Clyburn Fears Clinton Conduct Could Doom Dems’ White House Chances
Rep. James Clyburn says Bill Clinton's conduct in the Democratic primary could hurt the party come November. (AP Photo)
The highest ranking black member in Congress issued grave warnings to the Democratic candidates Friday, saying the racially charged contest could turn away black voters and doom the party in November.
South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, in an interview with FOX News, singled out Bill Clinton for comments he said were not “seemly” and could damage his wife’s presidential campaign if she becomes the nominee. Clyburn on Thursday had told The New York Times that the former president’s “bizarre” conduct had “incensed” the black community.
“I am concerned … that the conduct of this campaign could very well make the nomination not worth having,” Clyburn told FOX News. “Our party is much bigger than Bill Clinton. It is much bigger than Sens. Clinton or Obama. It is a party that is here to serve the American people. … And I don’t want to see us conduct a campaign in such a way that it does irreparable harm to our being able to do that.”
Clyburn voiced concern that if Hillary Clinton beats Barack Obama, she might do so at the expense of the party’s usually loyal black base.
“When this campaign is over, if Hillary Clinton is the nominee, she cannot get elected president if 25-30 percent of black people vote for (John) McCain. She is going to have … to have that same 92 percent of black people that Obama (has) now,” he said. “And if (Obama) is the nominee he is going to need her help and her husband’s help getting white voters that he is not now getting.
“And I don’t see how you can go back to these people and get them to vote for the nominee if you have done all these things and said all of these things about him during the campaign … because you are not going to be able to reverse field in the middle of general election,” he said.
Bill Clinton took heat in late January for equating Obama’s victory in the South Carolina primary to Jesse Jackson’s win in the state 20 years ago. Obama supporters said the remarks were demeaning since they compared him with a black candidate whose appeal was more narrow.
But the comments came up again Monday, when Clinton told a Philadelphia radio station that he believed Obama “played the race card on me” during the incident.
Clyburn said he didn’t understand that.
“Many of the surrogates in the Clinton campaign of recent days have been saying things that have been angering African American voters over again,” he said. “I mean, who played the race card on President Clinton? … What does he mean by that unless he is trying to send some kind of signal on race?”
Clyburn, an influential superdelegate, says he hasn’t taken sides in the Obama-Clinton race, but analysts say he, like many other prominent black politicians, has been swept up in the near-lockstep support that Obama’s historic bid for the presidency enjoys among black voters.
“Jim Clyburn … is squarely in the corner of Sen. Barack Obama,” FOX News contributor Juan Williams said. “Jim Clyburn and a lot of the older black politicians started out with Hillary Clinton because of their long standing ties to the Clinton camp, but as they saw black voters overwhelming going to Barack Obama they have run to the front of the parade.”
Clyburn stressed Friday that he still hasn’t declared whom he will support at the Democratic convention in August.
Obama himself disputed the notion that the contentious tone of the race is doing irreparable harm to the party.
“I never believe in irreparable breaches,” he said Friday. “I’m a big believer in reconciliation and redemption.”
And Hillary Clinton has repeatedly said it’s Obama who’s running the negative campaign.
Asked about a mailing that criticizes her trade stances during a round of local interviews Friday, she sharply rebuked him.
“He’s done this repeatedly and I don’t why he keeps doing it. It’s misleading, it’s factually wrong,” she told a Louisville, Ky., station. “He’s running a very negative campaign below the radar screen with all of his mailings and phone calls.”
FOX News’ Major Garrett contributed to this report.
I think the democrats and everyone should stop complaining of candidates comments about their competitors, as long as the comments/assertions aren’t blatantly false. i mean they are in competition to win this nomination. i don’t like the idea that the candidates can’t speak freely about their competitors without being called racist or some other nonsense. all these taboos about what they can say or not say smacks of curtailing freedom of speech. let them say what they want. this is America, not china. how else can we know how they really think and will perform if they ultimately become president?
Oh my goodness! I new that skin color would come up sooner or later. Thats the way it is here in the great United States. You could see it coming everyday in this campaign. I think directing your middle finger at your opponent is a childish jesture. you have to consider were it came from. Oh well, I voted as a democat all my life and now will vote for McCain. N o Obamer. The media has made up my mind. Joke!!!!!!
Gas is getting out of hand, food prices are soaring, We are getting a $600 dollar check to help offset fuel prices. The rich get richer, and middle class are getting hammered into the ground.
You have a white woman and a 1/2 black man running against each other and every one should know that a woman does not like to loose and the Blacks think that they are entitle to the position of Pres. and neither one is worthy of the spot or the effort put in to the run, also, neither is John(pablo) Mccain.
There is not a good dog in this fight.—God help us.
This just proves that the American people vote emotionally and not intelligently! How could someone switch from Clinton to McCain or from Obama to McCain. There is less of an ideological gap between Clinton and Obama it would make sense for the dems to support their candidate no matter who it is, but that is impossible to do when most voters aren’t educated on the issues!
Jim Clyburn is a phony just like John Lewis. They want to stay above the racial politics, yet they have both switched from Clinton to Obama for the very same reason they are condemning others…voting by race! Ignore their uninformed pleas for support for racial unity and see them as the opportunists they truly are.
It is unbelievable that the headlines and coments always refer to the peoples character. Although that is somewhat important I would like to see an outline, plan of what these candidates are going to do for their people. I would like to see more professionalism and that goes for the media also. Who cares if Hillary cries, who cares if Bill made some bull coment especially when he was allowed to serve twice after a sex scandal. I certainly do not care what James Clyburn thinks of Hillary, Bill, Obama or the democratic party. I simply want to know what our politicians are going to do for this country that is going in the hole. I serve in the military and we are held to the highest standards isn’t it time our people in Washington do the same?! Whatching this is like watching, real tv, it is all just bad acting and drama and the media eats it up, why, because it makes money and that is all they seem to care about these days! This country has turned to greed and individualism, everyone is out for themselves while the country suffers.
this whole mess is so easy for us (the people) to see and who is the problem. But hillary doesn’t care anything about the attitude or the feelings of the people. she wants what is good for hillary. she thinks that the little people have nothing to say about the policy of the party. maybe we should think about her as she thinks about us !!!
It’s good that this campaign has draged out as it has. It took time to reveal Obama for the shaddy dealing lying lawyer he really is. Not to mention his looks with his 13 1/2 inch shoes,he’s Steve Erkel with out the glasses and suspenders with his Crusty the Clown bowling shoes.
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To para phrase Barry Obama’s mentor and best friend, “The Clinton’s chickens…. are comin’ home to roost.”
If nothing else I will forever be grateful to Barry for giving America the chance to see the Clintons with all their scales pealed away. These are two people who have looted America and used her to slither their way to a huge fortune. One would think that after the first hundred million dollars they would be happy and slither off where they wouldn’t have to feed again for a year but no, a hundred million is not enough, they want a dog chain around every American’s neck so they can be the benevolent masters languishing in their filthy fortune while we strain at the end of the Clinton’s chain.
Thanks Barry, you did what no republican could ever do: you gave the Clintons their deserved legacy of the users and abusers they really are at long last.
*Bert
I should not even comment because I quit voting.Lately it seems in Presidential elections its no longer who is the best candidate but which is the greater of two evils.Every time it comes down to he/she said this .It’s just an opion but none of those {race/sex/etc.} factors should matter it should be which candidate will best represent the American public.Thats where I come to my delima every candidate of late seems to have their own cause or group that they wish to promote instead of America As A Whole.