Rep. Charles Rangel predicted the bid to hold onto his New York House seat would be a "rough one," but said it would be a "moral mistake" not to run on Obamacare.
"It's going to be a rough one. But, you know, it's like shooting craps. Either you win or you lose. You just can't stay even with the first shot," Rangel, a Democrat, told MSNBC Tuesday.
"All of those people that have been afraid to stand with the president (on Obamacare), I think, will be making a great moral mistake. But, more importantly, a great political mistake as well for 2014," he said.
Rangel announced his candidacy earlier this month to run for a 23rd term for the House. A staunch proponent of Obamacare, Rangel called it "the most exciting thing that's happened for the United States of America since the Republic began."
"Fifty million people that hoped, dreamed and prayed that one day they could get insurance, no matter what their status was — this is going to start to roll in," he said.
Should the future of Obamacare play out like the problem-plagued rollout, Rangel admitted the Democrats had "shot crap."