Does Senator Tim Scott End Claims the South is Racist?

PolitiChicks.comDemocrat Representative James Clyburn of South Carolina said, “I don’t care what he (President Obama) does.  He’s not going to be acceptable because of his skin color.”  In addition, Clyburn’s views of Senator Tim Scott are, “If you call progress electing a person with the pigmentation that he has, who votes against the interest and aspirations of 95% of the black people in South Carolina, then I guess that’s progress.”

Mary Landrieu shares Mr. Clyburn’s opinion of Southerners:  “I’ll be very, very honest with you. The south has not always been the friendliest place for African-Americans. It’s been a difficult time for the president to present himself in a very positive light as a leader.”

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What each of these individuals fail to acknowledge is the prejudice in their own comments. For Mr. Clyburn, Senator Tim Scott is not black enough because he does not vote Democrat. His position is, in essence, that Mr. Scott votes the content of his character rather than color of his skin. Let’s all reflect back on the Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King and what he said about judging people:

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Rep. Clyburn, Senator Landrieu, and the NAACP are judging the entire GOP–and most of the South–by the color of their skin. That is, they are judging both “white and racist” or “not black enough to avoid being racist.” This sentiment flies in the face of everything the Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King fought to achieve. For them it’s not enough that America elected a black man to the office of President for the first time, and it’s not enough that they elected a black man to the Senate for the first time since Reconstruction.

You see, for these Democrats and others of their ilk, men like Tim Scott, Allen West, Elbert Guillory, Ben Carson, Clarence Thomas, Herman Cain, and ladies like Mia Love, Condoleezza Rice, Erika Harold, and Jennifer Carroll are traitors to their race. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus and the NAACP detest these individuals because they are not progressive liberals. In short, these conservatives do not “Vote their color.”

If we look at Senator Tim Scott’s political career we see a great deal of evidence that disproves the premise that Southerners are racist. In 2010, Scott made history when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. His path was not easy. He faced a primary challenge from Paul Thurmond, the son of long time US Senator Strom Thurmond. Scott won with 69 percent of the vote!

He then was selected to replace Jim DeMint as Senator by Governor Nikki Haley in 2012. His competition in this selection included Trey Gowdy, Henry McMaster, and former SC First Lady, Jenny Sanford. Later in 2013, when he appeared before the Tea Party Convention in Myrtle Beach, SC he, “received a hero’s welcome.” Senator Tim Scott was welcomed because of the content of his character and not the color of his skin.

Senator Tim Scott is a man who lives above the fray and refuses to engage in race politics. He had the following to say about his election:

“If you really think about where we are, we have the most diverse freshman class in the Senate perhaps in its history. America has made amazing steps forward, and we will continue to make steps forward as we focus on those issues that bring us together.”

Democrats could learn from his example and focus on what brings us together instead of what divides us. Or they could look to Dr. Martin Luther King and refuse to judge a man or woman by the color of their skin and look to their character. Bottom line, there are racists in our nation but a number of them happen to be members of the Democrat Party and card carrying members of the NAACP.

Shannon Grady

South Carolina Politichick Shannon Grady came to the staff in late 2013 with experience writing political pieces on US foreign, domestic, and education policy for SGPAction.com. Shannon has also been a guest commentator on The PonyTail Patriot BlogTalkRadio show. Shannon brings a unique perspective to European politics as she is able to cover events happening across Europe from the heart of the EU, while living in Brussels, Belgium. Her articles include original coverage of the Memorial Day events at Flanders Field, Belgium and the 70th anniversary D-Day events in Normandy, France. Shannon has a BA in History from the University of South Carolina, a Masters from Webster University, and recently finished her doctorate program at Liberty University where she focused on Educational Leadership and Administration. She currently teaches online AP courses in Macro and Micro Economics and AP US history. She is the wife of active duty Army officer LTC Matthew Grady who is currently assigned to NATO in Belgium and the mother of one rambunctious little boy. Follow Shannon on Twitter: @SGPAExPat

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