What Tim Scott said and then the truth
The GOP trots out its lone Black US Senator to tell audacious lies
Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina was selected to present the Republican rebuttal to President Biden’s speech to a joint session of Congress.
Scott proceeded to tout his party’s former president’s actions to address the pandemic - the same president that continuously denied that COVID-19 was a problem and let the government’s response lag until he had no choice but to act.
He attempted to defend Georgia’s new draconian voting laws, saying
“Republican support making it easier to vote and harder to cheat.”
He should have said the laws “make it harder for Democrats to vote and easier for Republicans to cheat,” given that normally Democratic voters - POCs and the poor will have fewer polling places, overbearing rules governing absentee voting, and will allow the Republican state legislature to overturn any voting result.
Those lies were egregious enough, but of course, he had to bring race into the discussion. After accusing liberals of calling him an Uncle Tom and the N-word, he trotted out the lying, stale argument that people are profiting off of racial divisions. He said:
“From colleges to corporations to our culture, people are making money and gaining power by pretending we haven’t made any progress at all.”
Then, the kicker:
“You know this stuff is wrong. Hear me clearly. America is not a racist country.”
What world is Senator Scott and people like him living in? Every day brings a different story of how Black people are minding their own business, when a racist White person makes it their business to accost them.
One of the latest happened a few weeks ago in Stow, Ohio. Kiauna Larkins was making a Door Dash delivery to an apartment complex with her young son in tow.
James Rhodes saw Ms. Larkins in the parking lot, and began to verbally abuse her. The incident, which was videotaped, capture Rhodes saying to Ms. Larkins:
"Get the f*** out of here…dumb black f****** n***** b****."
Yeah, and I'm a racist. And I'm a racist mother f*****. I got an AK-47 right now in my f****** g**d*** car and I'll blow your f****** head off."
This is America.
Has progress been made? Yes.
Are things some better than they were before? Definitely.
But is America still a virulently racist country. You bet it is.
And if you believe Tim Scott, and not me,
Ask Kiauna Larkins if racism exists in America.