On Monday, Republican South Carolina senator Tim Scott officially launched his presidential campaign with an upbeat speech that was met with quick skepticism from a CNN commentator.
Scott used his family’s rise from poverty to his own Senate seat as evidence that America is not a racist country but rather a place where a broken kid from a broken home can rise beyond circumstances, among other things.
From North Charleston, South Carolina, CNN’s Eva McKend reported live, summing up the speech as one that portrayed America as a country of opportunity, not oppression, and noting that Scott criticized President Joe Biden, but not so much criticism was aimed at his Republican rivals.
According to McKend, Scott was hesitant to do much mud-slinging at other Republicans and instead focused on his biography.
As John King pointed out in his introduction of the panel, Trump is the front-runner for the GOP nomination, but Scott’s address provided a sharp contrast to the ex-president’s by being “optimistic” and “upbeat.”
King also remarked that Scott talks like a conservative but wants to be a compassionate conservative.
Compassionate conservatism was the phrase often used by George W. Bush, and it doesn’t hold a warm nostalgic appreciation amongst conservatives.
NPR host Ayesha Rascoe said Scoot’s address was fantastic for 1996. She wasn’t sure what that meant for the year 2023.
CNN’s Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju also observed that Scott was not into attack-style campaigning, especially toward Trump.
Sen. John Thune (R-SD), the minority whip and second most influential Republican in the Senate endorsed Scott, as Raju noted.
Raju claimed that other Senate Republicans he’d talked to believed that Scott was their candidate.
According to Raju, Scott will “have a ton of money,” but will that be enough to win over the Republican base in Trump-loving states like Iowa and New Hampshire?
The “Bushies” are outnumbered by MAGA, much to the chagrin of NeverTrumpsters.
