Bowles-Simpson

House Crushes Bowles-Simpson Budget

Sahil Kapur | March 29, 2012, 9:25AM

A budget resolution based on the work of President Obama's bipartisan fiscal commission went down in flames Wednesday night in the House.

A version of the Bowles-Simpson budget -- the commission never found the majority needed to report out an official one -- was defeated 38-382. The measure was offered by Reps. Jim Cooper (D-TN) and Steve LaTourette (R-OH) in the run-up to Thursday's vote on the GOP's updated blueprint written by House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan.

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Super Committee

Super Committee Dem: Fifty-Fifty Chance Of Failure, Don't Count On 'Go Big' Plan

Brian Beutler | November 18, 2011, 3:07PM

Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC)

House Dem Super Committee Member Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) hasn't been at many of the recent private meetings between panel Republicans and Democrats. But he's only giving the group even odds to come up with a deficit reduction package by next Wednesday -- and if they do, he thinks it'll be pretty modest.

"I'd say about 50-50...It won't be done before Monday afternoon I don't think. It must be done by then," Clyburn told Bloomberg TV. "We'll have to have about 48 hours. Have to get in CBO scoring so that we can get something marked up on the 23rd."

More Clyburn: "Quite frankly I've kind of given up on big and bold, but I'm never going to give up on balance...whatever size deal will be, $1.2 trillion or $4 trillion, it has to be balanced."

Russ Feingold

Feingold To Press Dems To Abandon Any Unbalanced Super Committee Deal

Brian Beutler | August 23, 2011, 12:36PM

Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), June 12, 2011.

Former Sen. Russ Feingold and his new group Progressives United are petitioning the six House and Senate Democrats serving on the joint deficit Super Committee to walk away if Republicans don't budge on tax increases, and insist on cutting entitlement benefits.

"If we don't get our policy priorities, Democrats need to be ready to walk away from the deal," Feingold emailed his supporters. "You can guarantee extremists on the other side will continue to push relentlessly to give even more to corporations and put even more of the burden on the middle class. We have to fight harder than they will."

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Giffords shooting

Clyburn: Palin Intellectually Unable To 'Understand What's Going On' (AUDIO)

Eric Lach | January 12, 2011, 9:16AM

Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-SC)

In her response to the tragic shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and 19 others in Arizona, Sarah Palin criticized journalists for manufacturing a "blood libel" against her. On a radio program this morning, Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn (D-SC) said that the former Alaska Governor "just can't seem to get it."

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Gabrielle Giffords

Brady Defends Proposed Law Banning Bullseyes On Politicians

Brian Beutler | January 10, 2011, 3:59PM

Rep. Bob Brady (D-PA) doesn't just think things like putting bullseyes on your political opponents is in poor taste. He thinks it should be illegal. In the wake of the Arizona shooting spree, he's introducing legislation to extend protections given to the President of the United States to members of Congress and others.

Predictably, he's taking a lot of heat for it. Though practically everybody has come down hard on Sarah Palin for her now infamous target list -- Palin herself took it off her PAC's website after the shooting -- it appears the Giffords attack had nothing to do with Palin or any particular piece of rhetoric.

But Brady's not backing down. Monday afternoon, he entered the lion's den -- Fox News -- to defend himself.

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Jim Clyburn

Details On Clyburn's New Leadership Role Still Murky

Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 16, 2010, 3:16PM

James Clyburn and Steny Hoyer

A day before House Democrats are expected to vote current Majority Whip Jim Clyburn into a newly-created position in the leadership of their new minority, no one can really say what the new job will entail.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- expected to be elected Minority Leader in the next Congress at tomorrow's Democratic Caucus meeting -- averted a potentially nasty leadership fight between Clyburn and currently Majority Leader Steny Hoyer over the number two slot in the minority by creating a new number three job called "Assistant Leader" in the next Congress. Hoyer is expected to be elected the Democrats' number two -- also known as Minority Whip -- and Clyburn the caucus' Assistant Leader.

A Democratic caucus aide said today that the Assistant Leader slot will be created by renaming the current Assistant To The Leader position when the caucus meets tomorrow. The current job is occupied by Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who is not expected to challenge Clyburn's bid for the position.

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House Democratic Whip Race

House Democrats Strike Leadership Deal

Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 13, 2010, 12:25PM

Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC)

House Democrats will begin the next Congress with a leadership team that looks much like the one they have now if a deal struck between Nancy Pelosi and Jim Clyburn last night sticks. The essence of the plan: Pelosi will become Minority Leader, current Majority Leader Steny Hoyer will become Minority Whip and Clyburn -- the current Majority Whip -- will take a new number three job in the minority. Current Caucus Chair John Larson can remain in the Democrats' number four job in the new Congress.

Clyburn will take a newly created position called "Assistant Leader," according to a letter Pelosi sent to Democratic members today. As Roll Call reports, it's "unclear" what exactly the new position entails, or "whether the job is different from the Assistant to the Speaker position currently held by Rep. Chris Van Hollen."

The deal brings to an end a fight between Hoyer and Clyburn for the Whip job that threatened to mar Pelosi's expected transition into the House Democrats' top job when the Republicans take over in January. The final round of the Hoyer-Clyburn struggle came late last night when Pelosi threw her support behind Clyburn for the number three job.

"Without Jim Clyburn's determination, we would not have expanded college opportunities for millions of students, improved community health centers, or promoted jobs through investments in infrastructure, including rural broadband," Pelosi said.

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Jim Clyburn

Clyburn Insisting On Vote For Whip

Brian Beutler | November 9, 2010, 3:16PM

Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC)

A source close to House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn just put the kibosh on the possibility of an orderly transition into the minority for Democrats.

Clyburn is running against House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer to be the minority whip next year. Since late last week, Hoyer allies have called on the two contestants to end the race and agree to take the number two and three seats at the Democratic leadership table this January: Hoyer as Minority Whip, Clyburn as conference chair.

But Clyburn is now holding out for a vote within the Democratic caucus, the source said.

Taking a step down the ladder, according to the source, is "unworkable" for Clyburn.

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Steny Hoyer

Sources: Hoyer's Official Bid For Whip Indicates He Has The Votes To Win

Brian Beutler | November 8, 2010, 5:16PM

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD)

Current House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) today made official his bid to take the position of Minority Whip in the 112th Congress, a strong indication that he and his supporters think he can win. A source close to Hoyer told TPMDC that they were, in fact, confident they now had the votes to win. Rep. Jim Clyburn (SC) is currently the Whip and indicated last week that he wants to keep his position in the next Congress.

Hoyer spent much of the weekend lining up support from moderate and progressive Dems alike, picking up Reps.Peter Welch (VT) early on and Betty Sutton (OH) and Niki Tsongas (MA) today, among others.

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House Democratic Whip Race

Congressional Black Caucus Chair Backs Clyburn's Leadership Bid

Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 8, 2010, 12:41PM

Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC)

Rep. Jim Clyburn's (D-SC) colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus have chosen to back his bid for a spot in the Democratic leadership, according to CBC chair Barbara Lee (D-CA).

The AP reports that Lee has sent a letter of support for Clyburn's run for Minority Whip, which will be the second highest position in the House Democratic leadership when the Republicans take over in January. Lee's letter said "that Democrats need Clyburn's expertise 'bridg(ing) what divides us' during the next two years," the AP reports.

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Jim Clyburn

Clyburn Says Noose Depiction Faxed To His Office After HCR Vote (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 24, 2010, 7:16PM

Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC)

The right-wing protest movement that amped up during the final debate over the health care reform bill in the House has stepped up another notch, according to one of the most senior black lawmakers in the Congress.

[RELATED STORY: Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) received a drawing of a noose faxed to his congressional office. See the full story here.]

In an interview with CNN tonight, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) said that his office had received a fax that depicted a noose.

Clyburn told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that the Republican leaders were partly to blame for the extremist rhetoric (and now imagery) that has been flying at Democratic members directly before and after the health care reform vote.

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Health Care

Clyburn: We Can't Pass The Senate Bill As Is

Rachel Slajda | January 21, 2010, 12:35PM

Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-SC)

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn today agreed with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that the House cannot pass the Senate bill as-is.

"No, we can't," Clyburn said on MSNBC. "I think the speaker is absolutely correct."

"Everybody keeps focusing on the Senate getting to 60 [votes], and they don't seem to remember that we have to get to 218 in the house. Even elementary, you can get to 60 quicker than you get to 218," he said. "We all know that."

He said the bill needs to be changed in order to get enough support in the House.

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Jim Clyburn

Clyburn Compares Health Care Battle To Struggle For Civil Rights Act

Christina Bellantoni | December 31, 2009, 8:55AM

Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) and Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO).

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn compared health care reform to the struggle to pass the Civil Rights Act, telling a Democratic colleague that people forget the compromises needed decades ago for the legislation to break a filibuster.

In comments at the start of a conference call, Sen. Claire McCaskill made a crack that the political climate has gotten tougher since Fox News became more powerful and said that's one reason why there is opposition to the health care plan.

"The 30-second soundbyte is what's got all this up in the air," agreed Clyburn (D-SC). "Every big social change you go through this. It will take six to eight years before this all settles down."

Their remarks were captured as a Wednesday afternoon conference call about the Democratic National Committee's proposed changes to the presidential 2012 nominating calendar began. The call was open to the press and the public.

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Health Care

Change Of Tune: Leadership, Progressives, Advocacy Groups Jump On The Opt-Out Train

Christina Bellantoni | October 27, 2009, 8:48AM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

After Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's big public option opt-out reveal yesterday, the major players are looking pretty unified.

Check out all the reactions we posted at TPMLiveWire yesterday and see what they have in common, as Senate leadership, progressives and advocacy groups appear to be rallying behind the new strategy.

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) was singing a different tune, reminding everyone in a statement that "I included a public option in the health reform blueprint I released nearly one year ago."

MoveOn, which was asking members to pressure Obama last week, is now shifting gears to make sure the Democratic Party gets in line and votes to block a filibuster.

Health Care for America Now was championing Reid for "standing up" and doing the right thing, collecting more than 20,000 signatures on a thank-you petition to the leader.

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