MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript
Interview
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D), SOUTH CAROLINA (via telephone): Thank you so
much for having me, Ed. It"s always good to be on the show
SCHULTZ: Has it ever been like this in America, Congressman?
CLYBURN: Oh, yes. Back in the "50s and "60s, I was around when Brown versus Board of Education was working its way up to the Supreme Court. That decision came in "54. I was around when we had the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Even before that, 1957 with the Civil Rights Act that you remember the senior senator from my state at the time, Strom Thurmond, wrestled Ralph Yarborough to the floor to keep him from going into the room to vote on these Civil Rights Act of 1957.
And then we had the Voting Rights Act of "65. We all remember Bloody Sunday. John Lewis will soon be getting the presidential Medal of Honor for all of the work that he did. He was a member of Congress now. 1968, the Fair Housing Law--
SCHULTZ: But did we have the rhetoric back then that we have now?
Public officials talking about Second Amendment remedies?
CLYBURN: No, we didn"t. The difference back then and now has been the technology. It"s been the people not respecting each other in the contest.
The issue was all over whatever may be being discussed at the time.
Stuff has gotten pretty personal now.
I don"t remember anybody ever back in those days, talking about their opponents in political races the way that they"re talking about today. I don"t remember these symbols of gun sights being placed over congressional districts of people. We didn"t cross that line. We have now, I think, crossed the line.
When you hear people not wanting to compromise, not even wanting to use the word "compromise," we teach our children--and I have three daughters--that they need to learn how to get along with each other. And it"s a give and take. Now, it"s all take and no give. That is the problem that we have today.
I have often said that the difference between me and my opponent on any issue are five steps. I don"t mind taking three of them. And I believe that"s the kind of atmosphere that we"re going to have to create once again if we"re going to find common ground to do the nation"s business.
SCHULTZ: Congressman, it"s been a shocking weekend for a lot of Americans. I know you"re good friends with Gabby Giffords she"s fighting for her life tonight.
CLYBURN: Yes and I--
SCHULTZ: And how do you feel about security for congressional members? Can that be done? Would it change everything?
CLYBURN: Well, I do think that we have to take an assessment of exactly how people do their business. You may recall a few weeks ago, we had a congressman from California and another one from Oregon all get into confrontation with the TSA officials at the airports. Some of the most antsiest moments that I"ve had since I"ve been in the Congress have taken place in airports.
I think we need to develop some different protocol. We need to take a look at the MSA accounts that Congress people have. And just as we make adjustments for travel, I think we need to make some adjustments for security.
So, upon the security assessment that we are making going forward and threat assessments, we need to take a look at what we need to do congressional district by congressional district. And what kind of information, what kind of threats, what kind of letters, faxes, telephone calls are coming into these member"s offices in order to determine how we conduct ourselves going forward.
SCHULTZ: Congressman Jim Clyburn, good to have you with us tonight.
Shovel that snow down in South Carolina, OK?
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
CLYBURN: Thank you so much.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source