America, A Redemption Story: Choosing Hope, Creating Unity
By Sen. Tim Scott
(Nelson Books, 208 pages, $29)
Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the first black American to serve in both chambers of Congress, has repeatedly stated that he will not run for president in 2024 if former President Donald Trump declares his candidacy. However, Scott’s new book, America, A Redemption Story: Choosing Hope, Creating Unity, includes the description his publisher provided to the Library of Congress, which tells a different story: “Senator Scott is a rising star who sees and understands the importance of bipartisanship to move America forward. This book is a political memoir that includes his core messages as he prepares to make a presidential bid in 2022.”
Rumors of Scott’s presidential ambitions have been further fueled by the contemporaneous revelation from former New York Times opinion staff editor Bari Weiss that her bosses refused to run an op-ed about police reform submitted by the Republican senator in 2020 following the death of George Floyd without first obtaining approval from then-Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
America, A Redemption Story, which depicts Scott’s personal path toward renewal as a blueprint for the country, is brimming with poignant stories of people who have influenced the senator throughout his life. Scott’s journey from a single-parent home in a low-income neighborhood to Congress is incredibly impressive, as is his willingness to forgive the father who abandoned him. Yet, America, A Redemption Story is still a quintessentially political book filled with anecdotes to present Scott as the smartest person in the room. For instance, following the August 2017 “Unite the Right” riot in Charlottesville, Virginia, when Trump commented that “there were fine people on both sides,” Scott commented that the president “has compromised his moral authority to lead.” And when Trump called Scott on the carpet for these remarks, Scott used this tête-à-tête to enlist the commander-in-chief’s support for rebuilding lower-income neighborhoods through opportunity zones, an initiative that he had long championed but lacked the resources to implement.
Scott additionally presents himself as the voice of reason in his chapter about the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. After the senators had evacuated to the Hart Building, Scott credits himself with bringing the room to order by grabbing a microphone and stating, “If ever there is a day we need to be unified, it’s today. If ever there is a time to show deference to one another, it’s now.” He amplified that statement by asking the Senate chaplain, Barry Black, to lead the senators in prayer. That Scott offers no opinions in either direction about Trump’s role in the day’s events is yet another indicator of his presidential aspirations.
Chapter 16, “The Black Experience,” further illustrates Scott’s eye on the Oval Office. In this chapter, Scott relays a conversation he had with his chief of staff, Jennifer DeCasper, where she said that “He owes it to the readers to not just tell the story of America but to tell the fullness of your story which is also the story of being black in America.” Perhaps Scott did not initially include this section because he does not believe that every opinion he has needs to be filtered through his race. Scott cites the viral spread of the term “Uncle Tim” on Twitter following his rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s April 28, 2021, address to a joint session of Congress as an example of this silent racism. “The idea that having an independent thought is the same as betraying my race is preposterous!” he asserts. Scott ultimately included the “black experience” chapter because he realized that he needs to win over those who see him as a compelling black candidate along with those who just see him as a compelling candidate. (READ MORE: Tim Scott Inspires Fear and Loathing in the Left)
America, A Redemption Story: Choosing Hope, Creating Unity provides a window into Tim Scott’s amazing rise to the House and Senate that shows he is a man endowed with compassion, charisma, and consummate ambition. As Scott comments, “Never play the role of victim when the role of hero is waiting for you.” These are clearly the words of an aspirant to the highest office in the land.
