Rep. Clyburn of SC - "remarks by the Clintons that he saw as distorting civil rights history "

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Fri Jan-11-08 12:17 AM
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Rep. Clyburn of SC - "remarks by the Clintons that he saw as distorting civil rights history "

WASHINGTON � Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, the highest-ranking African-American in Congress, said he was rethinking his neutral stance in his state�s presidential primary out of disappointment at comments by Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton that he saw as diminishing the historic role of civil rights activists.

Mr. Clyburn, a veteran of the civil rights movement and a power in state Democratic politics, put himself on the sidelines more than a year ago to help secure an early primary for South Carolina, saying he wanted to encourage all candidates to take part. But he said recent remarks by the Clintons that he saw as distorting civil rights history could change his mind.

�We have to be very, very careful about how we speak about that era in American politics,� said Mr. Clyburn, who was shaped by his searing experiences as a youth in the segregated South and his own activism in those days. �It is one thing to run a campaign and be respectful of everyone�s motives and actions, and it is something else to denigrate those. That bothered me a great deal.�

In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Mrs. Clinton, who was locked in a running exchange with Senator Barack Obama, a rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, over the meaning of the legacies of President John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., tried to make a point about presidential leadership.

�Dr. King�s dream began to be realized when President Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964,� Mrs. Clinton said in trying to make the case that her experience should mean more to voters than the uplifting words of Mr. Obama. �It took a president to get it done.�

Quickly realizing that her comments could draw criticism, Mrs. Clinton returned to the subject at a later stop, recalling how Dr. King was beaten and jailed and how he worked with Johnson to pass the landmark law. Clinton advisers said her first remark had not captured what she meant to convey. And they said she would never detract from a movement that has driven her own public service.

�She has spent the majority of her life working for poor families, poor children, fighting for the principles that Martin Luther King stood for,� said Minyon Moore, a senior adviser. �The Clintons have a track record.�

Mr. Clyburn, reached for a telephone interview Wednesday during an overseas inspection of port facilities, also voiced frustration with Mr. Clinton, who has described Mr. Obama�s campaign narrative as a fairy tale. Mr. Clinton was not directly discussing civil rights, but Mr. Clyburn saw the remark as a slap at the image of a black candidate running on a theme of unity and optimism.

�To call that dream a fairy tale, which Bill Clinton seemed to be doing, could very well be insulting to some of us,� said Mr. Clyburn, who said he and others took significant risks more than 40 years ago to produce such opportunities for future black Americans.

The fight for the black vote in the state primary has been under way for months. One legacy Mrs. Clinton had hoped to inherit from Mr. Clinton was his strong support among black voters. Even after Mr. Obama�s entry into the race, Mrs. Clinton did not give up hope of winning a substantial share of the African-American vote. She worked hard to win endorsements from prominent black leaders like Representative John Lewis of Georgia, a highly respected civil rights activist, even as her opponent won celebrity backing from Oprah Winfrey.

After Mrs. Clinton lost to Mr. Obama in Iowa, even her top supporters judged the South Carolina Democratic primary, set for Jan. 26, to be out of reach. Representatives of both campaigns were virtually ceding much of an African-American voting bloc that could represent half of the primary electorate to Mr. Obama by virtue of his strong victory in Iowa.

But Mrs. Clinton�s triumph in New Hampshire on Tuesday restored some sense of competitiveness in the Democratic race in a state that also has a serious Republican rivalry under way.

As a result, Mr. Clyburn�s stamp of approval could carry significant last-minute weight given his standing among African-Americans and his deep political connections throughout the state, as well as the role he played in winning the right for South Carolina to have the showdown.

�His influence would be extraordinary if he should endorse somebody,� said Don Fowler, a longtime South Carolina Democratic activist and former national party chairman who is backing Mrs. Clinton.

Mr. Clyburn, who plays down the importance of personal endorsements, did not convince national party leaders to give South Carolina a coveted early primary slot in order to play kingmaker. He said he saw it as a way to bring millions of dollars to the state, showcase the tourism industry and rebuild a Democratic Party that has struggled in a state dominated by conservative Republicans.

�This is a real shot in the arm for us,� said Mr. Clyburn, who is known for eager pursuit of economic benefits for the state and its minority population.

He also helped promote three Democratic presidential debates in South Carolina, one at his alma mater, South Carolina State University, one at the Citadel and one still to come, in Myrtle Beach on Jan. 21. That event is sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus, and Mrs. Clinton could face questions there about her statement.

Last week, Mr. Clyburn spent a day in Charleston touring the Air Force base, a local charter school and a family support program to mark the first anniversary of his party�s taking the majority in Congress and his own rise to the No. 3 party post in the House. He reveled in his accomplishments, those of a boy who was 13 when the public schools were ordered desegregated and who was discouraged by a customer at his mother�s beauty shop from pursuing an interest in politics � an interest she saw as out of reach for a black youth.

Mr. Obama�s allies in South Carolina said he surged there after his triumph in Iowa, which was seen as providing reassurance to black voters still skeptical of his ability to win over white voters. Mrs. Clinton�s backers regained their hope after Tuesday�s victory, but state analysts say they believe Mr. Obama has a significant advantage among blacks.

�I don�t think Obama will be disappointed in South Carolina,� said Cleveland Sellers, director of the African-American studies program at the University of South Carolina.

Last week, Mr. Clyburn said his extended family was divided over the presidential choices, with a daughter in the Obama camp and a cousin aligned with John Edwards. He said he had found it difficult to stay out of the thick of things.

�It is very, very hard, no doubt about it,� he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/11/us/politics/11clyburn.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=politics&pagewanted=print&adxnnlx=1200028621-oa/0MUnoOqcYwkhvltmFBA