We just talked to Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, longtime leader in the Democratic Party, about the future of the Democratic Party following a Tuesday of sweeping Democratic victories; and about his new book, The First Eight, which tells the stories of the eight Black congressmen elected in his home state between 1870 and 1897 (he’s the ninth, after a nearly 100-year gap) and looks at the lessons we can learn today from the Reconstruction and the fight against Jim Crow. The Congressman told us about:
What he thinks about the end of his colleague Nancy Pelosi’s career — and and whether he thinks the critics gerontocracy have a point
Why he thinks Democratic voters who feel a void of leadership at the top of their party are wrong
What the United States could learn from the experience of Germany after Nazism about purging white supremacy from the society
And why — even if there’s a long fight ahead — he believes his children and grandchildren will live in a democracy
To watch the whole thing, just click on the video player above. And then tell us what you think.
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Join us for more Live conversations this week!
Join us tomorrow, Friday, November 7, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern, when we speak with journalist Jonathan Karl about his new book, Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America.
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