Sorry Cory Booker, But Tim Scott Isn't Any Better Than MAGA, Just Duller

Yes, we realize that's not Tim Scott in the photo above.

Tim Scott is finally officially running for president. South Carolina's junior senator filed his Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission Friday and will make a "major announcement" Monday in his hometown of North Charleston. No one wants this, aside from his well-paid political consultants and his campaign staff who'll sharpen pencils and cash regular checks until his last place finish in Iowa.

Scott's polling is dismal, but his senior campaign officials point out that this time during the 2016 campaign, big dull dud Scott Walker was the frontrunner. However, Donald Trump had not yet declared his candidacy and once he did in June 2015, he quickly overtook Jeb Bush and only expanded his lead. Walker had flamed out early, which is potentially Ron DeSantis's fate.

Stating the obvious here, but Scott also isn't Trump. He lacks the mad MAGA king's cult-leader charisma and has zero edge.

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Scott predictably leaned into culture war issues during his "Faith in America" tour, and at one event in Iowa, he led a crowd of (white) conservative Christians in a call-and-response like a Southern preacher with no self-respect.

"If you believe we need a little more A-B-Cs and a little less C-R-T, let me hear you scream!" Scott said. "Hallelujah."

Scott claims he's running some Ronald Reagan-style campaign that's optimistic and hopeful, but he consistently sells "white-wing" grievance politics. So, I guess he's exactly like Ronald Reagan, just without the razzle dazzle.Nonetheless, his campaign staff insists that people will love him once they get to know him. He's like some geek begging a beautiful woman to give him a chance. This is politics, though, not "The Big Bang Theory." 

 Columnist David Byler wrote the following absurd paragraph about Scott that the Washington Post published, violating what at least should be a firm “no gibberish” policy.

Scott has been in Congress since 2011, but he mostly flew under the media’s radar until Trump took office. At that point, Scott started gaining coverage for steering his party on racial issues and test-driving an optimistic message.

During the Trump administration, whenever President Klan Robe did something racist, Scott would politely tut tut while otherwise still supporting him. He later cynically accused Joe Biden of actual racism. 

Byler isn't the only one pushing an image of Scott that defies his consistent behavior. Democratic Sen. Cory Booker considers Scott a friend, despite Scott having shivved Booker and Democrats on police reform and lying about it. Booker told MSNBC's Jen Psaki that he and Scot are "two big, Black bald guys growing up in America" so that's a bond they have. He's better off bonding with tiny, white hairy guys who aren't willing agents of a rising authoritarian movement.

Unlike Scott, Booker is truly optimistic and hopeful, which unfortunately means he says stupid things like this: "I have friendships with Tim Scott, (Alaska Republican Senator) Dan Sullivan ... I can go through a lot of Republicans that I've formed legitimately good friendships here, and that's the way you get things done."

I'd appreciate it if Booker could name at least one good thing that his "friendships" with Republicans has helped him deliver for his voters. Just one single thing! I’ll wait while watching this Elizabeth Olsen video.

 www.youtube.com 

Hey, now that's a real workplace friendship! It's built on mutual respect and a common goal that doesn't involve screwing the poor and marginalized.

Maybe there was some bipartisan post office bill I might’ve missed, but Booker obviously can’t leverage his across-the-aisle relationships to pass voting legislation, protect abortion rights, or just ensure that Republicans won’t block a judiciary committee replacement for Dianne Feinstein. 

I think not exploiting a sick old woman’s health for political gain is the lowest bar for friendship. If Booker can’t find nine Republicans who'll approve a replacement for Feinstein if she resigns, then he should publicly declare on the Senate floor, “I have no Republican friends.” 

When Psaki asked Booker about his good buddy Scott's upcoming presidential run, the Democratic senator said, "I think as I look at this Republican field, he may be one of those people that is underestimated."

If anything, Scott is over estimated, but let's assume he does have at least a snowball's chance in hell at winning the nomination: Booker should probably make it clear that Scott's no better than Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, or even Marjorie Taylor Greene. Booker claims the best way to achieve anything in Washington DC is "not by vilifying or demonizing people you disagree with but finding common chords of humanity." Scott launched his exploratory campaign with an ad that vilified and demonized Democrats and directly compared Biden and Kamala Harris to the Confederacy.

Tim Scott is a creep. The media might buy his act, but no Democrat should.

[ NPR / Newsweek ]

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