>>
>> WELCOME BACK TO FLASHPOINT THIS WEEK SOUTH CAROLINA CONGRESSMAN JAMES CLYBURN
GETTING A BIT OF A SHOUT OUT
FROM AN UNEXPECTED PLACE.
THAT'S RIGHT.
FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH
TELLING HIM QUOTE YOU KNOW
YOU'RE THE SAVIOR BECAUSE IF
HAD YOU NOT SUPPORTED JOE BIDEN
NOMINATED JOE BIDEN, WE WOULD
NOT BE HAVING THIS TRANSFER OF
POWER TODAY.
OF COURSE THAT COMES AFTER A
LOT OF FOLKS SAY KLEIBER REALLY
WAS THE KINGMAKER IN THIS
BECAUSE AT A TIME WHEN JOE
BIDEN WAS NOT GETTING ANY
TRACTION, KLEIBER CLYBURN CAME
OUT AND SUPPORTED HIM IN THE
SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY AND
CHANGED THE COURSE OF THE
PRIMARY.
AND OF COURSE THE RACE AS WELL.
A LITTLE SHOUT OUT ACROSS THE
AISLE THERE FROM FORMER
PRESIDENT BUSH TO MR. CLYBURN.
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE
INAUGURATION THIS WEEK?
DOUGLAS, I'LL BEGIN WITH YOU .
>> I THINK IT WAS I THINK IT
WAS GREAT GIVEN THE CURRENT
SITUATION WE'RE IN WITH THE
PANDEMIC.
I THINK THE PRESIDENT SET THE
RIGHT TONE FOR THE COUNTRY
ABOUT TRYING TO UNIFY US.
EVEN THE PARADE ACROSS AMERICA
.
I THOUGHT THAT WAS WELL PUT
TOGETHER.
YOU KNOW, I'M VERY OPTIMISTIC
ABOUT WHAT THIS ADMINISTRATION
CAN DO AND REPRESENT, CLYBURN
SAID.
I ALSO BELIEVE THAT I CAUGHT A
LOT OF SLACK IN THE PRIMARY FOR
SUPPORTING PRESIDENT BIDEN
EARLY ON.
AND EVERYBODY THOUGHT HE WAS
DOWN AND OUT.
BUT I ALWAYS JOKE MY FRIEND
SANFORD VINDICATED ABOUT THAT.
I THINK INAUGURATION VERY WELL.
IT WAS UNFORTUNATE THAT WE HAD
TO HAVE THE NATIONAL GUARD
THERE, YOU KNOW, TO PROTECT THE
CITY FROM THREATS.
WHAT GIVEN ALL THAT IT WAS GOOD
TO SEE THE TRANSFER OF POWER,
LARRY.
WHAT'S IT GOING TO TAKE TO TO
GET THE TWO SIDES TO TO WORK
TOGETHER?
I MEAN THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE
SOME APPETITE ON ON EACH SIDE
TO GET ALONG.
BOTH THE PEOPLE OF FOLKS ON
BOTH SIDES SEEM TO WANT TO SORT
OF DIG IN THEIR HEELS.
FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE FOR THE
REPUBLICANS, WHAT'S GOING TO
TAKE PLACE?
>> THERE NEEDS TO BE A
REPUDIATION NON-PROFITS ACROSS
THE COUNTRY WHO ARE SINGLE
ISSUE NONPROFITS.
WE NEED TO START MAKING THOSE
NON-PROFITS STOP BEING SO LOUD
AND STOP PLAYING IN PRIMARIES
LIKE THEY ARE AND STOP MAKING
ISSUES THIRD RAIL ISSUES.
WE'VE GOT YOU KNOW, THERE WAS
ONLY THAT THEY USED TO BE ONLY
ONE THIRD RAIL OF POLITICS AND
THAT WAS SOCIAL SECURITY.
NOW WE'VE GOT MEDICARE FOR ALL.
NOW WE'VE GOT ABORTION.
NOW WE'VE GOT THIS NOW WE'VE
GOT THAT WE'RE BOXING OURSELVES
IN.
WE CAN'T DO DEALS WITH PEOPLE
WHO ARE WHO ARE OPPOSED TO US
ON A THIRD RAIL ISSUE BECAUSE
THERE'S NO ABILITY TO
COMPROMISE.
IF I HAD MY PERFECT FIX, WHAT I
WOULD DO IS I WOULD ELIMINATE
CLOSED PRIMARIES.
I WOULD MAKE IT SO THAT ANYBODY
WHO IDENTIFIES WITH THE PARTY,
WHETHER THEY'RE REGISTERED WITH
THE PARTY CAN GO AND VOTE IN
THAT PARTY'S PRIMARY.
AND IN THAT WAY YOU'LL BE ABLE
TO SEE WE HAVE TO ENCOURAGE
MORE PARTICIPATION IN PRIMARIES
.
I'M GOING TO COME AT THIS FROM
AN ELECTORAL PERSPECTIVE.
WE HAVE GOT TO ENCOURAGE LOUDER
VOICE OF OUR COUNTRY IN THE
PART OF THE PARTY SELECTION
WHERE INDIVIDUALS ARE KEPT.
IF THAT'S GOING TO BECOME
SOMETHING WE'RE GOING TO KEEP,
WE HAVE GOT TO START TO ALLOW
THIS.
SOUTH CAROLINA IS THE REASON.
YES.
I WANT TO GO BACK TO DOUG'S
POINT THAT JOE BIDEN WON.
BUT LET'S BE CLEAR THERE WERE A
LOT OF REPUBLICANS IN SOUTH
CAROLINA THAT VOTED IN THAT
PRIMARY FOR JOE BIDEN.
THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE
UNAFFILIATED OR ANYTHING IN
SOUTH CAROLINA WHO WENT AND
VOTED FOR JOE BIDEN IN THAT
PRIMARY.
SO AGAIN.
YES.
JIM CLYBURN MADE A HUGE
DIFFERENCE IN THAT STATE
PROBABLY BILL.
JOE BIDEN WITH THE PRESIDENCY.
BUT IT WAS THE VOTERS IT WAS
VOTERS WHO WERE NOT THE
TRADITIONAL FAR LEFT DEMOCRATS
SHE WAS BASED WHO WERE GOING TO
SIT THERE AND ELECT JOE BIDEN,
PRESIDENT.
SO AGAIN, LET'S START TO OPEN
THIS UP.
WE CAN'T.
WE CAN'T KEEP SELECTING WHO
RUNS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE TWO
PARTY SYSTEM WITH 10 PERCENT OF
THE VOTE.
BECAUSE I'LL BE BLUNT WITH
YOU .
I DON'T TRUST SOME OF MY OWN
PARTY MEMBERS.
I CERTAINLY DON'T TRUST A LOT
OF THEIR PARTY MEMBERS TO
SELECT INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN
THE BEST INTERESTS.
LARRY, I REALLY DO THINK
YOU SHOULD BE MORE ANIMATED
SOMETIMES.
>> WELL, I I'VE GOT A QUICK
RESPONSE.
>> YEAH.
SO GOING BACK TO SOUTH CAROLINA
AS SOMEBODY WHO HAS ORGANIZED
THERE WITH THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN
BACKING AWAY, I CAN TELL YOU IT
WAS AFRICAN-AMERICAN VOTERS
THAT HELPED SAVE THE CANDIDACY
OF JOE BIDEN AND EVEN HE HAS
SAID THAT.
SO YOU TAKE IT FROM SOMEBODY
WHO WAS ORGANIZED ON IN VERY
HARD STATE TO ORGANIZING IT WAS
AFRICAN-AMERICAN VOTERS THAT
GOT JOE BIDEN ACROSS THE FINISH
LINE.
>> SOMEBODY SAID TO ME RECENTLY
,OH MY GOSH, THIS IS THE MOST
DIVIDED WE'VE EVER BEEN AS A
COUNTRY AND LIKE NO WE'RE NOT.
BUT THIS IS WE'RE NO MORE
DIVIDED THAN WE'VE WE'VE BEEN
BEFORE.
WE DON'T HAVE POLITICIANS AND
MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA WHO FOUND
OUT TO CAPITALIZE ON IT AND
EXPLOIT IT AND MAKE US THINK
THAT WE'RE SO DIVIDED AND THAT
WE HATE EACH OTHER RATHER THAN
HATING THEM.
SO LET'S READ SOME EXAMPLE.
>> I ACTUALLYELETED FACEBOOK
OFF MY PHONE.
THAT WAS MY NEW YEAR'S
RESOLUTION.
PEOPLE COMPLAINED.
THAT'S YOUR SOLUTION.
OK.
OK.
OK. OK.