Monday, December 17, 2012

Sen. Tim Scott And The New South

Today, history was made as South Carolina's first Indian-American Gov., Nikki Haley, appointed the first Black senator from the state in Rep. Tim Scott (R-Charleston).
And it is reflective of the New South.
A South in which it appears that the once God-awful race battles have given way to some pretty amazing changes.
It starts with Rep. Scott.
He won his Republican nomination for South Carolina's first congressional district over the scion of the late Sen. Strom Thurmond. The same Sen. Thurmond who desperately tried to block the Civil Rights Act in 1964. Tim Scott beat Sen. Thurmond's son, Paul Thurmond, in a Republican primary in 2010 and easily won outright election to the seat. In 2012, he has the highest vote percentage of South Carolina Republican congressional delegation in cruising to reelection.
And without a doubt, then Sen. Scott will win election to the seat of the retiring Sen. Jim DeMint outright in 2014.
And then there is Gov. Haley, the first Indian-American to win the governorship in South Carolina in 2010. She defeated a panoply of Republicans and was horribly dragged down by many of those that lost the GOP gubernatorial nod to then Mrs. Haley. She won a tough election campaign and has had her problems since being elected. But she should win reelection as well in 2014.
But imagine that the state that fired the first volley at Ft. Sumnter to begin the War Between the States, better known as the Civil War has an Indian-American governor and will have a Black senator. And both Republicans to boot.
It is indicative of what is the New South.
A South that has elected another Indian-American as governor in Bobby Jindal from Louisiana.
A South that has elected Cuban-American as senator Marco Rubio from Florida.
A South that has elected another Cuban-American, Ted Cruz, as senator from Texas.
A South that has elected all of the above under the banner of the Republican party.
The reality is that while the GOP is having trouble winning in areas of the United States entrenched by the Democrat party, they are winning the South and with candidates that as short a time as 20 years ago would have never been considered seriously.
I think that this is where the GOP starts in reaching out to those who have been for whatever reason, alienated from the party in recent years.
All of the above earned their stripes.
All those that have been elected fought in bruising primaries when they were told that they could not win.
Who can forget that the whole Republican establishment lined up to support that douchebrain Charlie Christ over Marco Rubio? Yeah, look how that worked out what when the actual Republican voters went with Mr. Rubio?
It amazes me that while the GOP is demonized for being racist, sexist, etc., etc., and yet have elected these fine people to high office.
It appears that the South has been ready for positive change and willingly electing people of color where the old timers off to the Glory are rolling in their graves.
It is really the New South and Gov. Haley and Sen. Scott are the positive developments of it.

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