So Nikki Haley chose GOP Rep. Tim Scott to succeed Jim DeMint as U.S. Senator from South Carolina. “Woo-Hoo!” the shouts went out. “Look at the progress the Republicans have made!”
I’m not impressed.
In case no one on the right has noticed, it’s 2012, not 1912 and not 1872. It’s too late to get credit for entering the late 19th century.
No southern state has elected an African American senator since Reconstruction – which ended in 1877. That’s 135 years, folks. And they still haven’t elected one. The GOP wants a parade because their first elected Indian governor chose a black man for this spot.
There are, to my mind, three basic phases of achievement in life and history:
- The “Wunderkind” phase, when everyone is stunned at how early a person or group progresses – like the 13-year-old with the PhD.
- The “Normal” phase, when a person or group moves along with the bulk of society.
- The “Well, it’s about god damned time” phase, when progress has been retarded beyond all reason and for no defensible purpose – like finally moving after holding back a whole segment of your population for almost a century and a half out of ignorance and malice. For this you get no credit – and you shouldn’t.
Rep. Scott’s elevation and the attendant hullabaloo show South Carolina and the rest of the South have yet to even reach Phase 3. If Scott is returned to his new Senate seat in the next election, it may be an indication that the southern states are beginning to move in the right direction. If not, it will be another clear sign that he is a symbol of simple, cynical tokenism on the right.
I’ll be watching.