House Majority Whip James Clyburn on Monday said the country needs a unifier-in-chief and someone who understands “profound loss” and what it takes to bounce back as the country deals with the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing racial strife.
“We will need a president who sees unifying people as a requirement of the job,” the South Carolina Democrat said on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention. “A president who understands the true meaning of community - and how to build it through trust and humility.”
“And with so many families experiencing loss in this pandemic - lost jobs, lost loved ones, and lost confidence in the president to keep us safe - we need a president who understands both profound loss and what it takes to bounce back,” he said.
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden lost his first wife and young daughter in a car crash in 1972. His son Beau died of cancer in 2015.
Mr. Clyburn recalled the 2015 Charleston massacre where nine people were shot and killed at a black church and pointed out that earlier this summer, Charleston removed a statue of John C. Calhoun, a staunch defender of slavery.
“Much like the country as a whole, we are stepping out from the shadows of our past,” he said.
He said Mr. Biden “will always be an adopted son of South Carolina.”
Mr. Clyburn, the No. 3-ranking Democrat in the House, deserves more credit than perhaps any other elected official for helping turn Mr. Biden’s fortunes around after disappointing fourth and fifth-place finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, respectively.
Mr. Clyburn endorsed Mr. Biden ahead of the South Carolina primary, preceding his convincing win in the Palmetto State and a Super Tuesday romp that saw the former vice president seize the momentum in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary race from Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.