Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) gave the Republican response to President Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress last week. Some of the reactions to it from Democrats were so unhinged that if one didn’t know any better one would think it was former President Donald Trump who spoke after Biden’s speech.
In his remarks, Scott acknowledged he had been subjected to racism but noted that a lot of it came from progressives who claim to be accepting of different viewpoints. He also pushed back on the toxic woke dogma that Democrats now whole-heartedly embrace.
“Today, kids again are being taught that the color of their skin defines them — and if they look a certain way, they’re an oppressor,” he said. “From colleges to corporations to our culture, people are making money and gaining power by pretending we haven’t made any progress, by doubling down on the divisions we’ve worked so hard to heal.”
“You know this stuff is wrong,” he stated. “Hear me clearly: America is not a racist country.”
So-called “tolerant” leftists on Twitter erupted in outrage. Among them were prominent left-wing activists who frequently use social media as a sounding board to test radical ideas. They got “Uncle Tim” (a different version of the racist slur “Uncle Tom” designed specifically for Scott) to trend. Twitter, which had previously claimed that trends of a racist, sexist or threatening nature would not be allowed to appear in the trending column, allowed “Uncle Tim” to trend for over 11 hours before taking action.
What followed the despicable trends about Scott on social media were attempts to gloss over the nasty reactions to his speech. The Washington Post, for example, only included one mention of the “Uncle Tim” trend in their write-up on how what he said “ignited a fiery debate” on race in America.
Even worse, some white liberals, including some in the media, took to what’s called “whitesplaining” to Scott about how he supposedly didn’t know what he was talking about regarding racism in America.
“Hear me clearly: America is not a racist country.”
“Now, Tim Scott, he does not seem to understand,” Joy Behar, a co-host on ABC’s “The View” argued the day after Scott spoke. “And a lot of them don’t seem to understand. The difference between a racist country and a systemic — systemic racism. They don’t seem to get the difference.”
The problem with all these hot takes is that they completely ignored the overall message from Scott’s speech, which was one of hope, optimism, and a can-do spirit — that anyone in this country, no matter their race, could fulfill their dreams if they worked hard enough at it.
Also, Scott didn’t say racism didn’t still exist in America. Unfortunately, it will always exist to a certain extent. What he said was the country as a whole was not racist. Big difference.
What was reaffirmed after Scott spoke last week is that the left does not like it at all when the right punctures big holes in their narratives, especially when those punctures come from a Republican who is from a minority group (black, Hispanic, women, etc.). As a result, they will respond in a way that exposes the sham nature of their claims of being the “tolerant” party.
Democrats do not tolerate minorities who go against the grain. That goes double for any minority who emerges as a leader in the Republican Party. Such leaders terrify the left because they can’t be controlled and because they have the potential to get other minorities to question every bad thing the left has told them about this country.
For that, Republican leaders like Scott are viciously smeared and called every vile name in the book. Fortunately, Scott doesn’t let it deter him from causing the kind of “good trouble” that enrages his political opposition.
More, please.
Media analyst Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah and is a regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.
