I’ve been listening to all voices in the debate over who should be Minority Whip, Steny Hoyer or Jim Clyburn. You’d be surprised how many progressives, including progressives who have run unsuccessfully for office, have only good things to say about Hoyer. He’s energetic, he raises lots of money, he travels like crazy, and he helps candidates gain credibility with both donors and local media. When it comes to getting people elected, Hoyer doesn’t appear to be ideological at all. And no one has earned more good will. Yet, it strikes me that while these may be admirable qualities they aren’t necessarily qualities that make for the most effective whip. They sound more like the qualities you’d like to see from a DCCC chairman.
The elephant in the room is not ideology, but race. No one can deny that the Democrats have a problem with white voters. Making the face of the party more black is a concern for people who are worried about regaining the support of whites for the 2012 elections. I understand this kind of thinking, but I don’t think the Minority Whip has all that much face-time, and I don’t think the best way to deal with a perception problem is to deny Clyburn a job that he’s earned. Clyburn served as the Majority Whip in the most effective Congress in forty years, and I don’t think he cost us any votes last Tuesday.
I think we need to confront the issue of race head-on. Race is not a reason to prefer Hoyer over Clyburn. When it comes to ideology, Clyburn isn’t the most progressive progressive. He does represent South Carolina, after all. When it comes to issues like Social Security, I don’t think there is a whole lot of difference between Clyburn and Hoyer. So, I think the ideological distinction is a bit overblown.
It may be unfortunate, but Hoyer is a valuable team player for the Democratic Party. I don’t think his talents should be discarded or disrespected. But I do think the party will more effective as a minority with a more cohesive leadership team. I think Clyburn and Pelosi will be a more cohesive team. Hoyer can help us win back control of Congress without being in the number two position.
Clyburn is in your face without seeming to be the ‘Angry Black Man.’ In addition, he has consistently has this President’s back.
Hoyer is a weasel, plain and simple, and wouldn’t hesitate to stab the President on national tv.
Give me Clyburn.
FUCK THE BLUE DOGS, and I mean that.
DLC-type Dems are notoriously terrible at getting Dems elected. On the floor in Congress they tend to wave the white flag before they negotiate. They save their best ammo for progressive Dems.
So what role should Steny Hoyer play in the collapsed Democratic Party?
The same role he has been playing. Going out and helping get Dems elected, regardless of their ideology.
The elephant in the room is not ideology, but race. No one can deny that the Democrats have a problem with white voters.
Jim Webb has been banging this drum recently(and Glennzilla even has a post about it .. sorta .. today). What is it exactly that white people want? More specifically, the supposed Ray-gun Democrats that Webb says he is(and that he fetishizes)? Are they the last remnants of Dixiecrats that can’t admit to themselves that they are racist? Is there some other problem? While I figured it would be jobs, there has to be more than that. After all, Webb hasn’t exactly been a shining light on economic legislation.
They’re mainly non-unionized whites who live in homogenous and isolated communities, and who feel that their tax dollars are going predominately to poor urban minorities. It’s that simple. Add in high unemployment and concern about illegal immigrants taking jobs away, and you have an easy angst to exploit.
So, basically people who are racist, but can’t admit it. The last remnants of the Dixiecrats. So now we got that out in the open, what can be done about it, if anything?
The younger generations are more open minded and more diverse, but there are many pockets in this country that are demographically little-changed from fifty-years ago. It doesn’t help that almost all political speech in those areas is coming from people like Michael Savage and Sean Hannity.
the thing that kills me is that it’s somehow Black folks’ fault that these White folks are racist.
FUCK THAT SHYT.
Another thing about Webb, let’s be clear about who these people are..
these are folks who vote against their own economic interests consistently because ‘ at least they weren’t niggers’.
Now, a Nigger is President of the United States, and what do they have left?
that being racist was more important than doing what was in their own interests.
I’ll say it again…
FUCK THEM.
Wouldn’t it be ironic if Steny Hoyer beat out Clyburn for this leadership position only to be out of job in 2012? Steny Hoyer must think that African Americans in his district have short memories or downright stupid. Neither! Steny Hoyer relies on 30% African American support, an African American population that is solidly middle/upper class and politically active. An African American population that has long tired of the plantation politics of the Democratic Party. Howard Dean warned Steny Hoyer in 2006 when Michael Steele came too close for comfort to beating Ben Cardin that they could not afford to anger PG County again. It’s clear they haven’t learned their lesson. Steny Hoyer will likely edge out Clyburn but may find himself out of a seat in 2012.
Democrats can’t depend on the craziness of the Republicans to keep driving African-Americans, Hispanics, pro-choice women, progressives, and the LGBT community into their arms every election without concrete results.
Hoyer is a failure. His inability to persuade Blue Dogs to not scramble away from Obama’s agenda is why the GOP got away with portraying it as “extreme”, “socialist”, and “dangerous”. He didn’t demand that they make the sale to their constituencies, and those who did like Tom Perriello lost by smaller margins.
Dissing African-Americans in a futile attempt to bring in non-union whites with a racial appeal is going to be self-defeating for Democrats. If Democrats are really about their values, they will keep Clyburn as whip. He has the qualifications, he is effective in the media, and he knows how to team with Nancy Pelosi to get something done. And getting something done in spite of the GOP majority in the House is going to be more important for the 2012 election than the copying the phony identity politics that Republicans have done with Michael Steele and the Log Cabin Republicans. Republicans have no intention of dealing with the issues specific to African-Americans or the LGBT community, given their current principles. That is not identity politics but discrimination politics.
Showing in spite of all the political shitstorm that government can work to get folks out of this depression in two years instead of a decade is job one. That and legislation that promotes collective bargaining will do more to bring white voters around than continuing to tolerate their bigotry.
Disclaimer: I grew up in South Carolina, and Jim Clyburn is about the only thing that South Carolina has done right in a decade and a half.
And… this post is obsolete.
“No one can deny that the Democrats have a problem with white voters.”
Bullshit – I deny it.
It’s not Democrats who have a problem, it’s white voters.
Durr.