Two years later he became the first Black Republican senator since 1978 and the first Black Republican senator from the South since Reconstruction. He replaced Sen. Jim DeMint, who was resigning to head up the Heritage Foundation. In 2014 a special election was held in which Scott won, which allowed him to serve the rest of DeMint’s term.
In 2016, he won again with more than 60 percent of the vote to earn a full six years as Senator. By most accounts, he has had a successful political career. He is one of only 11 Black people in the history of the country to be in the Senate and one of just three (along with Democrats Cory Booker and Raphael Warnock) currently in the Senate.
Maybe that’s why he believes “America is not a racist country.” In his book, America, a Redemption Story: Choosing Hope, Creating Unity, he said “Only in America can my story play out the way it has.”
Can’t knock a man for his belief, but you can become confused as to how those beliefs are overshadowed by buffoonery. The excitement Tim Scott had while recently endorsing Donald Trump was so over the top that SNL spoofed him and Al Sharpton called it “humiliating.”
Although I thought it was a little bit “coonish,” I didn’t have a problem with it. I mean it is your right to support whatever and whomever you want in this country. However, what prompted me to write this was Trump’s recent comments regarding his potential candidate would be to Vice President if he is elected President.
While speaking with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo over the weekend, Trump said “You know, I called [South Carolina Sen.] Tim Scott and people like Tim Scott.” It was the next comment that got me “You’re a much better candidate for me than you are for yourself,” Trump said.
At first, I thought it was sort of a backhanded compliment, but Trump expanded on that statement. “I watched him in the last week, defending me and sticking up for me and fighting for me. I said, ‘Man, you’re a much better person for me than you are for yourself,'” he continued.
Then it hit me, the way I interpreted that was Trump saying that this “house nigger” is more loyal to me than he is himself. I took as him saying that when Trump is sick, Tim Scott will run in the room and say “Is we sick massa?”
It reminds me of the old plantation stories that I have heard of how some Black people were so brainwashed by slavery that didn’t even know they were slaves. To them, this wasn’t a condition, but simply their life.
To some, this might be an extreme comparison, but I’m sorry, I have to be honest, this is what I thought about upon hearing these statements. Now, this doesn’t mean that I am discrediting or disrespecting for assimilating completely into the conservative and arguably racist sphere of White America.
Scott once said, “My campaign was never about race,” and from the outside looking in, it seems that mantra represents all aspects of his life. I’m sure, there are other Black Americans who think and feel this way and that’s fine.
Sometimes, as Black people, we have to realize that other Black people share our thoughts and experiences in this country. It’s just I felt some type of way when I heard a White Man tell a Black Man that his loyalty is not only deeper than race but his self-worth. It makes me raise an eyebrow, fold my arms, shake my head, and walk away.
God Bless America Tim Scott.