Clyburn says he'll back Obama
Majority whip plans to try to sway other superdelegates
By Robert Behre
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, South Carolina's most influential Democrat, will announce his support of Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama today, his staff said.
James Clyburn
Clyburn, one of about 200 uncommitted superdelegates to the Democratic National Convention, told The Associated Press on Monday that he is backing Obama and is phoning the state's other superdelegates asking them to get behind Obama, too.
His announcement comes on the same day voters in South Dakota and Montana go to the polls to make their choice in the final contests of the six-month-long presidential primary.
Clyburn, the highest-ranking black member of Congress, had remained neutral in the contest, partly because he thought that would help ensure that South Carolina keeps its status as an early voting state.
Clyburn kept his neutrality even after Obama handily won the state's Democratic primary in late January.
After the Democratic Party's decision Saturday on handling Florida and Michigan results, Obama needs just 44 delegates to get the 2,118 that are needed to secure the presidential nomination. Sen. Hillary Clinton would need about 200.
Obama will win some regular delegates based on the results today in South Dakota and Montana, while others are so-called superdelegates — party officials, House and Senate members and others who aren't bound to election results.
Clyburn's decision — and the similar decisions expected soon from dozens of other uncommitted congressmen — could help Obama clinch the nomination today. CNN reported Monday that its sources said most of the 17 uncommitted Democratic senators, who also are superdelegates, will back Obama this week.
Reach Robert Behre at rbehre@postandcourier.com or 937-5771.
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Comments
BillytheKid (anonymous) says...
I am a 61 year old white man and I was able to make that choice 4 months ago. I guess you were trading s^^t.
June 3, 2008 at 4:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lowcountrylover (anonymous) says...
WHAT A SUPRISE!!!!! DID YOU REALLY THINK HE WOULD BACK SOMEONE ELSE?
June 3, 2008 at 6:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
captivated (anonymous) says...
GOBAMA GOBAMA GO!!!
June 3, 2008 at 7:15 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
5thGenerationLocal (anonymous) says...
Is there such a thing as an influential Democrat?
June 3, 2008 at 8:21 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Larz13 (anonymous) says...
Shocker.
Obaminable!
June 3, 2008 at 9:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MSC (anonymous) says...
On the day of the last primary a black democrat chooses Hussein Obama. This just in, Titanic sinks and Man walks on the Moon.
Way to go out on a limb.
June 3, 2008 at 9:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JH09915 (anonymous) says...
Oh, now this is a damn shocker.. Clyburn endorsing Obama..Imagine that
We are in one hell of a serious mess in this country..
June 3, 2008 at 9:15 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
CHRISJIII (anonymous) says...
The Democrats will win the White House in November, especially considering how badly the republicans have run the country into a hole. Any surprise that S.C. is backwards and broke?
June 3, 2008 at 9:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mission123 (anonymous) says...
JH09915 we were in hell for the last four years, I guess you didn't not notice.
June 3, 2008 at 9:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
5thGenerationLocal (anonymous) says...
Nice double negative there mission123.
June 3, 2008 at 9:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bigwhip (anonymous) says...
61 years old and still ignorant! And Clyburn....well what did you expect from our pork barrel, earmarking pol. Give me a break. The Dems have offered no real choice. Anyone who attended Trinity Church for 20+ years listening to the hateful monologues does not deserve to hold public office.
June 3, 2008 at 10:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
redman1959 (anonymous) says...
Color me SURPRISED
June 3, 2008 at 10:08 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Chilldiesel83 (anonymous) says...
Democrats, if elected are going to pull out of the Middle East, that place is going to crumble, they are going to provide Amnesty to all illegals, as they have tried to do in the last few weeks trying to attach an amnesty amendment to an Iraq funding bill, and put the country further in debt with all of the socio-economic programs that they are proposing. They speak of universal health care, but the problem is not that Americans cannot afford to pay the premiums, they cannot afford to pay the 50,000 out of pocket expenses with regards to deductibles and co-insurance before the plans start to pay anything. Also, they could care less about gas prices, after all they make plenty of money and their gas is about to be paid for by the US government as they roll around in the Presidential motorcades surrounded by 30 gas guzzling SUVs. I am a Republican and I cannot remember his name, but the Democratic Senator from Virginia, the decorated war hero that just came out with a new book would be my vote for 2012. Yes he is a democrat, but above that, he is a true American and would do this country well, regardless of party affiliation. I believe his name is Senator Jim Webb.
June 3, 2008 at 10:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mission123 (anonymous) says...
Hip,Hip Horray OBAMA....
June 3, 2008 at 10:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
KidYendor (anonymous) says...
I will probably vote for Libertarian Bob Barr. I don't like Gullah Geechee Earmark King Clyburn, Hillary, Barack, or Johnny .
June 3, 2008 at 10:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SCdeacinNYC (anonymous) says...
The fact that Clyburn is a Southerner from a state that Barack won handily and the fact that Barack has more than sealed up the nomination has more to do with him backing Obama than him being Black. Many black superdelegates backed Hilary Clinton, especially here in her "home" territory of New York, New Jersey and the like. Also a great deal more are STILL uncommitted. (Which I don't have any idea why that is, to me it's been over for a lonnnng time).
And of Jim Webb, he is my vote to be Obama's running mate. I really like him.
June 3, 2008 at 11:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
captivated (anonymous) says...
It does not matter who you vote for, just as long as you vote. Obama in 08!!!!
June 3, 2008 at 11:15 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
palmettotree (anonymous) says...
Kidyendor I think Ron Paul is in it. I haven't heard that he has left the race. He no doubt will eventually.
June 3, 2008 at 12:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
zoomru (anonymous) says...
What is his stance on the SC STATE funds "FUNNELING" fiasco going on right NOW?? Taxpayers are getting massacred.!
June 3, 2008 at 1:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Test2007 (anonymous) says...
Jane - You are crazy.
I know I have said it before but I just wanted to let you know it one more time.
June 3, 2008 at 2:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SCdeacinNYC (anonymous) says...
Jane, I've heard all the feat talking that Obama will "raise taxes" (even though it seems any tax raising won't even hurt the majority of Americans, and especially the middle class) and that he will slash the military (i'm all for slashing military spending...most of our tax money these days is going to Iraq , uselessly) and windfall profit tax on oil companies (again, I don't care). But what does that have to do with your fearmongering claim that he is "racist."
You are a fearmongerer, all your posts are fearmongering...sorry I think most people stopped believing scare tactics when our government tried to tell us that Iraq was linked to Al-Qaeda.
June 3, 2008 at 3:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Test2007 (anonymous) says...
Jane, I say that you're crazy because you are fearmongering. You do it on these boards and illegal immigration boards. I have seen you post the most vile stereotypes and use vague references to support your theory. I not only don't agree with you. I have seen some of you posts before and I know you are not playing with a full deck. I have done my research as well. If he is as bad as you say who do you support???
Early - I thought you were going home? I didn't have prunes last night but maybe you did since you are as full of sh-- as you usually are.
June 3, 2008 at 3:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Test2007 (anonymous) says...
uh huh, he doesn't like white people. So he hated his Mom I guess? Maybe people should stop acting like a stereotype? What stereotype do you fit? Crazy? Paranoid?
hmmm.
Oh and please stop posting links to those websites. I am beginning to think you're a troll. Who do you work for?
June 3, 2008 at 3:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SCdeacinNYC (anonymous) says...
Haha...I always say "I don't care" ...have you read my posts? People can't act like a stereotype, you can sterotype a whole group of people based on how a few "act".
So Obama said he "doesn't like white people". I haven't read that book of Obama's but please send me the passage where he states his "racist belief that he doesn't like white people". Yes I'm sure a future politician would put those exact lines in his book without qualifying it at all.
And no those aren't vague references, those are references from fellow fearmongerers....I'm sorry that you are soo passionate about something that has a much smaller impact on our lives than people like you would have us thing. How about you be passionate about helping those in need, curing the diseases of this world, making the environment a better place, making sure our government doesn't waste money and lives on an ill-advised war. Get a grip, this is non-starter.
June 3, 2008 at 3:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SCdeacinNYC (anonymous) says...
And Michaels you are adding to this fearmongering by calling Obama (I assume that's who you are talking about ..) an Islamo-peacenik. Obama is NOT a Muslim. He has never practiced Islam, his father was raised a Muslim and later became an atheist. This is what is wrong with America, instead of getting down to the issues, we are too concerned with lies and rumors perpetrated by those who run on power of fear and not now the power of knowledge.
June 3, 2008 at 3:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Test2007 (anonymous) says...
WTF?
Jane,
You are not making any kind of sense. Not that you ever did but now...it is worse. I think you either write, work for or have been brainwashed by some weird propaganda cult. Yeah. That is what it is.
PS I just checked and Barack met his wife in 1989. So how could his wife tell him 20 years ago to convert? See? You just don't make sense.
good grief
June 3, 2008 at 4:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SCdeacinNYC (anonymous) says...
1) Obama didn't "convert" to Christianity...he accepted Christ as his personal savior. Isn't that what Christians say is what it means to be a Christian.
2) Once a muslim isn't always a muslim. Like any religion, you are either of the faith or you aren't. It's not an ethnic group.
3) That picture of Obama wasn't in Muslim gear it was in traditional tribal dress from I believe Somalian village. As is custom when people visit some villages, doesn't Laura Bush wear a head scarf when she goes to predominantly Muslim areas?
4)Obama's comments in his book were mostly about his struggle to fit in either way, so he wouldn't be perceived as a sellout. A dilemma faced by many biracial Americans and even black Americans who are in higher education.
5)if I'm not mistaken page 301, if he is referring to himself is talking about Africa as a land full of strangers...and he's not entirely at home in the West...who from the diaspora is? It's the double-consciousness Du Bois speaks of. Look it up.
Finally I'm glad you volunteer your time. But if your whole quest against illegals is because your friend was killed by one...you need to rethink your cause. Is it then justified to dislike all black people if your friend was killed by a black person, or white men if your friend was killed by one....and so on and so on. Most illegal immigrants you speak of are NOT murderers. That is one of the yes, vile stereotypes you've been perepetrating.
Get your fact straight. And yes I will continue to call you a fearmongerer, I'm not calling you names...just describing what you do.
June 3, 2008 at 4:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MinoritySouth (anonymous) says...
Maybe taxes would not have to be raised if the government was working for us and not special interest. See below.
There is a ticking time bomb in the John McCain campaign and the sooner that Barack Obama can turn his full attention to exploiting it the bigger and consequential the explosion should be for this phony maverick.
Phil Gramm, is the man most responsible for the repeal of Depression-era banking regulations that have led directly and inextricably to much of today's economic turmoil, and parlayed that classic example of legislative legerdemain into a lucrative lobbying career for the very people who scratched the smug Texan's back - as well as McCain's - on Capitol Hill.
Gramm was the biggest of the big guns behind the 1999 repeal of the banking regulations - the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act - which was officially called The Financial Services Modernization Act. (Don't you just love the name!)
Passage of the law was greased with an astonishing $300 million in lobbying money, and it encountered little opposition other than from those old-fashioned banks that actually insure your deposits, while receiving the enthusiastic blessing of the Bill and Hillary Clinton co-presidency. And you had better believe that the so hands-on First Lady was all for it.
This has included rolling back state rules that sought to stem the rise of predatory tactics used by lenders and brokers that led directly to the subprime mortrage meltdown, which cost USB more than $19 billion in writedowns this week and the prospect of massive job cuts.
\\\\ MinoritySouth
To help some of you connect the dots. If we were not in such a mortgage bind we could increase interest rates to hedge inflation, lower the price of gas and subsequently everything else because the dollar would buy more.
This is not a race issue however I would welcome the demographics on the allocation of moneys gained at we the tax payers expense from the mortgage meltdown, Enron, the Iraq War leaking money by the billions, and no bid contracts etc. etc.
Do Trillions of dollars being flim/flamed out of our treasury take a back seat to the color of the next Commander and Chief's skin.
June 3, 2008 at 4:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MinoritySouth (anonymous) says...
Oh the skinny of Phil Gramm's wife,
Wendy Gramm, a member of the Enron audit committee that approved Fastow's shady partnerships, filed one of the reported record 12,000 public comments on the Securities and Exchange Commission's proposal to tweak the rules for choosing corporate boards of directors. The SEC proposal grew out of a consensus that, thanks to a Soviet-style election system that effectively sidelines shareholders, directors were neglecting their legal duty to investors to oversee managers, creating a climate conducive to corporate scandals. For example, the failure of Enron's board of directors in general, and its audit committee in particular, led to the company's stunning bankruptcy, vaporizing stockholdings once valued at $90 billion.
You'd expect Wendy Gramm, now head of the Regulatory Studies Program at George Mason University's Mercatus Center, to recognize that the Enron board's extraordinary failure indicated a dire need for reform. You'd be dead wrong.
Gramm thinks the system works just fine. After all, she pocketed an estimated $2 million as an Enron director.
Gramm joined Enron's board after chairing the Commodities and Futures Trading Commission, where she issued regulations that legalized the type of electricity trading that helped Enron make millions in illegal profits (on Gramm's watch as a director). As a member of Enron's audit committee, Gramm found nothing wrong with accounting tricks that inflated earnings and siphoned money to selected executives in violation of company rules, if not federal laws. Coincidentally, Enron also delivered campaign cash to Gramm's husband, former U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm of Texas, and now provides that arch opponent of big government with his first private-sector job in decades at the Swiss bank UBS, which owns the rump of Enron's energy trading operations.
June 3, 2008 at 4:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Test2007 (anonymous) says...
ok Looney Jane
June 3, 2008 at 5:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
scienceguy (anonymous) says...
Ohmigod Jane!
Look at Bush dressing like a Jew at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,3....
But wait, here he holding hands with a Saudi prince athttp://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blbushabdullahhands.htm. and http://www.slate.com/id/2117517/
Seriously, this type of behavior is fairly common among politicians. So don't let it upset you. If you do, you may not have anyone to vote for in the upcoming presidential race.
June 3, 2008 at 7:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ed52 (anonymous) says...
the real issue is no one knows the real obama . he is a great speech reader. take away the teleprompter and his weakness shows. the real scary part is his three pastor friends . the new nut case (the white fruit cake) his pastor( gd america man) and lewis (me and michelle hates whitey) farhaken. now thats three leaders . they make david duke look like an angel.
June 3, 2008 at 10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
scienceguy (anonymous) says...
ed52:
The "real issue" is that people are lazy and that they would rather rely on urban myths than actually research the candidates.
June 4, 2008 at 2:13 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
5thGenerationLocal (anonymous) says...
I hate Obama and what he stands for. Not just because he is a POS Democrat either. I do not trust him, I do not think he will do this country any good, and I certainly don't want a Muslim in the White House. If he were elected and had Hillary as his VP, I am sure Obama would be killed and Hill would take office. That would suck too. Lots of people die around the Clintons.
June 4, 2008 at 7:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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