Tim Scott is running for president
He's the anti-victimhood/grievance candidate, but his record is mixed in this area.
Tim Scott has entered the race for president. As a prominent, dynamic, and optimistic U.S. Senator, Scott is a welcome addition.
In announcing his candidacy, Scott condemned the culture of victimhood and grievance that, his aides said, has taken over both parties. He declared:
Our party and our nation are standing at a time for choosing. Victimhood or victory? Grievance or greatness? I choose freedom and hope and opportunity.
It’s a good message and one that Scott, as an African-American who worked his way up from poverty, has standing to present.
Yet, Scott has not been entirely above choosing victimhood and grievance. In the Senate, he backed and lauded the First Step Act. This jailbreak legislation was premised on twin grievances — the view that the U.S. has an over-incarceration problem and that the criminal justice system is unfair to blacks.
In reality, the U.S. has an under-incarceration problem. And to the extent that blacks make up a high percentage of those in prison, it’s because they make up a high percentage of those who commit felonies.
Scott has also complained about being stopped by the police. In a 2016, he said he was stopped seven times on one year:
Was I speeding sometimes? Sure. But the vast majority of the time I was pulled over for driving a new car in the wrong neighborhood or something else just as trivial. . . .
I do not know many African-American men who do not have a very similar story to tell no matter their profession. No matter their income, no matter their disposition in life.
Naturally, Scott resents being pulled over by the police. In his frustration, however, he seemingly dismissed the possibility that blacks are stopped by the police in disproportionate numbers not because police officers are racist, but because police officers know that blacks commit a disproportionate number of the crimes police stops are targeting.
Racial prejudice in police stops can’t be established simply by showing that blacks are stopped in numbers disproportionate to their representation in the relevant population. Prejudice might be inferred if the “hit rate” for stops of blacks is significantly lower than the rate for stops of whites.
A few studies have shown lower hit rates for blacks than for whites, but generally the disparities have been slight. In my view, slight disparities in hit rates don’t justify Scott’s rant.
In 2020, Scott co-sponsored police reform legislation. In my view, Scott’s efforts at police reform have been a mostly sensible antidote to the radical anti-police measures pushed by Democrats who seized upon the killing of George Floyd to attack the police. Scott’s efforts show a more mature view of policing than he displayed in 2016.
Still, given Scott’s support for First Step and his lack of executive experience, I doubt he’ll be my first choice for the nomination. However, I certainly prefer him to Donald Trump who, by the way, also strongly backed First Step.
Does Scott have a shot at the nomination? Perhaps a long shot.
Trump is the front-runner, with Ron DeSantis second. But if both candidates implode, Scott might well be the nominee.
In fact, Scott might be the nominee if only Trump implodes. Given Trump’s non-stop assault on DeSantis, it might be difficult for the Florida governor to win the support of Trump’s base.
But Trump speaks highly of Scott and, indeed, welcomed him into the race. I assume Trump sees Scott’s entry as serving his purposes and that he’ll change his tune if Scott becomes a threat to win the race. However, I would expect Trump supporters to view Scott more charitably than they view DeSantis and Pence in a field without the former president.
Scott has a good change at being nominated for vice president. Trump’s kind words for the Senator suggest that he’d strongly consider Scott for the ticket. DeSantis and Pence might, too.
They could certainly do worse.