South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott's announcement of a run for president is a watershed moment for the Republican Party and the country. It begs the question of whether the country is hopelessly divided or can we come together again?
During his announcement in his hometown of North Charleston, Scott vacillated at times between delivering a traditional stump speech and a Southern church sermon, attempting to motivate the crowd to believe in the ideals of America again.
An inspirational figure, Scott's background and personal history are at the core of his presidential campaign. He used his journey of going from a poor, single-parent household to becoming the first Black senator from the South since Reconstruction as an example of what is possible in today's America.
So many of our political conversations on both sides of the aisle are dominated by leaders who say that the condition you find yourself in cannot change. They say this instead of doing the work to remove the barriers that still exist. In the Senate, Scott put his money where his mouth was with his Opportunity Zones legislation. That led to billions of dollars of investment in poor communities across the country.
In a world where grievance has an outsized role in politics, Scott attempted to thread the needle between acknowledging the legitimate concerns that many people have while not encouraging those listening to wallow in them. Between the loss of American jobs, the fentanyl crisis, crushing inflation, and a general feeling that the country has lost its way, there are many Americans who have anxiety about the future. Scott is attempting to redirect the conversation to focus on solutions to those problems instead of just dwelling on the existence of them. He asked the audience to choose "greatness over grievance."
On domestic policy, Scott touted a "Made in America" agenda, an aggressive posture on trade with China, and a commitment to use the military to secure the southern border. He also touted the idea of an "Opportunity Zones 2.0" to direct investment to inner cities and rural areas across the country, impacting both the Black and white working class and poor.
On foreign policy, Scott struck a middle ground between Reaganism and Trumpism by committing to defend America's interests and its citizens "wherever they are" without making America's military the "policeman of the world." Neither isolationist nor interventionist, Scott touted a version of "America First" that could be attractive to both populists and traditional Republicans.
Scott's sharpest barbs were saved for President Biden, as he blamed Biden for creating a culture of grievance and for ruining the nation's economy. But he also went farther than any other current Republican candidate in challenging his own party to expand the tent. Scott said, "This can't be another presidential campaign. We don't have time for that. We need a president who persuades not just our friends and our base... We have to do that with common sense, conservative principles. But we have to have compassion for people who don't agree with us."
He added, "We have to believe that our ideas are so strong, so powerful, so persuasive that we can actually take it to the highest points in the world and be successful. But we also have to be able to take it all the way down to places that, today, are hopeless. And prove that who we are works for all Americans."
As the speech ended, the closing song was "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" by McFadden and Whitehead, which may have been the biggest message sent from the campaign to the rest of the country. The song was released in 1979, at a time when Black Americans were beginning to move into the middle class. It has been viewed as an anthem of upward mobility. Scott is betting that the idea of upward mobility is not dead in America. He is speaking to the GOP's new working-class base but in a different way than other candidates. He acknowledges the challenges ahead while still attempting to inspire hope in a better future.
His campaign is setting up a contrast with both Biden and his fellow Republican challengers by saying that the American dream can still work for everyone. If he's right, he may be the next president.
Darvio Morrow is the CEO of the FCB Radio Network and co-host of The Outlaws Radio Show.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
