Jim_Clyburn

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jim Clyburn Jim Clyburn Jim Clyburn (behind Bill Gray of Pennsylvania) and the first South Carolinian to hold the position. In the 2008 presidential election, he endorsed Barack Obama. Clyburn was considered for the position of Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in Obama’s Cabinet. 26th Majority Whip of the United States House of Representatives Incumbent Assumed office January 4, 2007 Leader Preceded by Steny Hoyer Roy Blunt Early life Clyburn was born in Sumter, the son of Enos Lloyd Clyburn, a fundamentalist minister, and his wife Almeta, a beautician. Republican South Carolina Congressman George W. Murray is a distant relative of his. He attended South Carolina State College (now South Carolina State University) in Orangeburg where he was initiated into Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history. He worked as a teacher at C.A. Brown High School in Charleston. After an unsuccessful run for the South Carolina General Assembly, he moved to Columbia to join the staff of Governor John C. West in 1971. In this position he became the first minority advisor to a South Carolina Governor. He was appointed the state’s human affairs commissioner by Governor West in 1974, when he stepped down to run for Congress. Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina’s 6th District Incumbent Assumed office January 3, 1993 Preceded by Born Political party Spouse Residence Alma mater Religion Robin Tallon July 21, 1940 (1940-07-21) Sumter, South Carolina Democratic Emily Clyburn Columbia, South Carolina South Carolina State University African Methodist Episcopal 1992 election Following a Supreme Court mandate, the Florence-based 6th district was redrawn as a black-majority district. Five-term incumbent Robin Tallon opted to retire, and five black candidates ran for the Democratic nomination for the seat--the real contest in this overwhelmingly Democratic district. Clyburn secured 55% of the vote in the primary, eliminating the need for an expected run-off. As expected, he won the general election in November. He has been reelected eight times, never facing a serious or well-funded challenger. From 1998 to 2006, his opponent was Gary McLeod, a strongly conservative Republican from Clarendon County. James Enos "Jim" Clyburn (born July 21, 1940) is an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the 6th congressional district of South Carolina (map). A Democrat, he represents South Carolina’s only majority-black district, which includes Florence, Sumter and large portions of Columbia and Charleston. Clyburn is the House Majority Whip in the 110th Congress, and is the third-ranking Democrat in the House behind House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. He is the second African American 1 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jim Clyburn legislative actions as well as evaluations and ratings by pertinent interest groups. [4] 2008 election In 2008, Clyburn faced Republican candidate Nancy Harrelson of Marion, SC. Clyburn won that contest with 67.5 percent of the vote. [1] Healthcare In 2009, Clyburn introduced the Access for All Americans Act. The $26 billion sought by this Act would provide funding to quadruple the number of community health centers in the US that provide medical care to uninsured and low-income citizens. [5] The American Public Health Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, The Children’s Health Fund and other healthcare interest groups rate Clyburn very high based on his voting record on pertinent issues, while other groups in this field, such as the American College of Physicians and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, give Clyburn ratings of zero. [6] Congressional career During the 2004 Democratic presidential primaries, Clyburn supported Dick Gephardt until he dropped out of the race and afterwards supported John Kerry. Clyburn is generally considered to be the most important African-American political leader in his home state. Clyburn was elected as vice-chairman of the House Democratic Caucus in 2003, the third-ranking post in the caucus. He became chairman in early 2006 after caucus chairman Bob Menendez was appointed to the Senate. After the Democrats won control of the House of Representatives in the 2006 election, Clyburn was unanimously elected as Majority Whip in the 110th Congress. Clyburn was interviewed by National Public Radio’s Morning Edition on January 12, 2007, and acknowledged the difficulty of counting votes and rallying the fractious Democratic caucus, now that his party holds the majority in the House. Clyburn has traveled all throughout the state of South Carolina honoring people who have made significant contributions to various causes. He was one of the 31 who voted in the House to not count the electoral votes from Ohio in the United States presidential election, 2004. [2] Also, Clyburn is regarded to be pro-choice on the issue of abortion, as is made evident by his high ratings from the Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America organizations, and very low rating from the National Right to Life Committee. [7] Education For education, Clyburn has continuously sought new and additional funding. Included in the programs that Clyburn has successfully achieved additional funding for are special education [8] and lower interest rates on federal student loans[9]. In many sessions has Clyburn sought, sponsored and/or voted for improvements in Pell Grant funding.[10] The National Education Association and the National Association of Elementary School Principals rate Clyburn very high, as do other education interest groups. [11] Political Positions Clyburn is regarded to be moderately liberal in his political stances, actions and votes. A recent ranking by the National Journal listed him to be the 77th most liberal of all 435 US congressional representatives, and with a score of 81, indicating that the conductors of this study found his voting record to be more liberal than 81 percent of other members of the US House of Representatives based on their recent voting records. [3] Clyburn has an established liberal and/or progressive stance on healthcare, education, organized labor, environment and environmental conservation issues, and based on his Labor Clyburn has consistently voted for increases in minimum wage income and to restrict employer interference with labor union organization. [12] Many national labor unions, including the AFL-CIO, the United Auto Workers, the Communication Workers Association and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, give Clyburn outstanding ratings based on his voting record on issues that pertain to labor and employment. [13] 2 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jim Clyburn Speaking with the New York Times, Clyburn said such actions could lead to a longtime division between the former president and his once most reliable constituency. "When he was going through his impeachment problems, it was the black community that bellied up to the bar," Clyburn said. "I think black folks feel strongly that this is a strange way for President Clinton to show his appreciation."[20] On June 3, and after Obama secured enough electoral votes to gather the official nomination by his performance in the South Dakota primary, Clyburn offered his endorsement as superdelegate[21]. Environment & Conservation Clyburn has opposed legislation regarding off-shore oil and natural gas drilling. Instead, Clyburn has promoted use of nuclear energy on the basis of turning away from fossil fuels, and based on its cost-efficiency in comparison to other fuel sources, including wind and solar energy. [14] Clyburn has continuously been viewed favorably by organizations such as the League of Conservation Voters and Defenders of Wildlife. [15] Comments on the Iraq War On July 31, 2007, Clyburn said in a broadcast interview that it would be a "real big problem" for the Democratic party if General Petraeus issued a positive report in September, as it would split the Democratic caucus on whether to continue to fund the Iraq War. While this soundbite caused some controversy, the full quote was, in reference to 47 member Blue Dog caucus, "I think there would be enough support in that group to want to stay the course and if the Republicans were to stay united as they have been, then it would be a problem for us."[16] References [1] South Carolina 2008 General Election Results, 21 November 2008, http://www.enr-scvotes.org/SC/8562/ 13981/en/summary.html, retrieved on 2009-02-26 [2] "FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 7". 2005-01-06. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/ roll007.xml. Retrieved on 2009-05-12. [3] 2007 Vote Ratings [4] Project Vote Smart: Clyburn [5] Clyburn bill would extend healthcare [6] Project Vote Smart: Clyburn: Health Issues [7] Project Vote Smart: Clyburn: Abortion Issues [8] Education Advocates Give Funding a Boost 20 December 2001 [9] The Daily WhipLine 17 April 2008 [10] The Daily WhipLine 18 July 2007 [11] Project Vote Smart: Clyburn: Education [12] Jim Clyburn on Jobs [13] Project Vote Smart: Clyburn: Labor [14] America’s Energy Future 11 July 2008 [15] Project Vote Smart: Clyburn: Environmental Issues [16] "Clyburn: Positive Report by Petraeus Could Split House Democrats on War". The Washington Post. 2007-07-30. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ content/article/2007/07/30/ AR2007073001380.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-12. [17] Election Results [18] Black Leader in House Denounces Bill Clinton’s Remarks [19] Bill Clinton Irritated by Race-Card Questions Comments on the Presidential Election Throughout most of the 2008 presidential primary elections, Clyburn, a superdelegate, remained non-committed without any endorsement. During the primary elections, however, Clyburn publicly expressed discontent with comments issued by former president Bill Clinton. After Barack Obama won the South Carolina primary in January 2008, besting Sen. Hillary Clinton and other Democratic candidates with a majority take [17], President Clinton issued a down-playing statement that equated Obama’s win with that of Rev. Jesse Jackson in the 1988 primary election [18]. "Black people are incensed all over this," said Clyburn. President Clinton responded by stating in an interview that the Obama campaign "played the race card on me," denying any racial tone in the comment[19]. 3 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia United States House of Representatives Preceded by Robin Tallon Jim Clyburn Member of the U.S. House of Representatives Succeeded by from South Carolina’s 6th congressional dis- Incumbent trict 1993–Present Chairman of House Democratic Caucus 2006–2007 House Majority Whip 2007–Present Succeeded by Rahm Emanuel Illinois Succeeded by Incumbent Party political offices Preceded by Bob Menendez New Jersey Preceded by Roy Blunt Missouri [20] Black Leader in House Denounces Bill Clinton’s Remarks [21] Steady Stream of superdelegates pushed Obama over top External links • U.S. Congressman James E. Clyburn official House site • House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn official leadership site • Jim Clyburn for U.S. Congress official campaign site • Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress • Voting record maintained by The Washington Post • Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission • Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org • Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart • Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues • Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com • Congressional profile at GovTrack.us • Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia • Hidden Power on the Hill Silla Brush, U.S. News & World Report, February 25, 2007 • Biography and issue positions at Votimus.com Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Clyburn" Categories: 1940 births, African American members of the United States House of Representatives, American Methodists, Living people, Members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina, People from Sumter, South Carolina, South Carolina State University alumni, State cabinet secretaries of South Carolina, Social Progressives This page was last modified on 12 May 2009, at 14:33 (UTC). 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