After teasing his run for some time, including with the announcement of an exploratory committee, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) recently made it official that he was running for president with paperwork on Friday and an address on Monday. He was immediately attacked from the left, including fellow black Americans, like Whoopi Goldberg.
During Monday's episode of ABC News' "The View," Goldberg, who is a co-host, referenced what she called "the Clarence Thomas Syndrome," managing to also go after U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, whom the left has attacked with particular viciousness. She was responding to comments from co-host Sunny Hostin, who was also airing her grievances about Scott, the first black Senator elected in the south since Reconstruction.
"One of the issues that Tim Scott has is that he seems to think, 'Because I made it, everyone can make it.' Ignoring, again, the fact that he’s the exception and not the rule. And until he’s the rule, then he can stop talking about systemic racism," Hostin complained.
When co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin, the supposed "conservative" on the panel tried to offer that Scott has "championed policies specific to help the black and brown community," Goldberg fired back after briefly acknowledging he had done "some good stuff."
"If you’re running for president, you got to do more than that. You have to represent us as a nation and then say, ‘And as a black man this is also how I feel,’ but you can’t pretend that it’s not there, that it’s not an issue for the people you’re running – for the party you’re running for. They are, in part, the problem," Goldberg claimed.
Scott has since then sent out numerous fundraising emails that mention a Fox News article, while also declaring "Friend, Democrats will do everything they can to undermine me, my experience, and my story because I’m a THREAT to their narrative. They’re more interested in cheap shots and scoring political points than progress. They’re more invested in inciting anger and hatred to ensure they win the next election."
In another Fox News article, Scott is quoted talking with fellow Republican South Carolinian and friend, former Rep. Trey Gowdy:
Scott told Fox News that Hostin had it backward when she claimed his story is "the exception, not the rule."
"Meekness is not weakness. I believe in the Gospel. I believe Matthew 5:44 says ‘Love your enemies' -- [but] if you break in my house, I also believe in the Second Amendment'," Scott told host Trey Gowdy, a fellow South Carolinian.
"We have to ignore the far left by disproving their lies by our actions. Here's the funny thing: The host, Sunny, she wants to be judged by the content of her character, not the color of her skin. The fact of the matter is America is a story of evolution – a never told story of evolution in too many of our schools that are indoctrinating our kids instead of educating our kids."
Scott said he is the rule, not the exception, in that every American child matriculating through a failing public school can look to left-wing teachers unions as the reason they are not getting a proper education.
"Every parent who wants a choice. Look to the Republican Party. Look to the GOP, but more importantly, look at Americans, African-Americans, Hispanic Americans – the majority of Americans all agree on school choice," he said.
He said the one thing in the way of providing children of all races a substantive education is "the radical left."
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In response to the overall tenor of response from his critics, Scott said there is "no question my life disproves the lies of the radical left" and their "culture of victimhood is eating away at the soul of America."
Scott further cited how his grandfather was illiterate and worked in cotton fields, but was very wise in that he instilled in his grandson the mantra that "you can be bitter or better, but you can't be both" – saying that too many people buy into the former mindset.
"I say, not on my watch. Let's tell the whole story of America rising," Scott said.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), who has endorsed and continues to publicly support Donald Trump for president in 2024, tweeted out a clip of his appearance on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle," which also addressed the co-hosts complaints about Scott.
People like Caryn Elaine Johnson, aka Whoopi Goldberg, & Asunción, aka @sunny, are liberals first & foremost. They cannot tolerate Black Americans who don't subscribe to their way of life & ideology.
— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) May 23, 2023
Again, invite me to The View & tell me I have "Clarence Thomas syndrome." pic.twitter.com/q72lFhD88R
This wasn't even the only problematic part of the segment. As a Fox News report highlighted, Goldberg had referred to Scott discussing the issue of "victimhood" as a "dog whistle," when he asked "victimhood or victory? Grievance or greatness?" while he was speaking before a crowd of 2,000 supporters on Monday in South Carolina.
Co-host Joy Behar had also piled on in a subsequent episode on Tuesday, with Scott retweeting a clip of her remarks. "He’s one of these guys, like Clarence Thomas, Black Republican, who believes in pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, rather than understanding the systemic racism that African Americans face in this country and other minorities. He doesn’t get it. Neither does Clarence. That’s why they’re Republicans," Behar claimed, also denigrating Justice Thomas.
🤷🏾♂️
— Tim Scott (@votetimscott) May 23, 2023
When a Black conservative who believes in the future of this nation stands up to be counted, they lose their minds.
That’s why I’m the candidate the radical Left fears the most. https://t.co/JBAVZUjpZt
Donalds joined in among those calling out Behar for going after black conservatives. Behar, unlike many of her co-hosts is an older, angry white woman, and has actually worn black face in the past, something she takes issue with when people it comes to people daring to point out. It turns out that this is not the first time she has gone after Scott. As Guy highlighted at the time, Behar claimed in 2021 that Scott doesn't supposedly understand systemic racism.
Scott sent out another fundraising email on Wednesday, that invited people to take a poll on whether they agreed with Scott or Behar. "Joy Behar on 'The View' said conservatives like Tim Scott and Clarence Thomas “don’t get” the idea of racism like she does and “that’s why they’re Republicans," the email declared. With added emphasis, it went on to add that "Tim Scott believes that in America you can do anything you put your mind to. Joy Behar believes your life is determined by the color of your skin."
Joy, dressing up as a Black woman for Halloween with dark paint on your face doesn't magically make you Black or make you an expert on what it's like to be Black.
— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) May 23, 2023
From one Black person to another White liberal who got a pass for wearing Black face, sit this one out. https://t.co/cz2j96SeJJ
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