11.13.10

Black Caucus leader: Clyburn plays key role in keeping African-American voters (The Hill) 11/13/10

By Mike Lillis - 11/13/10 10:59 AM ET
 
The head of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) continued a push Friday to keep Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) as party whip in the next Congress, arguing the strategic importance of having an African-American on the leadership team.

CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said Clyburn — in a tough race with Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) for minority whip — is "uniquely positioned" to promote the interests of CBC members and their constituents — voters who could prove vital to the Democrats' election chances in 2012.

"Our path back to the majority begins with our minority communities because many moderates rely heavily on African-American voter turnout to win elections in their marginal districts," Lee wrote in an op-ed published Friday by TheGrio.com, a news website focusing on African-American issues.

"Clyburn understands this, and he has campaigned in these districts and contributed to these members. He plays an important role for these moderate members as whip."

Lee was quick to note Clyburn's successful record whipping support for a series of controversial measures in the current Congress, including healthcare reform, Wall Street reform and the Democrats' economic stimulus bill.

But it's his distinctive spot as an influential black Democrat in a red state, she argued, that make him particularly suited for the whip job.

"Congressman Clyburn has been a key voice in marginal districts where African-American constituencies are strong," Lee wrote. "He has consistently supported our members, he has campaigned in these districts, and he knows what it takes to recruit candidates and win elections."

The comments arrive as the delicate politics of race are creeping more and more into the debate over which Democratic leader, Hoyer or Clyburn, should be the No. 2 Democrat in the 112th Congress — a contest sparked after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced her intention last week to remain atop the party.

Pelosi attempted to defuse the situation late Friday when she said she would support Clyburn for a yet-to-be-created No. 3 leadership spot.

"Should I receive the honor of serving as House Democratic Leader, I will nominate Congressman Jim Clyburn of South Carolina to the number three leadership position," Pelosi said in a statement sent to reporters at 11:01pm.

On Wednesday, PBS' Tavis Smiley, a popular black commentator, wondered aloud whether the fight would split the Democrats, as members of the CBC and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus gravitate toward Clyburn, and a majority of the white Democrats move behind Hoyer.

"You start to hear footsteps, at least, of a brown/black coalition that might be lining up behind Clyburn," Smiley said. "I'm wondering how that might fracture or splinter the Democratic Party in the House, quite frankly, along racial lines."

Smiley also charged that Clyburn and Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.), a hispanic who's vice chairman of the Democratic Caucus, seem to be losing the most ground as the Democrats transition from the majority to minority party.

"It's amazing what happens when black and brown people, after years of not having any power, start to demand some respect," he said. "All hell seems to break loose."

Rush Limbaugh, the popular conservative talk radio host, has latched onto the controversy, which he characterized Thursday as "Hoyer wanting Clyburn to go back to the back of the bus" — a radioactive phrase conjuring an era when blacks were forced to sit in the back of public busses.

Paul Kane, congressional reporter for The Washington Post, said this week that race is very much playing a role in the delicate process of ironing out Democratic leadership spots.

"Let's face it — Barack Obama is starting off his reelection campaign now," Kane told Smiley Wednesday. "He needs to reenergize the African American vote, all of those first-time Black voters from 2008. He needs to get that group of people back behind him 110 percent."

The leadership votes are scheduled for next Wednesday, when incoming members will be in Washington for their freshman orientation. Many Democrats, however, are hoping a deal is forged earlier so those votes are necessary.

To view this article online, please click here.