GOP chairman blasts Clyburn over appointment
By DIONNE GLEATON, T&D Staff WriterSaturday, May 17, 2008The chairman of the state Republican Party has taken aim at Sixth District Congressman Jim Clyburn following his hiring of former Orangeburg County Council Chairman John Rickenbacker as a field representative and liaison.
Rickenbacker, who was released from a Columbia-based halfway house April 7 after serving a one-year sentence in federal prison for bribery and extortion charges, was slated to begin working in his new position as early as Thursday, depending on completion of the required applications.
In a statement released Friday, South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson said the appointment is an exercise in “poor judgment.”
“Voters demand that elected officials be held to the highest standards of character, honesty and integrity. When politicians exploit the power of elected officials for personal gain, they demonstrate an arrogant disregard for these standards,” Dawson said in the release.
“John Rickenbacker abused his authority as Orangeburg County Council chairman for personal gain and broke the law. Although Rickenbacker has paid his debt to society, Congressman Clyburn has shown remarkably poor judgment by offering him another position of influence in government,” Dawson said.
Hope Derrick, Clyburn’s press secretary, said, “The congressman won’t have a response to that.”
However, S.C. Democratic Party Chair Carol Fowler said, “Katon Dawson might want to take a deep breath and think about what would happen if no one who has been in prison were ever given a job upon being released.
“Mr. Dawson’s criticism of Congressman Clyburn’s decision to hire John Rickenbaker, who has served his time and paid restitution for what he did, demonstrates an arrogant disregard for the scriptural principle of forgiveness. Congressman Clyburn, along with a cross-section of Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. House and Senate, worked to pass the Second Chance Act that was recently signed by President Bush. That legislation supports exactly the kind of thing that Congressman Clyburn did — allowing someone who has paid the price for his or her mistake to become a contributing member of society again.”
Clyburn has said his decision to make Rickenbacker a member of his staff came after many requests and an outpouring of support from constituents in the Orangeburg area wanting the former chairman to be hired.
In his release, Dawson said public approval of the Democratic-controlled Congress “has hit an all-time low because of Washington’s culture of cronyism which is apparently thriving in Congressman Clyburn’s office.”
He called on all Democratic candidates for Congress in the state to denounce Clyburn’s decision “to offer a convicted felon a position of influence in government.”
“They must promise voters that if elected they will not hire anyone who has demonstrated such reckless disregard for the public trust to work in their congressional offices,” Dawson said.
But Fowler said, “Katon Dawson might want to reflect on the example set by Chuck Colson and Oliver North in turning their lives around. He should have the same compassion for John Rickenbaker that President Bush had for Scooter Libby.”
T&D Staff Writer Dionne Gleaton can be reached by e-mail at dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5534.
QJSMITH wrote on May 27, 2008 3:36 PM:
pedingsgang wrote on May 24, 2008 5:55 AM:
sam wrote on May 23, 2008 3:54 PM:
tittl wrote on May 19, 2008 11:24 PM:
confisus_sum wrote on May 19, 2008 2:53 PM:
beerslinger wrote on May 17, 2008 11:02 AM:
msjones wrote on May 17, 2008 9:20 AM:
journalist006 wrote on May 17, 2008 8:53 AM:
He who is without sin let him cast the first stone! And if you cast that stone, you better be certain that your house is not made out of glass!
I applaud Congressman Clyburn for taking a stance in his decision, and if there is anyone who believes that his godly decision was ill-gotten, then I strongly advise those individuals take a good hard look at themselves, their family members, so-called friends, relatives, neighbors, place of worship, government, and the ilk, to re-examine how many hypocrites are among you, or perhaps, within yourselves because this rant & rave about Clyburn's decision to give Mr. Rickenbacker a chance to redeem himself in life is a gesture of godliness, compassion, and being Christ-like, where many of us fall short in life!
And as quiet as kept, the American government, and the myriad of people living in South Carolina, and this country, need to take heed that people-of-color, the poor, the homeless, and the disenfranchised will rise against the injustices that has prevailed too long without punishment by a Higher Power than ourselves. We control our fate, and the way it is looking, the overwhelming majority of people like Katon Dawson will help our country to its demise, if we continue to give any type of negative print, television, or radio media time to who prefer to tear down society's positive efforts to do good instead of building up societal ills!
"
got2know wrote on May 17, 2008 7:25 AM:
fhsmct wrote on May 17, 2008 6:02 AM:
Everyone deserves a second chance.
We claim we want formerly incarcerated folks to become contributing members of society yet, when given the opportunity, there's an outcry of "not in community" from some sectors.
Pleasssssssssseeeee! . . .
"