Q&A: James Clyburn

Douglass: Well, so I have to ask you, Congressman, because you are one of the most famous and closely watched uncommitted superdelegates... It's been said by many — and I think it's pretty clear, actually — that the only way that Obama, who appears to be on his way to getting the nomination, can get there is with the help of superdelegates.

You certainly sound like you are leaning in his direction; why not just endorse him?

Clyburn: Well, because I'm still House Majority Whip, Nancy [Pelosi] is still Speaker, Rahm Emanuel is the Chair and Steny Hoyer is the Leader, and we've all decided to maintain neutrality.

Now, I think part of the problem that people have with some of what I've been saying, thinking that it's not really the expressions of neutrality — there's a big difference in being neutral in this race and being proud of one's race. I'm very proud of what Barack Obama's done. When I sat in those jails back in the '60s in South Carolina — dreaming about growing up, dreaming about becoming an adult, dreaming about having children and grandchildren — I now have a 14-year-old grandson, and he is very proud of Barack Obama.

I'm not going to sit down and watch anybody marginalize my grandson's dreams and aspirations. And I'm not going to see anybody go out and just absolutely nullify the energy and time that my daughter, youngest daughter, put into Barack Obama's race. This young lady started going to his office at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, every day after work, staying there to 11, 12 o'clock at night, and apologized to me for having to follow her heart for fear that it might disrupt my neutrality.

So when I look at this daughter of mine, I look at this grandson of mine, and see the pride in their faces — I'm just not going to have anybody just tamping that down, and so that's why I spoke up. Because I'm going home on weekends, and I go to these college campuses, as I will be this weekend — I'm going to Voorhees [College] and do the commencement there, I'm going to Tuskegee in Alabama and do commencement there on Sunday — these young people are looking at me, saying, are you graybeards in this party getting ready to go into some room somewhere and nullify everything we did in this campaign?

That's why I started speaking out. I kept saying, let's lower our voices — Bill Clinton, please chill out. Stop saying things that will upset the most loyal constituency that this party ever had, African-Americans.

Video   Wright out for vengeance? April 29: Democratic Representative from South Carolina James Clyburn tells Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski that the issue of race will always be present in presidential elections, however, Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s mistake brought it to the forefront. Morning Joe

Douglass: And do you think that there is any way that Hillary Clinton can get the nomination at this point without doing something extraordinary, such as convincing superdelegates that she's the most electable?

Clyburn: Well, it would be very, very, very difficult for that to happen. Is it possible? Yes. It's possible. Is it probable? I don't think it's probable.

Douglass: So what do you think should bring this to a close?

Clyburn: Well, I think that to run out the time — I've been saying to everybody — I don't think that either one of them ought to drop out. I think they ought to keep schedules. They ought to go to West Virginia, they ought to go to Kentucky, go to Oregon, go to North Dakota, go to Montana, go to all of these places, because we've got downballot races. We've got people who are running for congressional seats, for legislative seats, and the more Democrats that we can get to vote in our primary, the better off we are in the general election. I'm afraid that if everybody just cancels out their schedules and go home, then those people who have been turned on to this process and are waiting for our candidates to show up in their states, they may stay at home as well. And that's not good for us.

So I think we ought to stay engaged, but stay engaged in conversations about yourself, about your record, about your party and about the other party and why we are better than they are.

Douglass: Very interesting insights, as always, Congressman. Congressman James Clyburn, Majority Whip of the House of Representatives, thank you so much for joining us, and I hope you will join us again someday.

Clyburn: Well, thank you so much for having me.

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