By FITSNews || S.C. Rep Tim Scott – the Republican nominee for South Carolina’s first congressional district – took exception Tuesday to a draft resolution from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) that accuses the Tea Party movement of harboring “racist elements.”
The NAACP is expected to approve the resolution this week at its annual meeting in Kansas City.
“I believe that the NAACP is making a grave mistake in stereotyping a diverse group of Americans who care deeply about their country and who contribute their time, energy and resources to make a difference,” Scott said.
Scott is the first African-American Republican to be elected to the S.C. State House since Reconstruction. If elected in November, he would become the only African-American Republican in the U.S. Congress. He’s never made a big deal about his ethnicity, though, choosing instead to focus on fiscal policy. In fact, Scott was one of only a handful of GOP lawmakers in Columbia to earn an “A” grade from the S.C. Club for Growth for his votes to limit taxes and government spending.
His voting record quickly made him a favorite among Tea Party activists searching for true fiscal conservatives within the GOP ranks.
Anyway, here’s the rest of Scott’s statement:
As I campaign in South Carolina, I participate in numerous events sponsored by the Tea Party, 9/12, Patriot, and other like-minded groups, and I have had the opportunity to get to know many of the men and women who make up these energetic grassroots organizations. Americans need to know that the Tea Party is a color-blind movement that has principled differences with many of the leaders in Washington, both Democrats and Republicans.
Their aim is to support the strongest candidates – regardless of color or background – who will fight to return our country to its Constitutional roots of limited government, fiscal responsibility, and free markets.
Wow. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
Good for Scott.
Like Jesse Jackson’s ridiculous LeBron James comments, the NAACP deserves to be called out for its transparently disingenuous effort to cast the Tea Party as racist.
Some of them certainly may be, but that doesn’t change the fact that Scott received 68 percent of the GOP vote last month in a runoff election against a white opponent in the congressional district where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.
Anyway, you can read our thoughts on the NAACP resolution by clicking here (oh … and be sure to read the exchange between our founding editor and local NAACP leader Joe Darby in the comments section).
Pic: Via Daylife
By CNSYD July 13, 2010 at 3:05 pm
How long before Jesse calls Scott an Uncle Tom?
By Whippersnapper July 13, 2010 at 3:51 pm
Good for Tim Scott. I wonder how long it will take for the naysayers to descend upon him. Personally, I see him as replacing Lindsey Graham in the primary election of 2014.
By Katherine Jenerette July 13, 2010 at 4:04 pm
Tim Scott is a straight shooter. From the time both Tim and I teamed up in the Spring during the Campaign and issued a joint press release exposing the federal government’s decision to siphon millions of dollars away from the Department of Defense budget to erect a monument to Ted Kennedy in Boston, I knew that Tim wasn’t afraid to get into a street fight.
I expect things will get uglier as the summer moves along but after Labor Day, Tim’s race will explode as both sides of the ‘Politics of Race’ will push and pull the First District into a national spotlight.
Nothing new; Tim summed it up last month when he said: “I think the black community by and large is a very conservative community. We have to consistently engage all Americans on the issues that we stand for as a party. And I think if we consistently do that, everywhere in this country we will find that people and our message resonates with the people.”
Tim Scott used a call to action that many Republican’s would do well to echo: “We have to consistently engage all Americans on the issues that we stand for as a party.”
And that is what this election is all about. Go Tim!
By Gillon July 13, 2010 at 4:30 pm
A well-written piece, but could we correct for the umpteenth time the fact that Tim Scott is not, I repeat is NOT, “the first African-American to be elected to the S. C. House since Reconstruction.” Contrary to popular belief (and most newspaper and blog accounts) African-Americans did not disappear from political office overnight when Reconstruction ended in 1877.
Three black South Carolinians were elected in 1878, and an additional twenty-four were elected before the last left office in 1902. All were Republicans. Neither will Mr.Scott, in the event he prevails in November, be the first African-American Republican Congressman from SC since Reconstruction. (FITS doesn’t say this, but many have) That distinction belongs to George Washington Murray, who served from 1895 to 1897.
Hope that this sets the record straight.
By snodgrass July 13, 2010 at 6:05 pm
In the world of politics, there’s a greater advantage to being a big fish in a little pond than a little fish in a big pond. The number of black conservative candidates suddenly aligning themselves with the Tea Party movement strikes me as being a bit opportunistic.
No axe to grind here. Just offering a little gratuitous incredulity.
By Alvin Green Cousin July 13, 2010 at 7:43 pm
Just Another Uncle Tom Republican sucking up to his slave masters…….
By Benzamin July 13, 2010 at 8:07 pm
How long before the NAACP revokes Tim Scott’s status as a black man?
By George July 13, 2010 at 9:19 pm
The reason the Tea Party comes across as racist is because of their racist posters of Obama.
By Susan July 13, 2010 at 11:22 pm
Scott was never endorsed by the Tea Party in his congressional district. In fact one of his opponents was endorsed by the Tea Party in the primary and his opponent in the run-off won the Tea Party Straw vote. Scott had on a brochure that he was backed by the tea Party. When he was asked about this he said that he was endorsed by the Boiling Springs Tea Party-this is in the upper part of SC not in his area. At no time was he a Tea Party candidate or supported or endorsed by the group.
By Joe July 14, 2010 at 2:57 am
“The reason the Tea Party comes across as racist is because of their racist posters of Obama.”
Yep, there are some nuts in every crowd.
Just like when a bunch of New Black Panthers stand outside a polling place with billy clubs shouting threats and racial epithets and encouraging the killing of white people and white babies they are branded….well….come to think of it, I guess they aren’t branded anything.
Welcome to the “post-racial” Obama era.
By Old Bike Dude July 14, 2010 at 7:01 am
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
By libhomo July 14, 2010 at 8:34 am
I have to laugh at the idea that the teabagger movement is “diverse.” I have seen crowd shots of teabagger rallies with hundreds or even thousands of people, and every last person there was white.
By Joey July 14, 2010 at 9:34 am
NAACP should be NAASCP (National Assocation for the Advancement of SELECTED Colored People). The NAACP should cling to Scott like their life depended on it.
By Hahaaa July 14, 2010 at 11:40 am
Yes there are some tea party activists that may be racist. I find it VERY hard to believe that no one in the NAACP is racist.
By George July 14, 2010 at 12:05 pm
The Tea Party is diverse in the sense that they have the Irish, Scot-Irish, Germans, Polish, skin-heads, KKK, white supremacists.
By Huhhh??? July 14, 2010 at 1:20 pm
The Republic Party is big into tokens.
Sarah Palin was John McCain’s token, thought he could peel female votes from Hillary JUST because he had a female running mate.
Michael Steele is a token. They were thinking, “we’ll show those dems and Obama…JUST because he’s black.”
It’s a mutual, “we’ll use you and you can use us” scenario. It’s worked out real well, financially, for Palin and Steele; the party, not so much.
By Maggie's Mom July 14, 2010 at 2:08 pm
I give Mr. Scott applause for standing up for what is right. I changed from Democrat to Independent with what has happened over the past 4 years. Neither party is representing WE THE PEOPLE. That is one of the reasons the Tea Party came into existence. This country is going down the tubes with all the spending, no jobs, terrorism, special Washington deals, corruption of elected officials, etc. And now the NAACP goes after the Tea Parties. We all have freedome of speech – that’s what makes this country great. However, one wonders why the NAACP didn’t admonish the Black Panthers and the voter intimidation that went on this past election and one of their members yelling that they need to kill white people and their babies. Are we to assume that the NAACP supports that? Discrimination from anyone is wrong. But the NAACP seems to want to ignore that. Guess the Tea Parties are getting too strong for politics as usual.
By gerrie casper July 14, 2010 at 5:05 pm
Thank you Mr. Scott for standing up for what is right. The United States is what is important, not black or white.
By Paul Davis July 14, 2010 at 7:27 pm
The only Racists that I see is the NAACP. Oh, I forgot, blacks can’t be racists, only whites can.
I don’t know Mr. Scott. He may be an opportunist or an Uncle Tom…….I don’t care, but he has the courage to stand up and call a spade a spade.
Let’s have icaucus.com vette him and then back him if he proves his worth.
By FactFinder July 14, 2010 at 9:13 pm
check this out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_wwhXWqdUQ&feature=player_embedded
By Florida Watching July 14, 2010 at 10:21 pm
So, anybody ask nookie nikki about any of this?
Is she so versed????