a big deal.”
For now, Clyburn is taking a wait-and-see stance. “Success depends on whether a significant number of party people across the nation participate,” he says. “This has to be a national, coordinated effort, but if someone does well in both Iowa and New Hampshire, it will be all over by the time [the primaries] come south.”
Brazile sees her plan as a power play for black voters nationwide. “African Americans often get called upon at the last minute to pull off the miracles for the Democratic Party. All I’m interested in is making sure that we’re part of the process throughout the entire 365 days of the electoral season. We have always been there for the party, but we have never leveraged our power. We’ve got to make them work for it and stop getting us for free.”