| CQ&A: An Interview with House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
By Jessica Benton Cooney - Congressional Quarterly
Democratic Rep. James E. Clyburn already held a significant distinction in African-American politics: His election in 1992 made him the first black congressman from South Carolina since 1897, as racial barriers that had stood for most of a century gave way.
A skilled House insider who moved up the leadership ranks, Clyburn was a major beneficiary of the Democratic upsurge in the 2006 elections that gave his party control of the House. It boosted him into the position of majority whip, which also makes Clyburn the highest-ranking African-American in federal elective office.
Now Clyburn will be coming full circle, in a sense. On April 10, he will enter the state Capitol in his hometown of Columbia and become the first African-American congressman in more than a century to address a joint session of the South Carolina General Assembly.
In an interview with CQPolitics.com’s Jessica Benton Cooney, Clyburn discussed the political, personal and symbolic portent of his upcoming speech. He also discussed the confrontation between the Democratic-controlled Congress and President Bush over the war in Iraq. Excerpts of that interview follow.
CQ: How does it feel to be asked to be addressing the South Carolina Assembly?
Clyburn: It’s a great honor, and frankly I was quite surprised at the invitation. It sort of hit me when I got the letter inviting me to speak. . . . I didn’t expect it.
The night before I was to be sworn in as majority whip, there was a reception in the Cannon [House Office Building] Caucus Room. . . . They told me there was 800 or 900 people there. I’ve never seen the Cannon room that crowded — it looked like South Carolina had emptied into the room.
There was a state senator there that night . . . We always had a friendly relationship, but he was always way to the left of me politically. I couldn’t get rid of him that night. The next day he came up here, and he said, “Man, this is huge.” And he went back . . . and I saw when I picked up the newspapers that he was calling on the legislature to do something to honor this occasion.
CQ: Have you given any thought to what you will say?
Clyburn: I started to think seriously about it this week, probably about education, the environment, my vision for the state. I’m going to speak about my experiences in South Carolina, and if I develop a theme it will be South Carolina’s motto: “While I breathe, I hope.”
CQ: While we have come far as a country and in South Carolina to allow you this opportunity, what do we need to do to continue on that trend?
Clyburn: I think that those of us that are in a position to take advantage or benefit from these kind of occurrences and situations have a tremendous responsibility. I get very upset with people who say, “I have no responsibility of being a role model.” All of us who are parents have certain responsibilities, all of us who pay taxes, who help shape the government. . . . I have a responsibility to every parent that walks into a polling booth and pulls that lever or button next to my name.
And every time they cast a vote, they are voting their hopes, they are voting their aspirations, and they are voting their dreams. And not just the dreams and hopes of themselves, but for their children and grandchildren. So if you tell me that you don’t have a responsibility to the voters, and their children and grandchildren, I have very little tolerance of that attitude.
I think that when I walk into that chamber [to address the Assembly], I am walking in there for my children and grandchildren.
CQ: Do you think you are helping pave the way for a black, woman or minority president?
Clyburn: If you have the first serious woman candidate for president, the first serious chance for a black person to run for president, and the first serious Hispanic to run, that makes this whole year a watershed year for me. I think it’s time for us to get really serious about what this can mean and what our responsibility is in moving forward. If we in any way don’t seize the moment to redefine politics in this country, I think we will not be keeping the faith of our parents or grandparents, because they made some significant sacrifices.
I think there is a redefinition going on in the country now and of this party, and this party is where these three non-traditional candidates are running for the presidency. And we have a responsibility both inside the Beltway and outside the Beltway to make this progress.
CQ: What do you think the Democrats are going to do if President Bush decides to veto the Iraq [supplemental spending bill that the House passed]?
Clyburn: I think the president will feel in the public’s mind the irresponsibility that he has demonstrated time and time again as the custodian of this country’s government.
If you look at what we did with this emergency supplemental, we faced up to the responsibilities that we have as Congresspeople. He sent over money for Iraq, we gave him more than he asked for, we gave him every dime that he asked for, but then we said, “Mr. President, it might not be on your radar screen, but Walter Reed Hospital is on ours, the VA hospitals in this country are on our radar screens, our military men and women whose health programs are $1.7 billion underfunded are on our radar screen.”
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