While Democrats are being called on by their base to defund the police, Republicans have been taking a more serious, reality-rooted approach to addressing problems with police brutality. On Wednesday, Senator Tim Scott, an African American Republican, introduced the JUSTICE Act.
“Now is the time for reform,” Senator Scott said in a statement. “The murder of George Floyd and its aftermath made clear from sea to shining sea that action must be taken to rebuild lost trust between communities of color and law enforcement. The JUSTICE Act takes smart, commonsense steps to address these issues, from ending the use of chokeholds and increasing the use of body-worn cameras, to providing more resources for police departments to better train officers and make stronger hiring decisions. I want to thank Leader McConnell and the entire task force not just for their hard work on putting this bill together, but for their commitment to finding real solutions.”
But Democrat Senator Dick Durbin from Illinois had the audacity to refer to Senator Tim Scott’s police reform bill as a “token, half-hearted approach”
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (Democrat, Illinois) pushed a racist dog whistle on the Senate floor this morning, using the word "token" while discussing the Sen. Tim Scott led bill on police reform. pic.twitter.com/dvrNpfBpkE
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) June 17, 2020
Tim Scott is no stranger to racism from the Democrats, particularly with regard to allegations of tokenism, and, in epic fashion, Scott dressed him and other Democrats down for their racial self-righteousness.
“Y’all still wearing those kente cloths over there @SenatorDurbin?” Scott tweeted.
Y’all still wearing those kente cloths over there @SenatorDurbin? https://t.co/h3WETXn3We
— Tim Scott (@SenatorTimScott) June 17, 2020
Scott was referring to the Democrats’ photo-op/publicity stunt of kneeling in Emancipation Hall while donning kente cloths—which turned out were once worn by rich African slave traders, according to a fact check by USA Today.
Tim Scott also addressed Durbin’s comments on the Senate floor. “To call this a token process hurts my soul for my country,” Scott said in an emotional floor speech.
Sen. Tim Scott: for Sen. Dick Durbin “to call this a token process hurts my soul for my country”https://t.co/49xBsOYGUr pic.twitter.com/aCGTP8r6KB
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 17, 2020
Senator Scott was previously accused of being a token for his drafting of the bill in the wake of the George Floyd shooting. “Not surprising the last 24 hours have seen a lot of ‘token’ ‘boy’ or ‘you’re being used’ in my mentions,” Scott tweeted on June 10. “Let me get this straight…you DON’T want the person who has faced racial profiling by police, been pulled over dozens of times, or been speaking out for YEARS drafting this?”
And don’t throw “you’re the only black guy they know” at me either. There are only two black Democratic Senators, stop pretending there’s some huge racial diversity gap in the Senate. Ask my Dem colleagues what their staffs look like…I guarantee you won’t like the answer.
— Tim Scott (@SenatorTimScott) June 10, 2020
I don’t expect Durbin to apologize, but I’m sure he privately regrets using such a racially derogatory term to describe Scott’s legislation, which, as Scott noted, does more than anything Democrats have managed to do in years to address the problem.
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Matt Margolis is the author of Trumping Obama: How President Trump Saved Us From Barack Obama’s Legacy and the bestselling book The Worst President in History: The Legacy of Barack Obama. You can follow Matt on Twitter @MattMargolis
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