House and 36 Senate seats will be chosen.

After a series of financial scandals, Democratic representative Charles Rangel has stepped down as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. After taking corporate sponsored trips and failing to pay property taxes it's no surprise that Rangel is undergoing a series of ethics investigations. His position as chairman of the committee that writes American tax law only makes the situation more heated.