The Washington Post has an story on how Sanders’ candidacy is viewed among senior Democrats in Congress. It’s got a catchy title: Clinton’s lead is evaporating, and anxious Democrats see 2008 all over again.
One of the more interesting quotes is from James Clyburn (D-SC).
“It’s just like the weak spot for Barack Obama was his skin color, but he got cured of that in Iowa,” said Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), the party’s leading African American in Congress.
“If [Sanders] comes out of Iowa and New Hampshire with big victories — if it’s close in both places, that’s one thing — but if he comes out of there with big victories, hey, man, it could very well be a new day,” Clyburn added.
I think most of us watching this race have felt something like this for a while, but it is interesting to see Clyburn voice those views.
The article does a good job covering various pieces of the party puzzle. There are state committees that are working with all candidates, and the broadly held view that the national DNC is biased towards Clinton. There are also comments from Pelosi saying she understands the party cannot alienate Bernie’s supporters and hope to win in 2016. They quote Cheri Bustos (D-Ill) who says she’s built campaign plans focused on appealing to women with Hillary leading the ticket.
Then there are swing district Democrats (Steve Israel, D-NY who’s retiring) who worries that if Bernie heads the ballot, the “socialist” label may hurt down-ticket races in their districts.
Clyburn, however, said he wasn’t convinced Sanders’s ideology would be a drag, at least not in the primaries. He credited the senator for his consistent delivery over several decades of an agenda focused on erasing income inequality. “I’m out there, and I know what Democrats are feeling,” Clyburn said. “Democrats really feel strongly about this income inequality business. That is a big, big issue.”
As an aside, Clyburn certainly feels the issue. I remember back in 2010 during the debate over which Bush tax-cuts should be made permanent, and whether the estate tax exemption should be permanently raised to 5 million he said this:
Representative JAMES CLYBURN (Democrat, South Carolina): Five million dollars a single, $10 million a couple is a bridge too far for me.
South Carolina primary will be interesting.