I know, I know. January 11 is very early to declare something as the "_____ of the year." But trust me on this.
First, some background information. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) is the only African-American Republican member of the Senate. He has also publicly supported Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) for attorney general. William Smith, an African American who formerly served as Sessions' counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee, also has gone on the record to defend his former employer from accusations of racism.
Naturally, "tolerant" liberals didn't take this very well. In a now-deleted tweet aimed at Scott and Smith, Twitter user @Simonalisa referred to the two as "house n----s." Scott, in what is an early candidate for clap-back of the year, had only a single word in reply. He's in the Senate, not the House of Representatives.
Ha!
Scott followed up that tweet by saying that he believes it's possible to disagree, without being disagreeable. Which, frankly, is a good motto for everyone.
Disagree without being disagreeable. #motto https://t.co/xFGP3Xj1BI
— Tim Scott (@SenatorTimScott) January 11, 2017