Apparently, Jim Clyburn is still the former speaker’s go-to guy:
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday filled out the final three slots on the joint deficit committee by selecting three members of her leadership team to the panel.
Pelosi (D-Calif.) chose Reps. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), giving the panel the highest-ranking African-American and Latino lawmakers in Congress with Clyburn and Becerra, respectively. Pelosi reiterated her call for Congress to consider “the grand bargain” of major entitlement cuts matched with increased taxes…
I don’t know what all that means, except that it would appear that in recent years it seems to have fallen to Rep. Clyburn to try, singlehandedly, to balance out the rightward tilt of our congressional delegation. For what that’s worth. Which, in South Carolina, as about as much as those T-shirts.
By the way, who started calling it “supercommittee?” And if it’s called that, how come Thor, Green Lantern, the X-men and Captain America aren’t on it?
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Considering the partisanship of the members selected from both parties, it would be a good idea to short the DOW now. This will be an exercise in futility.
When this fails, can we blame Obama THEN??
Well it’s nice to see Pelosi picked a fiscally conservative member to represent the Democrats. It’s not like Clyburn was known for his pork barrel spending… well unless it had his name on it.
Like someone else mentioned in “that other blog”… the correct way to have done this was have the Republicans pick the Democrats and the Democrats pick the Republicans to sit on the committee.
I just saw who was on the committee. If they don’t come up with a solution it’s an equal cut among defense and domestic programs.
Those agencies might want to go ahead and prepare for their share of cuts because I don’t see anything getting accomplished with a bunch of ultra-right wingers and ultra-left wingers sitting around a conference table.
The whole debt limit bill was such a piece of pure utter crap. This “super committee” thing is such a farce. Doesn’t the legislative process already have committees made up of “experts” to draft legislation that then goes to the house or senate for debate and votes? Why do we need a new committee?
And how does a ‘super committee’ differ from an ‘expert task force’ or a ‘blue ribbon study commission’ or a ‘bipartisan research council’. Maybe we could just skip the interim steps and go straight to a a ‘bipartisan, super-duper, expert, blue ribbon task commission’. That way we’d cover all the bases.
Steven,
Thanks… It was me who mentioned it. On this blog. Yesterday I think. I got the idea from how you are supposed to divvy up momma and daddy’s stuff when they are gone. One person divides the pile, the other gets to pick the pile they want first. Then you barter. I don’t know the game shakeout, but I imagine that the Dem’s would likely pick the most likely Rep’s to support revenue increases, and the Reps would pick Blue Dogs. I think it would have demonstrated good will.
One think I have learned about courtroom procedures is that Jury selection decides the case more than anything else.
Steven’s point is dead on, whatever the source.
The only problem is each party wouldn’t have picked the most moderate members, they would have chosen the biggest knuckleheads.
So we will have to see if 7 can find common ground.
Here’s Clyburn’s statement on his appointment:
CLYBURN STATEMENT ON APPPOINTMENT TO JOINT SELECT COMMITTEE ON DEFICIT REDUCTION
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn released the following statement about today’s appointment to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction:
“I want to thank Leader Pelosi for the appointment to this important panel, which I accept on behalf of our Democratic Caucus and the American people.
“Too often, the human side gets lost in the Washington debates about our nation’s debt and deficits. I will seek to keep those interests on the table.
“Later this month, we will unveil the memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1963, Dr. King expressed disbelief that the vault of opportunity in this great country was empty. Yet in 2011, the gap continues to grow wider between those who enjoy great wealth and those who struggle to get by with little thought of ever getting ahead.
“I look forward to working on this committee to seek solutions to secure our nation’s financial future in a fair and balanced way that requires shared sacrifice and creates opportunity for all Americans.”
-30-
Tim – I saw it mentioned on FitsNews.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/62111582/Rep-James-Clyburn-Pay-to-Play
My jaw dropped on this one when I read it. C’mon, is he going to have a news conference every day and announce the committee is loaded with racists? We need a committee or whatever of pragmatic, center left and center right members on the thing other than the list presented so far. John Kerry? Really? And, I’m not addressing the Republicans selected yet. It is difficult to hold your nose and type at the same time.
If the list presented is the best Washington can do, we are royally screwed. Gridlock will look like a 60s love-in compared to what’s coming.
I watched one of the most intelligent interviews on Cavuto today with Mark Cuban. Cuban may be very liberal but he made more sense in 20 minutes than what has been coming out of Washington in 50 years. He earned my respect today. Someone in DC should listen to the man.
From another forum:
“Jim Clyburn being put on a committee in charge of lowering debt is about like asking Casey Anthony to open a daycare center. “
Its interesting to read this posts and the comments. To think that Clyburn will bring balance to anything is stunning. As a Co-Chair of the Third Way Organization (see http://www.thirdway.org/co_chairs) you can be assured of one thing – there isn’t a progressive bone in his body. This organization works to sell the soul of the Democratic Party to Corporate America. He’s just another Corporatist who will happily sell out Democratic beliefs and principles to the highest bidder.
Well, now, THERE’s an interesting way of looking at Clyburn…
I don’t want to push this too far – I’m not in Clayburn’s district and not even a resident of South Carolina. However, what has caught my attention and that of many other Dems is that he has been advocating for things like raising the retirement age to collect Social Security beyond the age of 67 and cuts to the Medicare and Medicaid programs. That is especially troubling to the base as he occupies a leadership position in the Democratic Party. Frankly if he was just another blue dog Democrat that supported the “work till you die” movement most of us would shrug our shoulders and move on but he’s not a “backbencher” so we pay attention to what he says and what he does.
@Mike,
Hate to break the news. The Democrat Party has been sold to Corporate America for decades. They are no less guilty of selling out than the so-called rich, fat cat Republicans. Which by the way, are already in the minority and their numbers are shrinking every day. The new billionaires on the scene are almost exclusively Democrat, not Republican.
Based on personal experience and knowledge, most of the Wall Street denizens are almost exclusively Democrat, not Republican. Have been to many gatherings attended by these guys, arriving in their stretch limosines wearing clothes that cost more than my car, and that is the man. His wife or female companion wore clothes and jewelry worth more than my home.
They vote Republican only when they perceive it to be in their best financial interests. Otherwise, every cause or vote for a local office is almost exclusively Democrat.
You mean the DemocratIC Party, right, Bart?
IC is right…
Bart:
Thanks for your comments and I couldn’t agree more. The question for me and other progressives is what to do next –
It’s clear that both parties are “owned” in the purest sense of the word but what is stunning to me is how hard it is for most liberal/progressive Dems to really see this and break free. The only word I can use for it is Tribalism. Even when a leading progressive goes after Obama they end up reassuring everybody that in the end they will vote for him again anyway. On some so-called progressive blogs its gotten to the point of being extreme. Did you know you will get banned from posting at the Daily Kos just for suggesting that “we” work for/vote for a third party like the Greens? I have first hand experience on that one, see a recent post on my blog. That’s why the progressive community is essentially irrelevant in Dem Party politics and has no effect on the big decisions Democratic Politicians make. They know we will vote for them no matter what so they don’t have to care what we think. I call it the doormat syndrome and sadly it seems that the majority of progressives in this country suffer from it.