NBC News "Meet the Press" - Transcript: James Clyburn
Interview
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CHUCK TODD:
I'm joined now by the Democratic congressman from South Carolina James Clyburn. Of course, welcome back to Meet the Press. And Congressman, my condolences.
REP. JAMES CLYBURN:
Thank you so much for having me.
CHUCK TODD:
I know these folks--
REP. JAMES CLYBURN:
Thank you very much though.
CHUCK TODD:
They were constituents. But they were personal friends. Tell me about some of your friendships.
REP. JAMES CLYBURN:
Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me. You know, speaking with Clem's family, he and I are the same age. In fact, the last time that I did a morning service at Emmanuel, I think he was a pastor there at the time. I have gotten to know his family very, very well. His in-laws all constituents.
Pinckney, this guy was just absolutely the salt of the earth. I first met him when he was a student here at Allen University in Columbia. And, of course, his hometown, home church all in my congressional district. And Emmanuel is just one block outside my congressional district.
But he and I had a very close, personal relationship. Malcolm Graham, who has been on various shows this morning, his sister Cynthia was one of my daughters Mignon's best friends. She was a librarian like my wife. And there's just so much interwoven in here. That Middleton, her father, he called himself my AME campaign manager. He was just a great guy. So I know all of these people--
CHUCK TODD:
I know--
REP. JAMES CLYBURN:
--in a very personal way.
CHUCK TODD:
Congressman, you're from a generation that was in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement. You saw the pain and protests of the '60s, some of these attacks that took place in the '60s. Did you think this was at all possible, that something like this could happen in the 21st century?
REP. JAMES CLYBURN:
Unfortunately, Chuck, I did. I have been saying for some time now, and my friends in the Congressional Black Caucus will tell you I've been saying to them, that there's a rightward drift in the country that I think has gone too far. And people are getting emboldened by all of this. We hear all the discussion about the Confederate battle flag.
And what is so interesting about that, Chuck, is that that is not the Confederate flag. That's the battle flag that flies in front of the statehouse. That is the flag of rebellion. We would not be having this discussion if that were the Confederate flag or the flag of the Confederate States of America.
Because that flag is not a symbol of hate. So when you see the resurrection of this, a young man, 21 years old wearing all of these apartheid things on his shirt, burning the United States flag, and glorifying the elongated version of the battle flag, certainly you're creating a climate that'll allow this kind of thing to happen.
CHUCK TODD:
You know, about ten years ago, you led a compromise effort on the flag. And there were Democratic presidential candidates who were threatening boycotts. And you were trying to be the peacemaker back then of saying, "Let's find a compromise on that flag." Looking back, do you wish you had just pushed harder and said, "You know what? No. We shouldn't have compromised?"
REP. JAMES CLYBURN:
No, sir. If they had followed the compromise, we would not be here. The compromise was to put that flag in front of the Wade Hampton office building next to the Wade Hampton statue. What happened was when some people rejected the compromise, the legislature out of defiance put that flag where it is today in front of the statehouse.
That is not what the compromise was. The compromise was to put it on the back side of the statehouse out of public view so it would not have any appearance of sovereignty. And that's not what the legislature did. And I wish they would come back. They are coming back here to do the budget. They can very well take it up. Now, let me say one other thing, Chuck. They keep saying that it takes two thirds to bring it down. That may be true. But it only takes a simple majority to get rid of that two thirds law.
CHUCK TODD:
That's a very interesting way to put it. I'm going to leave it there. Congressman Clyburn, always a pleasure. Thanks for coming on Meet the Press this morning. And, again, my condolences. I know it's a rough, rough Sunday morning at church today.
REP. JAMES CLYBURN:
Thank you so much for having me.
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