Democrats Rally Downtown

CHARLESTON - Rallying the faithful, Democrats from all over South Carolina and beyond riled up area Democrats at the Second annual Blue Jamboree Saturday at the Charleston Maritime Center.

Charleston Mayor Joe Riley led off a series of speeches at the event that also featured Rep. James Clyburn, his daughter and current Federal Communications Commissioner Mignon Clyburn who received the Marjorie Amos Frazier Pacesetter Award, and Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Hoping to build on 2008 election success, in which Pres. Barack Obama carried Charleston County, party leaders plan to campaign heavily in South Carolina.

"We're going to surprise some people," Schultz said.

Rep. Clyburn took the opportunity to take a few shots at Republicans in front of a friendly crowd.

"Remember John McCain asking can Barack Obama be the Commander-in-Chief?" he asked. "Well all I've got to say is ask Osama Bin Laden."

Schultz accused Congressional Republicans of playing chicken with the national economy and putting partisan political gain ahead of the good of the country.

Schultz and Clyburn also accused the GOP of cynically blocking the Obama's latest jobs proposal, the American Jobs Act, which economists surveyed by Bloomberg News said would prevent the U.S. economy sliding back into rcession and reduce the unemployment rate by .2 percent.