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Politico Continues To Amaze Me With Its Coverage Of The Demise Of Tim Scott's Presidential Campaign. [1]

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Date: 2023-11-15

Let’s start out with the title of Politico’s latest entry on the demise of Tim Scott’s presidential campaign:

‘Played it safe’: Black Republicans are disappointed by Tim Scott The South Carolina senator’s campaign leaves Black Republicans to wonder about what might have been.

There are still enough Black Republicans to make comments about Tim Scott’s failed campaign? Really? Besides Michael Steele that is.

I admit that I really cannot make insightful comments on the diversity of opinions in the black community because I am old white man. My only insight into American racism is from the views of old time white racists who I grew up with. My racism detector is like an uncalibrated Geiger detector. By the time I pick up on obvious racist incident, it has to be extremely racist.

And my racism detector has been in the danger zone for several decades now when it comes to the GOP.

Therefore, I am always amazed that there are still Black Republicans.

Anyway, Politico delved into what black Republicans were saying about Tim Scott’s cluster fuck of a campaign, and what they came up with made me laugh outloud and shake my head.

Many Black Republicans were filled with optimism when Tim Scott launched his presidential run in May. They thought an accomplished senator like Scott would highlight the party’s growing diversity, and that he had a real chance to advance farther in a GOP primary than past African American candidates had. By the time it was over, that optimism had been replaced by disappointment with Scott’s candidacy — and some criticism of it, too.

Now, I pumped the brakes when I read that Scott was “an accomplished senator.” Really? What the hell has he done in the Senate? Last time I checked, his only “accomplishment” was breaking off negotiations with Senator Corey Booker on a police reform bill. Maybe I am wrong, but I believe others have pointed out that Scott has accomplished nothing but provide votes for his fellow Republicans. Period.

Yes, Scott did play up his unique standing within the party, alluding to his status as the only Black Republican in the Senate. But he often used that perspective to portray himself as a victim of attacks from the political left instead of talking about how those experiences dealing with race in a largely white party helped shape his world view. Simply put, for many Black conservatives, Scott seemed to run a campaign that was more geared assuaging the largely non-diverse GOP audiences rather than running a truly authentic campaign that could move the party beyond its strains of white nationalism. “He did not lean into being a Black man,” said Deana Bass Williams, a longtime Republican strategist who worked on Ben Carson’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Is that his big accomplishment? He’s the ONLY Black Republican in the Senate! Wow!

Maybe that says something about the Republican Party?

And it just seems to be glossed over by Politico that the GOP is racist. Look at how they said the following: “Simply put, for many Black conservatives, Scott seemed to run a campaign that was more geared assuaging the largely non-diverse GOP audiences rather than running a truly authentic campaign that could move the party beyond its strains of white nationalism.”

Non-diverse GOP audiences. “Strains of white nationalism.” My racism detector is way out of the red zone by now.

Seems that Scott knew his audiences pretty well. In fact, I think “leaning into being a Black man” was the least of Scott’s worries. Standing there and saying nothing about racism didn’t help his campaign. All the white Republicans voters had to do was just see Scott standing there to say, “Uh, hell no!” This was despite the fact that Scott kept telling white Republicans that the black community is in the shitter because of Democrats!

Scott’s departure from the primary comes at a moment of opportunity for Republicans. Biden’s softening support among Black voters is seen as a growing weakness for Democrats. These voters are showing a willingness to entertain other candidates. Scott’s Black Republican critics are left to diagnose what exactly went wrong. While some fellow Black Republicans accused Scott of evading the subject of race, others faulted him for not using his devout faith to draw contrasts with other candidates. “I think if Tim Scott had taken [Donald] Trump on more on the issues of morality, and what evangelicals really believe … I think he could really [have] shaken things up,” said conservative talk show host Armstrong Williams. Scott didn’t entirely shy away from discussing race on the campaign trail. He hit former President Barack Obama’s handling of race relations, saying that he “missed that opportunity” to bring the country together on race during an interview with conservative talk show host Mark Levin. He also traveled to Chicago last month to make his pitch to a largely Black audience at New Beginnings Church, railing against Democrats who “spent decades getting soft on crime, defending failing schools, undermining traditional values and weakening capitalism.”

Yeah, it’s all Obama’s fault that the country is divided. Sure. Obama never had a beer with Mitch McConnell too.

And don’t you love the part about his so called christian faith? I know I do. Seems fake piety is not in among Republicans nowadays. They want Trump who doesn’t even know how to hold a Bible.

And what does Tim Scott have to say to black audiences? He pushed the same old white supremacy shit that LBJ’s Great Society was WORSE than slavery! That comment is standard boilerplate from white conservatives. Scott is nothing but a black spokesperson for white conservative Republicans who want to return us all to the 19th Century.

And Republican voters still didn’t want to vote for Scott for president. And the answer is simple: he’s black. It doesn’t matter what his policy stances are. No way are white Republican voters going to vote for a Black Republican for president.

But I’m sure we will keep seeing articles like this from Politico. Black Republicans — the few, the proud, and the delusional — may want to close their eyes. But the media should just get a handle on the fact that the GOP has plenty of racist voters to spare.

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