"I’m announcing today that I’m running for president of the United States…OF AMERICA!"
Tim Scott goes wild while officially announcing his candidacy. pic.twitter.com/tgPouuQAwH
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) May 22, 2023
Alternate title: Another GOP politician announces his Vice-Presidential candidacy...
Apparently Tim Scott yelled so loud into the mic that he broke it… pic.twitter.com/Sba6hxhLbw
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) May 22, 2023
CNN’s already running Fact Checks!
Commentor Rikyrah posted this warning recently…
Laugh your ass off, DM your friends. But, we, Black folks, are going to be edgy when it comes to Tim. The risk of giving bad faith Republicans an opening to call you racist ain't worth. Now let Black folks give Tim this work.
— John V. Moore (@johnvmoore) May 20, 2023
Keeping those wise words in mind:
BREAKING: GOP Sen. Tim Scott announces 2024 White House bid, as list of Trump challengers grows. (via The ReidOut Blog) https://t.co/mhSLpzBlbW
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) May 22, 2023
Ja’han Jones, for MSNBC’s ReidOut Blog:
… Scott’s interest in running for president has been a topic of speculation ever since he vowed, in 2019, that 2022 would be his last Senate race and said he wouldn’t run for governor of South Carolina. This is Washington we’re talking about, so the idea of a senator willfully fading into obscurity — particularly, this senator, who has never seen a camera he didn’t like — seemed highly unlikely.
The senator’s political profile is simple. His role in the Republican Party — as the GOP’s only Black senator — is a role commonly played by Black members of today’s conservative movement: He’s largely used to rebut and downplay allegations of bigotry lobbed at Republicans over their agenda, replete with anti-Black, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ and anti-woman rhetoric. You could read many of my previous posts about Black men tapped to run in the Republican Party — from failed Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker to North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron — and they’ll serve as a perfect primer for what you ought to expect from Scott’s campaign.
He’s known for political minstrelsy: embarrassing public acts meant to amuse white bigots and ameliorate their policies in the public eye.
Scott has given us many examples of this in the past, but the most perfect one — a video — is rather difficult to come across these days. And that’s because Republicans appear to have tried to scrub it from the internet to the best of their ability. And for good reason.
Back in 2017, as Republicans controlled the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives, they trotted out Scott to try to sell Americans on their regressive tax plan that immensely favored rich people. Someone seems to have had the brilliant idea for Scott to appear in a promotional video for Senate Republicans — and for him to deploy a catchy hashtag to misleadingly tout the tax plan as beneficial to nonwealthy Americans.
What did they come up with?
#KeepYoMoney…
Axios — which has to fill a lot of empty space over the next 17 months — chooses to highlight “Tim Scott’s pitch: the optimistic Republican”:
… Scott, the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate, is positioning his new campaign in a lane that could be wide open in the MAGA- and grievance-dominated world of GOP politics.
– And with Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison in his corner, Scott likely will have the bankroll to stay in the race for a while.
What we’re watching: At his kickoff rally in Charleston, Scott, 57, seemed to tweak Trump in particular when he told more than 1,500 supporters that the GOP’s choice in 2024 boils down to “victimhood or victory,” and “grievance or greatness.”…
The mood in the room was a sharp contrast to Trump’s rallies, which typically feature large crowds of defiant, angry supporters yelling in agreement with Trump as he speaks and heckling reporters in attendance.
Reality check: Scott has been polling the low single digits in early GOP voter surveys, far behind Trump and DeSantis. To have any hope of winning the party’s nomination, Scott will need to sway an electorate heavily invested in Trump and his MAGA — or in DeSantis and his efforts to retire Trump from politics.
– “I don’t know how much he’s going to make up,” Thune acknowledged about Scott, when asked about Trump’s bid lead…
The big picture: Part of Scott’s pitch revolves around his personal story as a Black man who grew up poor, in a single-parent household.
– “For those of us who think America is a racist country, take a look!” he said, calling America “a land of opportunity, not oppression.”
– It was a notion echoed by Kathryn Wilson, 75, who told Axios while in line before the rally that Scott’s identity as a Black man with conservative values “shows we are not a racist country. How many white people came to support him?” …
Sidebar:
seeing a lot of “no-chance GOP candidate about to announce for president” and- this is hopium, certainly- a thing that could explain it is if there are rumors in the GOP donor set about something that’s going to happen to Trump
— post malone ergo propter malone (@PropterMalone) May 19, 2023
War for Ukraine Day 453: Ukrainian Air Defense!
bbleh
Let a thousand flowers bloom! The more chaos the better!
One of the things people like about Biden is that he’s kinda boring. Hell, they’re still yelling about Hillary because yelling about Joe just … doesn’t get people worked up the same way.
Moar Republican WWE!
The Thin Black Duke
The GOP ain’t putting a black man in the White House, so I ain’t worried.
Jeffro
I’m excited to hear a full explanation from Sen Scott about how a guy like him had ‘no chance of succeeding’ in America…yet DID succeed?
Why’d he have ‘no chance’, one wonders? What forces already stacked the deck against him, in other words?
Also, I would love to hear an enterprising young reporter ask Scott (OR ANY GOP CANDIDATE, frankly) “so…it’s just you and trumpov left on the GOP debate stage…it’s just you or him for the GOP nomination for president…WHY, sir…WHY should GOP voters choose you?”
craigie
@Jeffro: Maybe. But the first first question should be, “Yes or no, did Donald Trump actually win in 2020?”
Baud
I look forward to learning more about his plan to suppress his vote.
Manyakitty
@Baud: excellent 👌👍.
zhena gogolia
I still crack up at the idea that Joe Biden is a radical leftist. 😂😂😂
Will
I find the idea of it being ok for only certain people to criticize a candidate a certain way distressing.
If you attack someone that way on twitter and some numbnut white GOP tool decides to quote tweet, you’ve given them free reign to regurgitate that crap without owning it.
David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch
I wouldn’t take his candidacy lightly, he could be as formidable as Alan Keys or Herman Cain
JWR
Good! I just hope the Dodgers remember this the next time some religious bigot decides to throw his f*cked up opinions around. (From ABC L.A.)
Jeffro
@craigie: Can’t argue with that!
Ok, so that’s the first question.
“Why’d you have ‘no chance’? ” is the second question.
And the third is, “if he is convicted of the multiple state and federal crimes he’s been charged with, would you pardon Donald trump of the federal charges?”
Jeffro
@zhena gogolia: but…but…Joe Biden is ALL things bad to wingnuts! at all times! no matter wut!
He’s both an evil criminal mastermind AND a completely senile incompetent dolt!
He’s both in Hillary’s pocket AND a clone puppet of trumpov!
He’s both in league with China and Russia and also about to destroy the world/initiate WW III by opposing China and Russia!
West of the Rockies
@JWR:
Excellent.
hilts
Tim Scott is a first rate horse’s ass and I look forward to hearing his concession speech after the Iowa caucuses.
JWR
@The Thin Black Duke:
Period, end of story, and thank you for putting it so clearly.
Baud
@JWR:
👍
justawriter
How are people feeling about Burgumentum?
zhena gogolia
@JWR: good!
sab
Joe Biden is an old fashioned Democrat, which is horrifying to modern Republicans.
Jay
@Will:
Using race to target or attack Scott is a waste of time for anyone not of a similar back ground. More so when there is lots of other ammo in the bag.
Using race these days, can get you misquoted quite easily and the ReThug cesspool can mis-quote a tweet or comment 9,000,000,000 times before it’s ever fact checked.
different-church-lady
Yup, they’re absolutely clearing the field for Trump, you betcha. Utterly confident in that guy.
different-church-lady
Trump’s attacks should be… interesting.
Devore
I’m guessing the plan is for Tim Scott to be Trump’s VP. And steal votes from Biden in the general
Alison Rose
Today is my cat’s birthday, and she was not excited about Tim Scott’s present to her.
Today is also the day my football team officially qualified for the Champions League, which is much better news.
eclare
@JWR:
Glad to see they finally decided to ignore some pussy ass senator not from their state to do the right thing.
Alison Rose
@different-church-lady: I said in a previous thread that I hope he has someone on his team with enough awareness to help him craft a non-racist nickname. No matter what I think of Scott, he shouldn’t be subjected to that bullshit.
different-church-lady
@Alison Rose: NARRATOR VOICE: “He didn’t.”
eclare
@Alison Rose:
Happy birthday kitty!
eclare
@different-church-lady:
HAHAHA….
eclare
@Alison Rose:
Newcastle?
Jeffro
@Devore: they’re ALL either running to be trump’s VP or hope that lightning strikes should trump keel over
(that’s why I want someone…anyone…to ask them what they’ll do if it’s just them and trump on that debate stage)
Jackie
@Baud: 😂
Edmund dantes
@Alison Rose: he knowingly and willingly chooses to associate with the modern GOP. He’s earned whatever is coming his way.
Jackie
@JWR: Has little Marco expressed his anger yet?
Kent
He won’t win the nomination but I think he has a very good chance at being picked at Trump’s VP for several reasons.
Omnes Omnibus
@Will: That’s not what was being said. What was being said was that Black people have a lot more leeway in lambasting him than white people do. And, given that, sit back and enjoy the show because it’s going to be lit. Or think of it this way, they just called dibs.
JWR
This is a better story about the Dodgers / Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence brou-ha-ha. (From SFist)
And this would’ve been mic drop time, if it had occurred:
bbleh
@Devore: @Kent: I hope that’s the plan. Cuz, um …
Mike in NC
The state that elected Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham to the US Senate is a basketcase.
bbleh
@JWR: did they indeed? Excellent! All praise to the Sisters and their allies who bashed back! And yeah, the first pitch would be nice icing on the cake, but they got the cake. Booyah!
sab
@Omnes Omnibus: We don’t have a like button but i like.
Omnes Omnibus
@Mike in NC: “South Carolina is too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum.”
Devore
@Jeffro:
Sure. But Tim Scott seems like he’s the one the party bosses are behind and possibly with Trumps blessing
JWR
@Jackie: Has Lil Marco replied? I just checked his twit box, and nothing yet. Same with religious bigot Bill Donahue. Maybe they’re all tied up in a prayer service?
eclare
@JWR:
That would have been awesome! I still don’t understand how the Dodgers got in this mess, deciding to cowtow to the prejudices of a pussy ass senator from another state. Heads should roll in marketing.
Trollhattan
Waiting for Trump to ask him to bring a Diet Coke in 3, 2, 1…
bbleh
@eclare: Heads should roll in marketing.
More! There should be an auto-da-fé before the game, with the Sisters presiding!
Enough of these silly euphemisms. Time for the rubber to meet the road!
Princess
@justawriter: I was today years old the first time I heard of Burgum.
eclare
@Trollhattan:
Hahaha….
eclare
@justawriter:
Oh wow, that was great!
Shalimar
In addition to Ellison, Elon Musk has also been gushing over Tim Scott the last few days. So that is his main constituency: racist shit-posters on Twitter.
craigie
@eclare: Actually the Dodgers’ head of marketing is gay. It wasn’t his decision.
UncleEbeneezer
@JWR: LA is not a city where you want to piss off the queer community.
JWR
@eclare: Actually, I’m pretty sure the Dodgers cowed to professional bigot Bill Donahue before Marco got involved. Marco was just hoping for a free ride on the anti-Trans coo-coo train.
dmsilev
@JWR: The Anaheim Angels have already invited them. And getting shown up by the Angels is very much not a good thing to Dodgers management. It’s supposed to be the other way around, thank you very much.
BellyCat
Liking the idea of Scott as VP. Half of Trump’s 27% will be “too busy” to vote on Election Day.
raven
@dmsilev: Pretty interesting given that Orange County ain’t exactly LA.
zhena gogolia
McConnell (Cauvin) reacts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUB0w0z5zDU
Quinerly
@Devore:
I think Scott will be Trump’s running mate…close second is Kari Lake. My money is on Scott, though.
Ruviana
I’m so confused! Is it Thursday already?
eclare
@craigie:
Thanks. Good to know.
Leto
I don’t know if this was posted today, but as we’re talking about shitty GoP candidates: DeSantis’s $13.5m police program lures officers with violent records to Florida
Alison Rose
@eclare: Yep! HWTL! :)
Another Scott
OpenThread. ICYMI, Bill McBride at CalculatedRiskBlog brings the receipts:
Don’t let them memory-hole this stuff.
Forward!!
Cheers,
Scott.
Jeffro
@BellyCat: this
Jeffro
@Quinerly: it’s fun to speculate on who trumpov’s running mate will be…but it’s even more fun to speculate on whether or not he’ll even be the nominee, or just how bad the GOP will wreck itself fighting over him vs DeSantis vs Youngkin (yes! newly resurgent! LOL) vs whomever
(or if trump will run 3rd party if he doesn’t get the GOP nomination)
(or if, for the first time in our nation’s history, we’ll have a major party candidate for president flee the country)
It’s going to be a complete and utter shitshow , so just go long on popcorn futures and enjoy.
Manyakitty
@Leto: feature, not bug. That’s why they got recruited.
Quinerly
Anybody got a gift link to Eugene Robinson’s piece on DeSantis?
AlaskaReader
There isn’t a single Republican alive today who has any redeeming value.
Manyakitty
@Quinerly: hang on, I can get that for you and here you go
https://wapo.st/3OyCxGf
Quinerly
@Jeffro:
https://www.axios.com/2023/05/22/glenn-youngkin-us-president-2024
eclare
@Quinerly:
https://wapo.st/43jKcMF
Supposed to be a gift link.
Mr. Bemused Senior
@Quinerly: here you go
Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign could be brief
I see I’m not alone here.
Quinerly
@Manyakitty:
Much appreciated. Thanks!
Manyakitty
@Quinerly: Everyone wants you to enjoy that link. 😂😂
Manyakitty
@Quinerly: always glad to help 😃
Quinerly
@Mr. Bemused Senior:
Thanks!
Quinerly
@Manyakitty:
I feel so special.
But I was too late to the cucumber post.
Quinerly
@eclare: thanks!
Manyakitty
@Quinerly: but did it change to a pickle? (Fairly obscure Family Guy reference)
Scout211
Marco replies:
JCJ
@Alison Rose: Congrats to all Magpies everywhere!
Baud
@Scout211:
“I’m sad that their bullying was stronger than than my bullying.”
Ksmiami
@AlaskaReader: null. They are black holes of misery
Jackie
@Jeffro: Or who – besides Margie – WANTS to be TFG’s running mate with multiple indictments against him? Maybe they’re hedging their hopes that he gets indicted and he/she steps into the POTUS seat?
Alison Rose
@Scout211: Oh STFU you little twerp.
(Marco, not you Scout)
Jackie
@Scout211: If I had a Twitter account my reply would be “Thank the dogs!”
LadySuzy
@Kent: Scott should have said “I’m running to be vice-president”. because that IS what he has in mind.
Jeffro
@Quinerly: ego’s a b…it’s tough, isn’t it?
YES GLENN YOUNGKIN! The GOP is just dying to have you!
LOLOLOL
Jackie
Apropos of nothing, Kari Lake is on track to be a bigger loser than TFG.
Baud
@Jackie:
Did the trial decision come down?
Jackie
Yes, CNN, let’s have another MAGA Town Hall!
”Daily Beast: “Last week, the cable news pioneer suffered its lowest-rated week since June 2015, averaging just 429,000 total daily viewers from Monday-Friday.”
“CNN was also down double digits compared to the same week last year in both total viewership and in the key advertising demographic of viewers ages 25-54. MSNBC more than doubled CNN’s daily audience, drawing 976,000 total viewers, while Fox News averaged 1.4 million.”
Jackie
@Baud: Yup. Another 👎🏻
Baud
@Jackie:
👍
Steeplejack
@Another Scott:
Good article. Thanks!
West of the Rockies
Scott has a not-great voice. 30 seconds of hearing him has me clearing my throat. He’s too gravelly.
Suzanne
I am seriously awestruck by the fact that we’re really going to go through a third Trump election. I seriously thought the GOP was smarter than this (not better or wiser, just smarter).
Tim Scott is running to get a Fox News or MSNBC gig. Pays better than VP.
Dan B
@Scout211: The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence say they imitate Nuns by doing good works and they want to have fun doing good. Lil’ Marco should STFU
I’m not the only one to have this advice for L’M.
Splitting Image
Denver Nuggets complete the sweep and send the Lakers to the golf course. Media personnel who were chomping at the bit to cover a Celtics-Lakers final are now weeping at the thought of having to travel to Colorado instead.
In a weird coincidence, both the NBA and the NHL are a couple of days away from sending a #8 seed to the league championship. In another weird coincidence, both teams are from Miami. Both the Heat and the Panthers are up 3-0 in their respective series. Go figure.
Jackie
@Suzanne: CNN. MSNBC won’t have him and I’m doubtful Faux would either.
CNN is desperate to take on ANYONE who “might” dig them out of the cellar.
BigJimSlade
@Ruviana: I thought I came across a window that had been left open for days. And I was entirely shocked to find out that the top of the comments didn’t say a peep about it.
Jackie
@Splitting Image: Who would have bet against a Lakers v Celtics NBA match up? I grew up a Celtics fan, but I’m enjoying the freshness of an anti LA v Boston championship series. I refuse to root for anything Florida (except for the Rays, who are anti Pudd’n Boots) so GOOO NUGGETS!
Chetan Murthy
@The Thin Black Duke: I’ve seen a news segment (or maybe documentary) wherein Senator Scott talks about all the times he’s been stopped for “driving while Black”, and how many times the Senate (or maybe Capitol) Parking Garage attendants don’t recognize him, insist that he can’t park there, etc, etc.
I mean, he *says* he doesn’t think racism exists in America when he’s talkin’ to GrOPers. But he knows it exists when he’s being honest.
He ain’t gonna be Preznit. No Black man will be a GrOPer Preznit.
Frankensteinbeck
@Chetan Murthy:
Traditionally, the arc has been getting enough votes to prove Republicans aren’t racist, then the instant he looks like there is a non-zero chance he might be president, the votes stop.
The Path of the Token. He can advance only as far as they still see him as an obedient sidekick.
Tony Jay
@Leto:
Well, you have to hand it to him, if one were interested in bulking out their State Security Forces with phalanxes of wannabee Stormtroopers with a firm grounding in the schools of Obedience Through Terror and Violence Brings Silence, that’s how you go about doing it.
Next, change the law so all of these ‘woke rules’ that other States have been bullied into making law don’t apply to your badge-wearing thugs and off we go.
brantl
Does the term “Blackwashing” exist. Tim Scott is trying to blackwash the Republican party.
Matt McIrvin
@Jeffro: The chance that Trump will win again is far too high for me to enjoy any of this. After 2016 we can discount nothing.
Kay
I think the Republican base supporting Tim Scott as VP is the ultimate owning of the libs and they will gleefully do it.
Matt McIrvin
@Chetan Murthy: I remember when the conventional wisdom was that a Black President could only be Republican (on something like “only Nixon could go to China” grounds). The one we elected didn’t fit the script at all.
Kay
I think the bigger issue for GOP base voters – one that might outweigh even owning the libs- might be that Tim Scott is 57 and not married with no children. I don’t think that goes on the Right in Ohio.
Miss Bianca
I for one can’t wait for the roasting Scott is going to get from Black Twitter. Hoping rikyrah continues her tradition of culling some of these gems for general delectation here on BJ. :)
Manyakitty
@Kay: and claims he’s “saving himself for marriage.” Riiiiiight
Haydnseek
Poor little Marco…it’s tough out there for a shrimp.
RaflW
@Kay: Well, he and Lindsey could have one of those arranged marriages and, voila, ‘confirmed batchelor’ problem solved, X2!
Oh, wait. That probably won’t work in either Ohio or South Carolina.
Paul in KY
@David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch: Oh, snap!!!!!
Kay
@RaflW:
I forgot about that. Both South Carolina Senators are confirmed bachelors.