Jay Ambrose
While touches of decency still hang around, a leftist, holier-than-thou, pseudo-intellectual movement is pummeling America into a conglomeration of inanities and inhumanity. An overriding point of view combines vacuous utopianism and post-modernist relativism junking realism, rationalism and objectivity.
Consider that large bunches of these self-congratulating, ultra-critical, power-seeking politicians, professors, writers and oral commentators call our Founders frauds and our incredible Constitution an outdated piece of toxic blather. Usually self-identified as progressives, liberals and Democrats, some of these radicals aim to scuttle precious rights for the sake of tyrannical good intentions. Some also fight crime by ignoring it.
They are attempting micromanagement of us dummies through attitudinal certainties, seem unbothered that the family is disappearing, like it that drag queens are entertaining children and side with teacher unions against the educational boon of school choice.
All of this and much, much more could spell the end of our greatness, and where’s the rescue? My guess is that it just could be in the heart of a guy recently on a stage, hopping around, microphone in hand, joking, laughing and offering up refreshing, happy common sense along with massage-like messages relieving stress and pain.
With optimism, wisdom, practicality and religious commitment as much as forming a halo over his head, the person was none other than South Carolina’s Tim Scott, deliberative energy in human form, the only Black Republican senator. The hopping around came as he announced that he is running for president, one of a pretty good crew of Republican primary hopefuls, but with something special: loving dynamism enough to rescue us from decay.
If Scott could get the GOP presidential nomination, he would likely beat Biden while Trump would likely lose. Despite a dedicated following, Trump also has dedicated haters who would negate that bonus. With Scott as Biden’s opponent, voters just might compare this shining star to a widening dark cloud, someone politically, morally and managerially impaired. Biden has been unbelievably divisive in his name calling while his incompetently wrought inflation has cost once-admiring citizens huge amounts. There are also his legally dubious gifts to student-loan recipients, making the less privileged wonder why he didn’t buy their votes.
Turn again to Scott, who has no question whatsoever that America’s original sin was slavery. He also maintains, however, that victimhood and misery can keep Black Americans stuck in victimhood and misery. Look at extraordinary Black progress and be confident of the gladness ahead, he says, buoyantly predicting that each of the millions of poor Black children in America right now is a hero in the making.
After all, he himself has been a hero rising from abject poverty thanks to his faith and his single mother, an adored, special woman who kept him and his brother fed by working 64 hours a week as a nurse’s aide and sometimes going hungry herself. She joined with a businessman mentor to help Scott become a first-class student after he flunked four classes in high school. A way of life for him: work hard, don’t blame others for failure, and never give up.
Unlike Biden, who is 80, Scott is 57. He worked for a variety of different businesses, was a financial adviser, successfully sold insurance and came to own a robust insurance agency. Politics? In South Carolina, the state of his birth, he served on the North Charleston County Council, was mayor of North Charleston and served in the South Carolina House of Representatives before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He has been in the U.S. Senate for 11 years.
One writer says he was the most effective member of Congress in the Trump years, so capable and pleasant to work with that a progressive Democratic senator said he loves this friend. Scott’s attributes as a president just might lift us economically while restoring our lapsing patriotism and unite us again. Imagine this, that there could be a joyful coming together of Black and white.
Jay Ambrose is an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service. Readers may email him at [email protected]. Send comments to [email protected].
