Lanhee Chen: Senator Tim Scott: A Great Message and Messenger for the GOP

Friday, April 30, 2021

This is Lanhee Chen of the Hoover Institution for Townhall.com. 

Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina gave a powerful speech this week responding to President Biden’s address to Congress. Scott’s message was simple: Republicans want to work together with Biden to solve some of our country’s most significant challenges. But, so far, the reaction by Democrats has been to go-it-alone.  

The substance was good, but what made Scott’s message so compelling was that it included his personal story—how he came to the policy views he as, the political perspective he holds, and why he chose a career in public service. 

Scott doesn’t fit the narrative of what some think a “typical” Republican looks and sounds like. That’s good, because the conservative movement has a lot more texture and diversity than the mainstream media—or the progressive left—would like you to believe. What Scott was able to do was to earnestly convey his story and views in a way that people could relate to.  

We could use a lot more of that in our politics, to be sure. 

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