House Democratic Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina seems to be putting both Clintons on notice with his recent remarks. Earlier today jkddude wrote a diary about Clyburn's remarks about what he hears is Hillary Clinton's long range plan to cripple Obama now so she can reload and try again in 2012 against McCain. However, Representative Clyburn saved his strongest remarks for former President Bill Clinton.
http://www.nytimes.com/...
In a no-holds-barred assessment of Clinton, Clyburn, who has remained neutral in the race, took the former President to task for his remarks following the South Carolina primary election.
The black leader, Representative James E. Clyburn, an undeclared superdelegate from South Carolina and the third-ranking Democrat in the House, said "black people are incensed over all of this," referring to statements Mr. Clinton has made in the course of the heated race between Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.
Black leaders widely criticized Mr. Clinton after he equated the eventual victory of Mr. Obama in the South Carolina primary in January to that of the Rev. Jesse Jackson in the 1988 primary, a parallel that many took as an effort to diminish Mr. Obama’s success in the campaign.
There has been much discussion about whether or not either Clinton's remarks (including hers about the role of MLK Jr. versus LBJ in getting civil rights legislation passed) were indeed racist, or were they being unfairly characterized by both the media and the Obama campaign. Recently President Clinton has reignited the debate when, in a local radio interview he claimed that the Obama campaign had played the race card against him and had planned to do so all along. The following day, he denied having made the remark, apparently unaware that interviews are often recorded.
Representative Clyburn's remarks, in an interview with the New York Times served to underscore how much damage has been done to the relationship between the Clintons and many African-Americans.
...Mr. Clyburn said Mr. Clinton’s conduct in this campaign had caused what might be an irreparable breach between Mr. Clinton and an African-American constituency that once revered him.
"When he was going through his impeachment problems, it was the black community that bellied up to the bar," Mr. Clyburn said. "I think black folks feel strongly that this is a strange way for President Clinton to show his appreciation."
In politics, if nowhere else, perception is reality. A politician of the former president's skill and experience should have anticipated how his remarks would be received in many quarters. They are reported to have been the driving force behind several high-profile defections from the Clinton camp.
African-Americans have traditionally represented one of the most, if not the most, loyal constituencies of the Democratic Party. One wonders if any political plans the Clintons may have for the future can succeed without their support.