Verified accounts on Twitter took to the platform after Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) delivered the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s joint address speech Wednesday night to provide their reactions, many of which were laced with disapproval and disdain, and, at times, included a racial slur.
Scott’s speech served as a rebuttal to Biden as he observed that Biden spoke “in empty platitudes” and that the country instead needed the president to find “common ground” amid sharp partisan divides.
During his speech, the South Carolina Republican expressed concern for children across the country missing a year of in-person learning, he highlighted how Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan is mostly packed with items Republicans do not define as infrastructure, and said the country is most desperately in need of common ground on the topic of race.
Scott, a black American who has described his road to success in terms of his family being able to go “from cotton to Congress in one lifetime,” also declared during his speech that “America is not a racist country” and praised the country for its progress, which included, he said, creating the most “inclusive economy” in history pre-coronavirus and securing permanent funding for historically black colleges.
Several Twitter users in establishment media, activism, and entertainment realms with blue checkmarks beside their names reacted viciously to Scott’s message, some lobbing the racial slur of “Uncle Tim” at the Republican senator, calling his speech “bullshit,” and blaming him for spreading disinformation.
Far-left activist Bree Newsome accused Scott of having “cognitive dissonance” and said his “phrase ‘from cotton to congress’ is cringe”:
The phrase “from cotton to congress” is cringe
— DEFUND & ABOLISH POLICE, REFUND OUR COMMUNITIES (@BreeNewsome) April 29, 2021
Lincoln Project Executive Director Fred Wellman called Scott’s speech “utter bullshit” and a “pathetic joke”:
This speech is such utter bullshit. What a pathetic joke, Tim Scott.
— Fred Wellman (@FPWellman) April 29, 2021
How to Be an Antiracist author Ibram Kendi indicated Scott was in “denial” of America’s racism:
The heartbeat of racism is denial. We can hear the heartbeat clearly. https://t.co/Ya7MZRyKUf
— Ibram X. Kendi (@DrIbram) April 29, 2021
The Democratic Coalition described the speech as “frivolous hot garbage”:
Tim Scott’s unhinged and divisive response was frivolous hot garbage. Have a nice night, everyone.
— Democratic Coalition (@TheDemCoalition) April 29, 2021
Young Turks founder Cenk Uygur called Scott a “very pleasant liar”:
Tim Scott is a very pleasant liar. Every thing he said about voting rights is an absolute lie. Bringing out a black man to say there’s no racism in America and we should make it harder for African-Americans to vote doesn’t make it any better. It’s just more callous & patronizing.
— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) April 29, 2021
Toure, a former Daily Beast contributor and former cohost of MSNBC’s The Cycle, justified Scott being an “Uncle Tim” and accused him of “aiding and abetting white supremacy”:
What makes Tim Scott an Uncle Tim? He has siblings and they have kids. Duh. Also he was on TV denying that America is racist thus aiding and abetting white supremacy.
— Young Daddy (@Toure) April 29, 2021
MSNBC’s Joy Reid said in a television appearance she was “shocked and a bit embarrassed for” Scott and said his speech contained “A LOT” of disinformation:
A LOT. https://t.co/gaTXtCzB9C
— Joy-Ann Pro-Democracy & Masks Reid 😷 (@JoyAnnReid) April 29, 2021
Rev. Jesse Jackson said Republican leaders’ selection of Scott to give their party’s response speech was “disgraceful & embarrassing” and described the logic in Scott’s speech as “weak & sick”:
The Rs putting Scott behind Biden tonight was disgraceful & embarrassing. Rs applaud Scott & boo Colin Powell. It's the cruelest manipulation of a politician I've seen. Scott's logic was weak & sick. Again, Rs try to make Clarence Thomas & Thurgood Marshall interchangeable.
— Rev Jesse Jackson Sr (@RevJJackson) April 29, 2021
Morgan State University professor and MSNBC contributor Jason Johnson said Scott “gave cover to the insurrection” in reference to the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and that his message of unity “rings hollow”:
Senator Tim Scott you voted against impeachment and gave cover to the insurrection against the government. Your plea for Biden to unify the country rings hollow #Biden #JointSession
— Dr. Jason Johnson (@DrJasonJohnson) April 29, 2021
Former Clinton administration Labor Secretary Robert Reich suggested Scott’s position as the one black Republican in the Senate means America is racist:
I could have sworn I heard Senator Tim Scott, the sole Black Republican in the Senate, claim tonight “America is not a racist nation.” But I couldn't have. That's absurd.
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) April 29, 2021
Producer and commentator Tariq Nasheed referred to Scott as a victim acting as a “crash test dummy for white supremacy,” calling him “Uncle Tim” and accusing him of “speaking in bad faith”:
A major strategy of racists, is to incentivize one of it's Black victims to act as the crash test dummy for white supremacy.
When Uncle Tim Scott says America is not a racist country, he is fully aware he is speaking in bad faith.
The purpose is to protect white supremacists pic.twitter.com/Wk8OVF2Nl1
— Tariq Nasheed 🇺🇸 (@tariqnasheed) April 29, 2021
Author Majid Padellan, whose Twitter biography states he is senior adviser to the left-wing Really American PAC, called Scott’s speech “bullshit” and referred to him as “Uncle Tim”:
I'd totally be unsurprised to learn that Stephen Miller wrote that bullshit speech for Uncle Tim.
That would make more sense.
— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) April 29, 2021
Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., indicated Scott “lives in another America”:
“America is not a racist country.”
Senator Scott lives in another America.
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) April 29, 2021
Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison, who lost his 2020 U.S. Senate race in South Carolina to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), said at the start of Scott’s speech he had to “remind” his followers of Scott having “more flip flops than all of Myrtle Beach” and later called the speech “empty”:
Right out the gate, I have to remind y’all: Tim Scott and the GOP have more flip flops than all of Myrtle Beach.
— Jaime Harrison, DNC Chair (@harrisonjaime) April 29, 2021
Vox’s Aaron Rupar called the speech “weak sauce”:
Tim Scott's rebuttal to Biden's #JointAddress is pretty weak sauce pic.twitter.com/SDKpiMrWLf
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 29, 2021
Washington Post Global Opinion editor Karen Attiah:
Good morning to everyone except Sen. Tim Scott
— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) April 29, 2021
More:
Today’s a Good Thursday for Tim Scott to go fuck himself.
“America is NOT a racist country” my ass, tell that to George Floyd and the countless other victims of racism and police brutality.#ThursdayThoughts #thursdaymorning
— David Leavitt (@David_Leavitt) April 29, 2021
Uncle Tim Scott has perfected the art of sycophantic bootlicking. He’s a master step n fetch it artist and cunning white supremacy apologist, who demonstrated his buck dancing skills in front of the entire world.
“Hear me clearly, America is not a racist country”
– @TimScottSC pic.twitter.com/C7fgye7tcU
— Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) April 29, 2021
Nice speech, Uncle Tim.
— Bettye LaVette (@BettyeLaVette) April 29, 2021
Aisle 4 cleanup. Tim Scott dropped his soul.
— Don Winslow (@donwinslow) April 29, 2021
Who are you gonna believe? Your own eyes or Uncle Tim? https://t.co/6qasU8k8Zn
— Kim (@kim) April 29, 2021
Hey Tim Scott, fuck you!
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) April 29, 2021
Tim Scott is so disappointing.
— LaTosha Brown (@MsLaToshaBrown) April 29, 2021
Can’t take this Sen. Tim Scott “Joe Biden is divisive” pitch seriously. It requires you to have been deceased or comatose for past 5 years.
— Sarah Longwell (@SarahLongwell25) April 29, 2021
Republican Party is using Tim Scott as a human shield, and he's fine with that. Damn AF.
— Jeffrey Wright (@jfreewright) April 29, 2021
as tim scott shows, telling racist white people what they want to hear is a very lucrative path. dishonest, but lucrative.
— Oliver Willis (@owillis) April 29, 2021
I bet Tim Scott’s grandfather that came from “cotton” wouldn’t say “America isn’t a racist country” just because he’s made it to Congress. #GOPResponse
— Nikema Williams (@NikemaWilliams) April 29, 2021
Tim Scott’s response to Joe Biden’s agenda is to tell us about some asshole who called him the n-word while also announcing that America isn’t a racist country.
— Bob Cesca (@bobcesca_go) April 29, 2021
Write to Ashley Oliver at aoliver@breitbart.com.
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