Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

September 5, 2008 6:15:51 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Invoking King May Backfire for Clinton in SC

Posted Jan 11, 08 4:30 PM CST in Politics 

(Newser) – The highest-ranking African American in Congress, Rep. Jim Clyburn, is reconsidering his neutrality in South Carolina’s Democratic primary after comments by Hillary Clinton he perceived as “denigrating” Martin Luther King. Competing with Barack Obama over the legacies of JFK and MLK, Clinton said: “King’s dream began to be realized when President Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It took a president to get it done.”

The civil rights activist is also miffed by Bill Clinton’s “fairy tale” dig at Obama, the New York Times reports. "We have to be very, very careful about how we speak about that era in American politics," Clyburn cautioned. Hillary Clinton hopes to inherit her husband’s popularity among black voters in South Carolina, and Clyburn’s disapproval could be a major setback.

Source New York Times

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Top Clintonites Push Hillary for Veep

    Jun 4, 08 11:45 AM CDT
    Top Clintonites Push Hillary for Veep Mere hours after Barack Obama secured the Dem nomination, key Clinton insiders stepped up lobbying for a VP slot for her. Former White House staffer Lanny Davis started a petition drive—without campaign coordination, he insists—at Womenforfairpolitics.com, the Los Angeles Times reports. “We must field the strongest possible ticket,” the letter to Obama on the site reads. Clinton “would be, by far the most qualified and strongest candidate to be your running mate.” More »

  • Equal Pay Bill Blocked in Senate

    Apr 24, 08 3:34 AM CDT
    Equal Pay Bill Blocked in Senate Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama interrupted their rival campaigns yesterday to vote together on a bill that would make it easier for women to sue employers for pay discrimination. But their moment of unity proved fruitless as Senate Republicans blocked the bill, likely killing it for the rest of the year, reports Reuters. More »

  • McCain Deems 1983 Vote Against MLK Day a 'Mistake'

    Apr 4, 08 3:42 PM CDT
    McCain Deems 1983 Vote Against MLK Day a 'Mistake' John McCain apologized today for his 1983 Senate vote against a federal Martin Luther King holiday. Standing at the Memphis site where King was assassinated in 1968, McCain called his nay vote “a mistake,” the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports; McCain later voted for a state holiday in Arizona. Democrat Hillary Clinton, also in Memphis today, recalled meeting King as a teenager. More »

  • Obama Relies on Volunteers to Sway Texas

    Mar 1, 08 12:50 PM CST
    Obama Relies on Volunteers to Sway Texas Volunteers, not the paid staff Barack Obama has relied on to win previous primaries, are at the core of his campaign in Texas, reports the Wall Street Journal. It's "like a baling wire and duct tape thing," says his campaign chief in the state. A year ago, it didn't make a lot of sense for the Obama camp to devote many resources here, but the state's emerging importance has forced a relatively late scramble, the Journal notes. More »

  • Clinton's Black Allies Defecting

    Feb 15, 08 8:09 AM CST
    Clinton's Black Allies Defecting Hillary Clinton is starting to lose the support of prominent black leaders—and superdelegates— who previously backed her. Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat who carries great influence in Congress, says he's now tilting toward Barack Obama. Another Georgia Democrat, David Scott, already switched, the AP reports. “Something is happening in America," Lewis said, "and people are prepared and ready to make that great leap.” More »

U.S. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, left, listens as U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., as he speaks at the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus annual legislative dinner at the Columbia Metropolitan...   (Associated Press)
Democratic presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., left, speaks with U.S. Rep Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., at the 91st Annual NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2007, in...   (Associated Press)
Democratic presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., second from right, sings "We Will Overcome" with U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C.,right, Raphael James, left, master of ceremonies,...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Sen. Hillary Clinton: LBJ vs MLK   (whataremark (YouTube))

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 6)

Tags

Barack Obama  • Hillary Clinton  • Martin Luther King Jr.  • South Carolina primary  • Civil Rights Act  • Jim Clyburn


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular


Other Politics Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »