Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) knows why President Barack Obama is having so many problems. The answer is racism.

"People don't like to deal with it, but the fact of the matter is, the president's problems are in large measure because of the color of his skin," , the third-ranking House Democrat said Wednesday in response to a question about Obama's reelection prospects, McClatchy reported

An African-American himself, Clyburn, 70, grew up in the segregated south and was active in the civil rights movement in the 1960s. He said Wednesday that Obama must be aware of the racist messages that come from some in the country. "When he sees his face being put on a chimpanzee's body - do you think he didn't see that?" Clyburn said, referring to an e-mail that a member of a local California Republican party sent to friends last month. "And I suspect they send the same faxes to his office they send to mine."