Right Wing Media Weigh In with Dog Whistles as Scott Runs for President

By Kevin Howley, May 28, 2023

Last week offered a study in contrasts as two more Republican presidential hopefuls entered the 2024 race. On May 22, Tim Scott, the junior senator from South Carolina, made an upbeat announcement before a crowd of supporters in North Charleston, SC. Two days later, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made a spectacle of himself as only he can, with a catastrophic hi-tech campaign “launch” on Twitter.

DeSantis had been teasing a run for months. Now that it’s official, there’ll be plenty of time to see if his “war on woke” resonates with primary voters. In the meantime, Scott’s candidacy offers a far more intriguing set of possibilities in an increasingly crowded GOP field chasing the frontrunning, twice-impeached former president.

Scott has already distanced himself from Donald Trump in one noteworthy respect: he assured NBC News that if he loses, he would not try to overturn the election. That reporters feel the need to ask such questions in the first place speaks volumes to the fragile state of our democracy.

Still, with all the shady characters lining up to secure the Republican nomination, Scott’s promise is like a breath of fresh air. The Hill’s John Feehery summed it up this way: “If there is a true anti-Donald Trump in the field, it is Scott.”

That’s the view up on Capitol Hill. But how is Scott’s presidential bid playing out in right wing media?

It’s Complicated

Days ahead of Scott’s announcement, WND ran this headline: “Tim Scott Drops $6 Million Hint That He’s Definitely Running President.” The story quotes a senior aide to Scott, who told the Daily Caller News Foundation, “This campaign is built to win and has the resources and messenger to deliver a Republican nomination and ultimately the White House.” WND notes Scott’s ad buy in the early primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire, “marks the largest of the 2024 GOP candidates thus far.”

Tim Scott clearly means business, and conservative pundits have taken note. American Thinker was duly impressed with the Senator’s live interview on Fox News following his announcement, but not enough for contributor Peter Barry Chowka to drop the dog whistle. “He is what used to be called a Dark Horse in the race (no pun intended).”

Not to be out done by the racist wordplay, The Washington Free Beacon offered this head-spinning headline: “Historic Candidate: Tim Scott Would Be America’s First Black President.” Somebody have Barack Obama call Bill Clinton with the bad news.

The Daily Signal registered its approval with Scott, who “shared his personal story and how he was raised by a single mother. He talked about the challenges he and his family overcame, and the opportunities America has provided.” Likewise, the Wall Street Journal editorial board highlighted Scott’s message of “American revival,” noting that the 57-year-old Senator “is betting Americans want more than today’s grievance politics.”

Things got complicated with a widely distributed op-ed by Daniel Horowitz, the senior editor at The Blaze. Horowitz claims that, like his Palmetto State presidential rival, Nikki Haley, Scott is “running on the same forked-tongued relationship with identity politics.” Horowitz is having none of it. “The problem,” he continues, is that Scott’s “entire career is built on normalizing a subtle degree of identity grievance politics on the right that validates Democrat talking points.”

It’s “insights” like this that almost make Trump look like the grownup in room. Following Scott’s announcement, The Donald took to Truth Social: “Good luck to Sen. Tim Scott in entering the Republican primary race.”

Trump being Trump, he took the opportunity to taunt the Florida governor, calling Scott “a big step up from Ron DeSanctimonious, who is totally unelectable.”

God Fearing, Musk Approved

By any measure, Tim Scott’s campaign is off to a fine start. In an exclusive with Breitbart, Scott promoted his “Made in America Agenda” while burnishing his Christian conservative credentials.

“I am the scariest proposition for the left: An African American conservative who has lived the American dream,” he said. Striking an uncharacteristically optimistic note for a 2024 GOP candidate, Scott continued, “So my goal is to share the good news of America. That’s why we’re called Faith in America. We believe this country will afford everybody the opportunity.”

Race-baiting liberal pundits, Gateway Pundit’s headline celebrates Scott’s god-fearing, gun-loving ways: “I Believe In The Gospel, I Also Believe in the Second Amendment! –   Senator Tim Scott Fires Back Against The View’s Sickening Racist Attacks Against Him.” Meanwhile, Newsmax reassures its readers with this comforting headline: “Sen. Tim Scott: America Is Not A ‘Racist Country.’”

Along the way, conservative outlets praised Scott for fighting back against President Biden and the “radical left.” 100% Fed Up ran this headline: “SC Senator Tim Scott Blasts Joe Biden For ‘Arrogant’ Remark About Black Voters: ‘Who The Heck Does He Think He Is?’” Following suit, Hot Air offered readers a story headlined, “The Criticisms of Tim Scott Are … Odd and Maybe Racist.”

Far and away, the most telling response to Scott’s candidacy comes not from conservative pundits, but from the man who would be kingmaker, Elon Musk, who took to his enfeebled platform to praise Scott’s campaign ad advocating “individual responsibility.”

Who says irony is dead?

Kevin Howley is a writer and educator whose work has appeared in “Journalism: Theory, Practice and Criticism,” “Social Movement Studies,” and “Interactions: Studies in Communication and Culture.” He is the author and editor of several books including “Media Interventions” and “Drones: Media Discourse and the Public Imagination.”

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