Tim Scott and the future of the Republican Party

By Frank Moraes 

In his farewell address to the Senate, Jim DeMint said, "If we can win the hearts and minds of the American people with these ideas, I know we can engage and enlist them to convince all of you here to set the politics aside, the parties aside, and to adopt those ideas that work." It has a certain charm to it: let's put politics and parties aside and all agree to be Republicans. This is kind of at the heart of the Republican Party: the religious belief that they have good ideas. But as I've written before, other than tax cuts for the rich, destroying the social safety net, and an intense desire for power as power, they have no actual ideas. And regardless, they never test their ideas. They don't mean to shrink the size of government because it will be good for the country; the want a smaller government because they believe in a smaller government.

Jamelle Bouie reports at The Plum Line blog, "GOP Elevates Reactionary Tim Scott to South Carolina Senate Seat." How reactionary? He has the usual Republi-Crazy positions: climate change denier, deep-water oil drilling proponent, stem-cell research opponent. But in addition, he proposed a bill that would deny assistance to any family that had a member who went on strike. And he wanted to impeach Obama over the debt ceiling.

Bouie notes, "It should be said that for all of the real problems the GOP has with diversity in terms of its organization and its candidate pool, the party does an excellent job of elevating the minorities that do find themselves in its tent." Of course, that is just a symptom of their fundamental racial problem. Rather than court minority groups with policy, they instead elevate those few minorities in their coalition. Frankly, I don't think that Bobby Jindal or Marco Rubio are really ready for prime-time national politics. Neither would have risen so fast in the Democratic Party.

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The new guy: Tim Scott and Republican extremism

By Mustang Bobby

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) has appointed Rep. Tim Scott to fill out the remainder of Sen. Jim DeMint's term in the U.S. Senate. Mr. DeMint, you'll recall, announced his resignation recently so he could go run the Heritage Foundation and turn it into a Tea Party enclave. I'm sure the fact that the previous president of the foundation raked in over $1 million in salary versus the paltry six figures earned by a senator had absolutely nothing to do with it.

As ThinkProgress notes, Mr. Scott's views on issues are virtually the same as Mr. DeMint's, and in his brief career in the House — he was first elected in 2010 — he has made some interesting news: 

Proposed a bill to cut off food stamps for entire families if one member went on strike. One of the most anti-union members of Congress, Scott proposed a bill two months after entering Congress in 2011 to kick families off food stamps if one adult were participating in a strike. Scott's legislation made no exception for children or other dependents. 

Wanted to spend an unlimited amount of money to display Ten Commandments outside county building. When Scott was on the Charleston County Council, one of his primary issues was displaying the Ten Commandments outside the Council building. According to the Augusta Chronicle, Scott said the display "would remind council members and speakers the moral absolutes they should follow." When he was sued for violating the Constitution and a Circuit Judge's orders, Scott was nonplussed: "Whatever it costs in the pursuit of this goal (of displaying the Commandments) is worth it."

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Give the people what they want: Senator Stephen Colbert

By Michael J.W. Stickings

PPP:

Nikki Haley is one of the most unpopular Governors in the country. Only 42% of voters approve of the job she's doing to 49% who disapprove. Out of 43 sitting Governors PPP has polled on, that ranks her 35th in popularity.

Haley has pretty solid numbers within her own party. 70% of Republicans approve of the job she's doing to 22% who disapprove. But with Democrats (15/78 approval) and independents (28/57) her numbers are pretty woeful.

There is a path back to popularity for Haley though: appointing Stephen Colbert to replace Jim DeMint in the Senate. Colbert tops the wish list of who South Carolina voters would like to see join that body at 20%, followed by Tim Scott at 15%, Trey Gowdy at 14%, Jenny Sanford at 11%, Henry McMaster and Mark Sanford at 8%, Jeff Duncan and Joe Wilson at 5%, and Mick Mulvaney at 4%.

That's right: Stephen Colbert. (He promoted the idea hilariously last night.)

Does it matter that Colbert isn't a Republican and that "Stephen Colbert," his brilliant character, makes a name for himself mocking conservatives by being one himself, an on-air distillation of conservatism?

Not to me. Not one bit.

Craziest Republican of the Day: Tim Scott

By Michael J.W. Stickings 

Via twitter: 

"The greatest minority under attack today are Christians. No doubt about it," says Rep. Tim Scott. 

-- Michelle Goldberg (@michelleinbklyn)

Oh, totally. I mean, just consider the bigoted virulence of the war against same-faith marriage. No way we can have crazy evangelicals and Catholics procreating within the confines of a state-sanctioned union.

And no way can we have Christians building community centers in the rough vicinity of Ground Zero. Not to mention all that ugly profiling of Christians at airports. Terrorists they are, what with their "Sunday schools" and "Bible camps."

They're on the margins, these "God"-fearin', Tebow-lovin' wackos.

Thank "God" they have no voice in politics.

Thank "God" they have no power.

Thank "God" there isn't a major political party that has made the establishment of Christian theocracy a core element of its platform, with leading figures all across the country dedicated to an extremist Christian agenda.

Today should absolutely be called Martin Luther Day instead. These poor, oppressed Jesus freaks have a dream too!

This self-denying, reality-denying African-American Republican totally has a point.

Thanks, Rep. Scott!