Outside the Beltway

US Capitol Rotunda
By Matt H. Wade at Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

Congressman Tim Scott To Be Named To Succeed Jim DeMint

Doug Mataconis
20

Comments

Later today, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley will announce Congressman Tim Scott as her selection to replace retiring Senator Jim DeMint:

Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina has chosen Representative Tim Scott to replace Jim DeMint in the United States Senate, according to Republican officials. The move will make Mr. Scott the first black senator from the state since the late 19th century. Ms. Haley is expected to make her announcement at noon in South Carolina, according to officials.

For Republicans, Mr. Scott, who lives in Charleston, offers a unique story and background, one that is in scant supply in their party right now. Raised by a single mother, he was, by his account, a lost child who struggled with school and with life until he a Chick-fil-A franchise owner who took him on as a protégé, schooling him in conservative principles.

“Coming from a single-parent household and almost flunking out of high school,” Mr. Scott said in 2010, during his bid for the House, “my hope is I will take that experience and help people bring out the best that they can be.”

Just last week Mr. Scott, who has served in a freshman leadership role in the House, packed up his freshman-size office for bigger digs.

Scott will also be the first African-American Senator since Roland Burris, who was appointed to fill the remainder of President Obama’s term in 2008 under circumstances that ultimately led to the resignation and conviction of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, and the first black Republican Senator since Edward Brooke, who served in the Senate for two terms from 1967 to 1979.

Unlike his fellow 2010 freshman Allen West, Scott has generally kept a low profile and has refrained from the bombastic comments that West became famous for. He is definitely a conservative, though, and seems to be well-regarded by his fellow members of the House. It’s an interesting choice by Haley, and sets up several interesting possibilities for the Special Election that will have to be held in 2014.

Categories

,

Tags

, , , , , , ,

20 responses to “Congressman Tim Scott To Be Named To Succeed Jim DeMint”

  1. edmond Avatar
    edmond

    “…a Chick-fil-A franchise owner who took him on as a protégé, schooling him in conservative principles.”

    I guess I know where he stands on marriage equality, huh?

  2. stonetools Avatar
    stonetools

    So we now have an African American wingnut in the Senate , to match an African American wingnut on the Supreme Court. Progress, I guess.

    (Full disclosure: I am African American).

  3. Tsar Nicholas Avatar
    Tsar Nicholas

    This makes sense. Scott is young, obviously very conservative, but not a bomb throwing ideologue. Good choice by Haley.

    For obvious reasons effete liberals in the media-academe complex reflexively will despise Scott, but that’s merely a function of white liberal psychiatry. Par for the course.

    This does set up what could turn out to be an amazing special election. If the Dems nominate some old white dude the layers of irony will be so thick you could cut them with a knife.

    Ultimately, though, if I were Scott I’d be looking at the governor’s chair and not a long-term career in the Senate. The Senate is a wasteland for Republicans.

  4. Doug Mataconis Avatar
    Doug Mataconis

    @stonetools:

    Please provide me the evidence to support your assertion that Scott is a “wingnut.”

  5. Fiona Avatar
    Fiona

    Interesting choice, although almost anyone would be an improvement over Jim DeMint.

  6. stonetools Avatar
    stonetools

    @Doug Mataconis:

    Well , let’s see. He was originally endorsed by wingnuts (is a protege of the Tea Party).
    He is nominated to replace a wingnut.
    He is nominated by a wingnut governor.
    He is from a state full of wingnuts.
    Then there’s this:

    Tn March 2011, Scott co-sponsored a welfare reform bill that would deny food stamps to families whose incomes were lowered to the point of eligibility because a family member was participating in a labor strike.[41][42] He introduced legislation in July 2011 to strip the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) of its power to prohibit employers from relocating to punish workers who join unions or strike.[43] The rationale for the legislation is that government agencies should not be able to tell private employers where they can run a business.[43] Scott described the legislation as a common sense proposal that would fix a flaw in federal labor policy and benefit the national and local economies.[43] The NLRB had recently opposed the relocation of a Boeing production facility from Washington state to South Carolina.[43]
    …
    During the summer 2011 debate over raising the U.S. debt ceiling, Scott said that President Barack Obama could be impeached over the debt crisis.[45] Scott supported the inclusion of a balanced budget constitutional amendment in the debt ceiling bill, and opposed compromise bills that did not include the amendment. Before voting “no” on the final compromise legislation, Scott and other first term conservatives prayed for guidance in a congressional chapel. Afterwards, Scott acknowledged he had received divine inspiration regarding his vote, and joined rest of the South Carolina congressional delegation in voting no on the measure.[46][47]

    And this:

    In 1997, Scott supported having the Ten Commandments posted outside the county council chambers, saying it would remind members of the absolute rules they should follow. The county council then unanimously approved the display and Scott nailed a King James version of the Commandments to the wall. Shortly after, the ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State sued. After an initial court ruling said the display was unconstitutional, the council settled to avoid accruing more legal fees.[17] Regarding the costs of the suit, Scott said, “Whatever it costs in the pursuit of this goal (of displaying the Commandments) is worth it.”[17]

    LINK

    I dunno, Doug, seems like a wingnut to me

  7. Jeremy Avatar
    Jeremy

    Aside from the Ten Commandments, that’s really not wingnutty. Maybe you’re the wingnut.

  8. Neil Hudelson Avatar
    Neil Hudelson

    Interesting fact, via Dave Weigel:

    Only one African American Senator has ever been elected then reflected. Just one: the forementioned Edward Brooke.

  9. Moosebreath Avatar
    Moosebreath

    @Jeremy:

    Supporting impeachment of the President over the debt cieling isn’t wignuttish? It seems more likely every day that of the last 3 Presidents, only the one who actually violated US treaty obligations will not be impeached.

  10. A Avatar
    A

    My favorite fact about him is that he’s 48, deeply Christian, and still unmarried.

  11. Jenos Idanian Who Has No Pony Tail Avatar
    Jenos Idanian Who Has No Pony Tail

    Let’s see.. an Indian-American woman Republican woman just appointed a black Republican man to the Senate.

    Yup, those racist, sexist Republicans are at it again…

  12. edmond Avatar
    edmond

    @And the Germans used Jews to Jenos Idanian Who Has No Pony Tail:

    And the Germans used Jews to carry the bodies to the crematoriums so I guess they weren’t anti-semitic?

  13. stonetools Avatar
    stonetools

    @A:

    My favorite fact about him is that he’s 48, deeply Christian, and still unmarried.

    Are you considering him as a possible marriage candidate ? :-).

  14. stonetools Avatar
    stonetools

    @Jenos Idanian Who Has No Pony Tail:

    Let’s see.. an Indian-American woman Republican woman just appointed a black Republican man to the Senate.

    Yup, those racist, sexist Republicans are at it again…

    The Republicans are excellent at tokenism. We’ve established that.
    As the election results show, neither blacks, Hispanics, or Asians are in any doubt about which party represents their interests .
    Maybe when Messrs. Haley and Scott actually starting voting and advocating for minority interests, minorities will change their minds.

  15. Septimius Avatar
    Septimius

    @edmond:

    And the Germans used Jews to carry the bodies to the crematoriums so I guess they weren’t anti-semitic?

    Yes, because being appointed to the United States Senate is just like carrying bodies to the crematoriums. Gold star for Edmond!

  16. Whitfield Avatar
    Whitfield

    Dukakis ran one of the most inept presidential campaigns in history. Ken Salazar? The guy who doesn’t care if gas goes up to $10 a gallon ? This country has a shortage of statesmen and leaders.

  17. grumpy realist Avatar
    grumpy realist

    @Whitfield: If gas goes up to $10/gallon we might really get good at being efficient with its use.

    It’s not an impossible price, by the way. Japan has similar prices already.

  18. SC_Birdflyte Avatar
    SC_Birdflyte

    From among the candidates who the governor announced were on her short list, Tim Scott is probably the best. Look for Jenny Sanford to declare her candidacy for his House seat in the forthcoming special election.

  19. bandit Avatar
    bandit

    Always great to here from the braying racists of the jackass party.

  20. bill Avatar
    bill

    @Doug Mataconis: something like “any black republican is…..” , from the party of “tolerance” of course!

Latest Posts