Charlie Rangel doesn’t know the meaning of ‘cracker’

Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., doesn’t seem to know what all the fuss is about concerning his use of the term “white cracker” in relation to the tea party. In fact, he said it’s a compliment.

During an interview Monday on HuffPost Live, Rangel was asked about his comments that he made in a 2013 interview to The Daily Beast, where he compared the tea party to segregationists.

“It is the same group we faced in the South with those white crackers and the dogs and the police,” Rangel said back then.

On Monday, he said he meant no harm.

“I thought (cracker) was a term of endearment,” he told Marc Lamont Hill. “(The Tea Party is) so proud of their heritage and all of the things they believe in.”

He said any criticism of his comments are “ridiculous.”

“I certainly would like to have dinner with some of the people that were offended,” Rangel said. “I’m certain they wouldn’t want to talk with me, though. But I’m glad you raised it because it shows how ridiculous it is.”