My Conversation With Rep. James Clyburn

Earlier today, I spoke with James Clyburn, the powerful Congressman from South Carolina and House Majority Whip. In our interview, he argues for the need to go beyond the debate on race and gender in the presidential campaign. He also speaks about the conversations he has had with Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton as well as Former President Clinton since returning to the country today and why he does not plan to endorse anyone.

Comments

[ricrico]

02:22 PM on 01/15/2008

Can somebody agree that Rep Clyburn:
1. stated John Edwards is qualified
2. stated that the country needs to unite
around an agenda based on issues rather
than race/gender
Thank you.

[marykins123]

10:35 AM on 01/15/2008

I am extremely sorry (but not one bit surprised) to watch the Clintons resort to putting race into this campaign. Hillary believes with all her being that she "deserves" to be President and that the black of this nation will understand and accept the use of race 'baiting'.
This woman MUST not be our first female President! If elected, she will use the office as a means of 'pay-back' for anyone that questioned Bill's Presidency and push the female gender backwards for generations to come. Ladies beware! This is not the female we need to break through the 'glass ceiling' in Washington.

[Forwhatsitsworth]

10:08 AM on 01/15/2008

Rep Clyburn, thnk you for your leadership and measured grown-up response!

[Billie]

09:38 AM on 01/15/2008

I think the Clintons have been fanning the flames of racism through proxy, mostly. It's a cowardly, insidious strategy. I don't think they are racist, I think they just want the win and will exploit (as usual) anything they need to get it. So they want everyone bickering about race. And this all serves to steer the conversation away from Iraq and her senatorial voting record. . .which she wants to do, especially to win South Carolina. I hope South Carolina gets this in time to serve as inspiration for the rest of America.

[midwestvoter]

09:34 AM on 01/15/2008

This whole race baiting drama only proves one thing. This country is not ready to "break ceilings". When the Dems, who are the tolerant ones, engage in this divisive sh*t, one can easily imagine how hateful and destructive the tone will be once the GOP piles on. Bottom line, this country cannot afford another 4 years of Republican ruin. We MUST win! Please support and vote for John Edwards. We are so fortunate we have 3 outstanding candidates, any of whom would begin to make positive repairs to the damage of the last 7 years, but Edwards will allow us to win, which should be our only goal. Once we regain the White House and sweep out the Neoncon/Corporate welfare garbage, then we can open the door to breaking ceilings. Donate to John, volunteer for him and reason with your fellow Dems that this is the time to win, not stick to an emotional point of view. Hillary and Barack will still be viable in 8 years. Vote strategically. Vote for Edwards!

[furion4865]

08:52 AM on 01/15/2008

By the way, Lyndon Johnson voted against several civil and voting rights bills before being forced to sign the 1964 Civil Rights Act by Rev. King and "the civil rights movement." I guess Hillary also needs to get command of the facts before she opens her trap.

[DCIndependents]

08:49 AM on 01/15/2008

THE CLINTONS AND BOB JOHNSON NEED A BLACK REALITY CHECK --- Unfortunately for Bob "All About the Money" Johnson, many African Americans feel and know he has insulted them for over 20 years with degrading, stereotypical and low quality so-called "Black" cable television programming. Before this former chief executive hustler of Black trash TV throws stones at presidential frontrunner Barack Obama, he should know that many who expected better of Johnson over the years realized that BET was an abbreviation for brain empty television.

Johnson's legacy lives on in BET's continuing lack of substantive daily U.S. and global Black news or political coverage — on a so-called Black oriented television network. Get real Bob, being Black is also about the content of YOUR character and deeds too.

Moreover, if Bob Johnson wants to be the last Black man standing on the Clinton political plantation, that's his right and choice. Obama may or may not ascend to the presidency, or be my only candidate consideration. However, Clinton and Johnson must respect the fact and reality that the rest of us who are aware and informed prefer to be the political ex-slaves moving forward with someone of real integrity and vision.

Someday before the end of 2008 or the 21st century, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bill Clinton will realize that the vast majority of African Americans are definitely not naive, uninformed, shallow, dazzled, or just plain stupid. The Clinton's must understand once and for all that the vast majority of Blacks don't have a plantation mentality when it comes to White Liberal or Conservative politics and politricks.

Dennis Moore, Chairperson,
District of Columbia Independents for Citizen Control Political Party
http://www.DCIndependents.org

[furion4865]

08:47 AM on 01/15/2008

Anyone with any common sense knew the Clintons would play the race card when the contest became a struggle. Either way, Hillary will not be the president of the United States, blacks will now abandon her and punish her for showing her racist underbelly and stay home in November. Democrats are making a serious miscalculation by believing that black voters will be pigeon-holed into voting for Hillary. If the democrats want to win in November, Hillary probably ought to not be the nominee. Can you imagine Hillary against John McCain, she would get crushed. As an african-american, i would walk through hell with gasoline underwear on before I would vote for Hillary.

[jsomerville5]

08:47 AM on 01/15/2008

Mrs. Clinton is always citing her "35 years of experience." She's 60 now, so that would put her back to age 25, when she was still in law school... Don't forget those years when she worked at a private law firm... does all that count as presidential "experience."
I would like a full year-by-year accounting of all of those years.

[independentrepublicrat]

08:46 AM on 01/15/2008

I feel sorry for the Clintons. This blantant race baiting by the Clintons themselves as well as their campaign, advisors, and supporters---such as the infamous media whore Bob Johnson---is beyond offensive and pathetic. I hope that the black community brings about a reckoning if she is successful in her electronic vote tampering and injection of racial division to steal the democratic nomination. I say it here and I will say it everywhere there is a black pair of ears to hear me. If she gets the nomination in such an unscrupulous and Bushian manner, blacks should vote with all the might and power of their constituency for either Huckabee or Bloomberg. If they can't hold their noses long enough to vote republican, then stay at home on election day in November and don't vote for Hillary at all. MLK and supporters eventually took a stand and stopped riding the bus when forced to sit in the back and black people should not stay on the racist, electronic vote tampering Hillary train in the general election. The Clintons are expecting that no matter what racist, divisive tactics they use against Obama, blacks will have no other choice but to vote democrat; however, there is another choice and it is to not vote for Hillary or at all in a general election. Now is the current generation's time to make a stand against this kind of racism and oppression that the Clintons are harkening us back to. Make a stand against supporting her ilk in November if she steals her way to the nomination with the most deplorable racial tactics.

[ricrico]

08:20 AM on 01/15/2008

Can somebody agree that Rep. Clyburn:
1. Mentioned John Edwards and that
2. Edwards is equally qualified to be
President, and mentioned
3. the need in the country to unite around
an agenda of issues rather than one of
race or gender?
Thank you.

[kennedy]

06:53 AM on 01/15/2008

These are quotes from Obama's book where he admits to doing drugs:

"We were always playing on the white man's court . . . by the white man's rules," he writes. "If the principal, or the coach, or a teacher . . . wanted to spit in your face, he could, because he had the power and you didn't. . . . The only thing you could choose was withdrawal into a smaller and smaller coil of rage.

In the book, Obama acknowledges that he used cocaine as a high school student but rejected heroin. "Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it. Not smack, though," he says.

What do you think this teaches Americas children? Take drugs the president did. Be angry at another race and you can become president. We already had one of those. Never, never again.

BET founder was repeating what Obama admitted to. He spoke about what was in Obamas own book and the Obama camp is crying foul. Sickening dirty tricks. If Obama wouldn't have been a drug user in the first place, this would not being brought up.

Everyone I know wants to know if a person running for president has fried his brain cells on drugs. Again, we have already had enough of that. I want my children to look up to their president. And I want to say be more like this person. I would never say to my daughters be more like Obama.

And Obama is not trying to be an example to anyone. He's just talking about it before someone who knew him then does. Obama would never freely admit this unless he had no other choice. Would anyone? GIVE ME A BREAK!

I want my daughters to look up to a strong, smart woman president. Who keeps going and going and going no matter how many lies everyone drops on top of you.

American needs to wake up and not vote for Obama. Take a stand America.

[USMC1980]

06:02 AM on 01/15/2008

Maybe Rep, Clyburn should have actually read all of what Bill Clinton said before he got all upset. Niether Bill or Hillary Clinton said anything that was even remotely insensitive to Black Americans. It is really insulting to both blacks and whites, that Obama would try and use race and charges of "racisim" in a desperate attempt to win the nomination. thankfully most Americans see through this petty use or race, and we will nominate Hillary.

VOTE HILLARY!!!

[Tellmethetruth]

02:52 AM on 01/15/2008

For media accuracy - please check out this story on this mess - as well as others on Media Watch.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200801130004?f=h_latest

[Roboto]

02:25 AM on 01/15/2008

I will make the point that none of the politicians, journalists and pundits are making about Clinton's MLK comment. I don't think she was trying to denigrate MLK, although that could be a valid interpretation. What she was trying to do was to denigrate Obama and his message of hope. A "false hope" according to her. A similar hope that MLK inspired in those that fought for civil rights. It was a clumsy and cheap point for her to try to make. She deserves much of the blowback that she got.