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“It hurts my soul”: Sen. Tim Scott after Sen. Dick Durbin calls his police reform bill a “token process”

“It hurts my soul”: Sen. Tim Scott after Sen. Dick Durbin calls his police reform bill a “token process”

Durbin later apologized.

Democrats can’t help themselves when it comes to Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC).

Last week, I blogged about police training reform bill, the Justice Act, headed up by Sen. Tim Scott and the fact that because he was manning the reform bill, he was under constant assault by detractors calling him a “token” face of the bill.

The bill, “includes incentives for police departments to ban chokeholds, more disclosure requirements about the use of force and no-knock warrants, and penalties for false reports. It also includes emergency grant programs for body cameras, makes lynching a federal hate crime and creates a commission to study the conditions facing black men and boys,” summarizes NPR (full text of bill at bottom of post).

Wednesday, “token” criticism came directly from Sen. Scott’s colleague, Democrat Senator Dick Durbin, who referred to the whole ordeal as a “token” approach.

To which Sen. Scott replied:

Perfect.

Later, Sen. Scott gave an impassioned speech on the Senate floor, saying, “to have the senator from Illinois refer to the process, this bill, this opportunity to restore hope and confidence from the American people, from African Americans, from communities of color, to call this a token process hurts my soul for my country, for our people.”

After Sen. Scott’s speech, Sen. Durbin apologized via spokeswoman. From Politico:

Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin apologized to Sen. Tim Scott Wednesday, after the South Carolina lawmaker and only African American Republican senator chastised him for warning against “token” police reform legislation.

“The minute Sen. Durbin heard that he had offended Sen. Scott, he sought him out on the floor and apologized,” said Emily Hampsten, Durbin’s communications director. “What Sen. Durbin took issue with in his floor speech was not Sen. Scott’s bill, but that the Senate Majority Leader would short circuit this critical debate and fail to make the changes needed to prevent the killing of Black Americans by police officers.”

Durbin earlier Wednesday cautioned lawmakers against doing any police reform that is “a token, half-hearted approach.” Durbin’s remarks came after the Senate Republicans, led by Scott, introduced their measure.

Scott later delivered an emotional rejection to any suggestion that his police reform bill is “token” legislation in a swipe at Durbin.

In a Senate floor speech, the South Carolina Republican commemorated the five-year anniversary of the tragic mass shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and criticized Democrats for playing politics on police reform.

Full text of the Justice Act here:

Senate Republicans Justice Act by Legal Insurrection on Scribd

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Comments

Gotta love a man with self-respect and respect for the larger constituency. I appreciate his inclusive message.

typo in the headline

Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin apologized to Sen. Tim Scott Wednesday, after the South Carolina lawmaker and only African American Republican senator chastised him for warning against “token” police reform legislation.

Look at the emphasized phrase.
I have heard this several times lately and it makes me mad. This is intentional and absolutely disgusting.
They never refer to Cory Booker as “the only African American Democratic senator.” Never.

    NGAREADER in reply to Exiliado. | June 17, 2020 at 6:25 pm

    That’s what the Democrats do when you try to escape from the plantation.
    They are rarely held accountable.

    herm2416 in reply to Exiliado. | June 17, 2020 at 6:45 pm

    “…. this opportunity to restore hope and confidence from the American people, from African Americans, from communities of color, to call this a token process hurts my soul for my country, for our people.”

    “Our people” is a racist and exclusionary phrase. My issue with Tim Scott is that sometimes he is black first; other times, he is American first. Shouldn’t ALL skin tones have restored hope and confidence in law enforcement? Initially, he stated so, then went on to divide by skin tone. We are ALL in this world together regardless of skin tone. I am white, if I said “our people” I would vilified beyond measure.

      guyjones in reply to herm2416. | June 17, 2020 at 8:25 pm

      I normally don’t roll with this kind of stuff, but, I don’t have an issue with this, at all. The “our people,” thing, it’s a rhetorical device. I don’t find it offensive, as long as it’s used sparingly, which Scott does, and, as long as it’s referring to a sort of collective condition, as in, historical collective suffering and discrimination, which is what I think Scott is referring to. Eric Holder, by contrast, used “my people” in a much different and brazenly inappropriate context, as the nation’s top law enforcement officer. Holder’s use of the phrase implied (as we know has been confirmed) that Holder viewed black Americans as deserving of special, lenient treatment under our civil rights laws, and, non-blacks as undeserving of protections under those same laws — see the Black Panther non-prosecution case.

      Scott has taken a lot of crap from Dhimmi-crats, for being a Republican. “Uncle Tom.” “House negro.” “Traitor.” Vicious, vicious stuff, the same vilification that Clarence Thomas and Thomas Sowell have had to endure. Yet, Scott has also spoken about his personal experiences with discrimination, because, obviously, being a black conservative doesn’t inoculate one from experiencing discrimination. He’s allowed to give an address that references “his people.” I’d say the same thing about a politician who is Jewish; again, as long as it was done sparingly and grounded in some historical reference. White people haven’t endured collective suffering, historically; that’s why you don’t have white politicians saying “our people.”

        herm2416 in reply to guyjones. | June 18, 2020 at 12:28 am

        Are you really saying there has to be “collective suffering” to be able to say “my/our people”?
        Seriously?
        Why?
        Browns say it, blacks say it. One never hears yellows or whites say it.
        Why collective suffering? That makes NO sense.

      h2optrl in reply to herm2416. | June 18, 2020 at 12:15 pm

      We shouldn’t fall into the same trap as I’ve seen liberal news use to great effect. Pick out one phrase from the dialogue and assume an intent not supported by the whole.

    CorkyAgain in reply to Exiliado. | June 17, 2020 at 9:46 pm

    They never refer to Cory Booker as “the only African American Democratic senator.” Never.

    Kamala Harris is no longer in the Senate? How did I miss this good news?!?

      Exiliado in reply to CorkyAgain. | June 17, 2020 at 11:47 pm

      Indian mother and Jamaican father, grew up with the mother. I don’t believe in the “identify” crap.

      But in any case, the point stands.

        Exiliado: Indian mother and Jamaican father, grew up with the mother. I don’t believe in the “identify” crap.

        She’s African America. Gee whiz, Barack Obama was a Democratic Senator not so long ago.

        Exiliado: But in any case, the point stands.

        Of course the point doesn’t stand, because it’s based on a false premise.

        As for Tim Scott, he was originally appointed to the U.S. Senate, the first Republican Senator from South Carolina since Reconstruction. Since then, Scott was elected in his own right, and deserves the respect due to any Senator.

Frank Hammond | June 17, 2020 at 6:22 pm

Dick “Turbin” Durbin who predicted that Al Qaeda would win the war on terror. Durbin has never taken a stand on anything until he sees which side the opinion polls favor.

healthguyfsu | June 17, 2020 at 6:35 pm

MSM: “Oh look what’s that over there!” *Points the other direction*

Demonrats: the party of slavery, the Civil War, Jim Crow laws, the KKK, segregation, welfare dependency and Joe Biden’s Crime act.

Durbin is a asshole. Plain and simple.

Durbin should publicly apologize via a speech on the Senate floor.

Exilido: They never refer to Cory Booker as “the only African American Democratic senator.” Never.

Probably because he’s not.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_African-American_United_States_senators

while schumer claps in the backfround

background

a taser is deadly weapon then it isn’t a deadly weapon according to the DA