Democrat Clyburn on Coronavirus Bill: ‘This Is a Tremendous Opportunity to Restructure Things to Fit Our Vision’

House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) reportedly told Democrats on a conference call last week that the party should exploit the coronavirus stimulus: “This is a tremendous opportunity to restructure things to fit our vision.”

Clyburn’s statement, reported by The Hill, which cited a source on a “conference call featuring more than 200 members of the House Democratic caucus” last Thursday, recalls an infamous statement by Rahm Emanuel, the incoming chief of staff to President-elect Barack Obama during the global financial crisis, who told the Wall Street Journal: “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste … This crisis provides the opportunity for us to do things that you could not do before.”

The quote became relevant again Sunday night into Monday morning, as Democrats blocked an effort to pass an emergency stimulus, reportedly insisting on changes to suit favored social interests.

Last Sunday night, Clyburn compared President Donald Trump to Nazi dictator and mass murderer Adolf Hitler, telling Axios that Trump could exploit current political circumstances to emulate Hitler’s seizure of power.

Clyburn’s endorsement in South Carolina was considered crucial in winning the state for former Vice President Joe Biden, setting up a cascade of endorsements that saw him sweep most of the next several Democratic primaries.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He earned an A.B. in Social Studies and Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard College, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.