Few politicians, outside of the Biden family, invested as much in Joe Biden’s 2020 run for the presidency as South Carolina congressman James Clyburn.
Biden came to South Carolina with his campaign on life support. He finished outside the top three in Iowa and New Hampshire. He was having trouble securing Black voters. Without the support of that large voting bloc, he wouldn’t win South Carolina. A defeat there would’ve pretty much railroaded Biden’s presidential ambitions for a third time.
Biden wanted — needed — Clyburn’s endorsement. His support was key to winning over Black voters. In return, Clyburn wanted — required — a guarantee: Nominate the first Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court and announce it before the primary. Biden made the vow, Clyburn made the endorsement, and South Carolina’s Black voters coalesced around Biden, sending him on a path to the nomination.
And two years later, Ketanji Brown Jackson was nominated to the high court. All thanks largely to Clyburn.
So, it comes as no surprise that when it comes to assessing Biden’s president, Clyburn will be grading on a steep curve. But even then, his comments in August comparing Biden to Martin Luther King Jr. went well beyond the usual partisan puffery. Very few agreed with the congressman then, and now, with Biden’s last day as president on Monday coinciding with the national holiday remembering the slain civil rights icon, the comparison is resurfacing. And, judging by social media, time hasn’t seemed to change any minds.
Here’s the comment in full, from an interview of Clyburn on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”:
“COVID-19 opened up some fault lines in this country, and we are about repairing them,” he said. “That’s what Joe Biden did. And I think that people are going to look at Joe Biden much the way we look at Martin Luther King Jr. when he said in his speech, ‘It does not matter how long you live, but how well you live.’”
In truth, the county is just as polarized, if not more so, than it was four years ago. Comparing a steadfast man of peace to a president who supported Israel’s relentless bombing campaign in Palestine also seems a bit off. And Biden is more than twice as old as King was when he died by an assassin’s bullet in 1968.
“Out of control Democratic Party worship. Clyburn should be embarrassed,” wrote one man on X.
“That’s ludicrous,” chimed another.
On this issue, the bipartisanship was overwhelming.
“This can’t be real,” added another incredulous X user.
Clyburn, I think you need a cognitive test,’ wrote an X user. “I believe Term Limits were written for you.”
Many were much uglier.
This is not the first time Clyburn has been under fire for his admiration for Biden. In 2020, the African-American Congressman faced backlash for declaring Biden an “honorary Black man.”
Perhaps Clyburn should aim a little lower next time. Maybe Harry Truman?
