Jim Clyburn

Representing South Carolina’s 6th District

Now that Congress finalized the lineup of its super committee on deficit reduction, it is time to analyze those that have been picked, those that haven’t, and if it really means anything in the end.  One aspect of the debate can be focused on Nancy Pelosi’s picks: Jim Clyburn, Chris Van Hollen, and Xavier Becerra.  All three represent liberal districts and all three represent a contingent that might be harder to persuade to sign off on a centrist compromise.  Our Member of the Week, Jim Clyburn, the third-ranking House Democrat, with two decades of public service under his belt, spent years on the deal-cutting House Appropriations Committee.  His influence, know how, and the respect he undoubtedly commands will prove vital to the long term prospects of the ever-important super committee.

By the age of 12, a young James Enos “Jim” Clyburn knew he wanted to be a politician.  One day, after going to his mother’s beauty parlor after school, a client asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up.  Clyburn was quick to respond that he wanted to be a politician.  The woman, visibility stunned, responded by telling him that such thoughts and ambitions would bring danger to him and his family in a segregated South Carolina.

Clyburn’s involvement in politics was not immediate.  Before running for a state House seat in 1970 (an election he would lose by 500 votes), Clyburn, along with fellow House member John Lewis (D-GA), was a leading member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which was affiliated with Martin Luther King Jr.’s Southern Leadership Committee.  He organized South Carolina’s first sit-ins in 1960 and was jailed, for the second time, in 1961 during a march on the state capitol.

His loss in the 1970 state House seat election signaled the beginning of his progression through the political ranks.  Taking notice of Clyburn’s campaign, Governor John Carl West asked him to join the administration, making him the first African-American advisor to a South Carolina governor since Reconstruction.  In 1974, West appointed him the state’s Human Affairs Commissioner, a position he held until 1992.  It should be noted that during Clyburn’s time with Governor West, he twice ran losing campaigns for secretary of state.

Following the 1990 census, the Florence-based 6^th district was redrawn as a black-majority district.  Five-term incumbent Robin Tallon opted to retire, and four African-American candidates ran for the Democratic nomination for the seat.  Because the 6^th district is overwhelmingly Democratic, the real contest resided in the primary.  Seeing his chance, Clyburn resigned from his position with Governor West’s administration and launched a bid for the seat.  He would eventually secure 55% of the vote, avoiding the need for a run-off, and went on to easily win the general election.  His victory made him the first black House member from South Carolina since 1897.

Upon entering the House, Clyburn did not hesitate.  He was elected co-president of his freshman class in 1993.  In 1999, he was unanimously chosen to chair the Congressional Black Caucus.  He continued to progress after the 2002 election, when he won a three-way competition over Reps. Gregory Meeks and Zoe Lofgren to become vice-chairman of the Democratic Caucus.  Once the Democrats won control of the House in 2006, Clyburn was elected the second-ever African American majority whip, which at that point was the highest leadership post an African-American lawmaker ever held.

After the 2010 elections the Democrats lost their majority in the House.  It was at this point that Clyburn’s standing in the House took an interesting turn.  Departing Nancy Pelosi ran for the Minority Leader position in order to remain the House party leader, while Clyburn announced that he would challenge Steny Hoyer for the Minority Whip post.  Sensing a growing inner discord, Nancy Pelosi announced a deal on November 13 whereby Hoyer would stand as Minority Whip, while a “number three” leadership position entitled Assistant Leader would be created for Clyburn.  The exact responsibilities of the position remain unclear but it is said to replace the Assistant to the Leader post previously held by Chris Van Hollen.

Jim Clyburn only came to Washington D.C. at the age of 52, but in his multiple House terms he has rose to become an influential liberal voice within the Democratic Party.  His extensive support base and history of effective leadership will be tested in the super committee, with his mettle for calculated compromise in the spotlight.  Whether or not it matters remains to be seen.

–Amendment202

This member of the week was Jim Clyburn, Who knows what next week will bring!