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.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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