Tim Scott unleashes on ‘frankly weird’ el Sayed in spirited defense of the American dream

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) on Thursday expressed confidence that Republicans will retain control over the Senate in the midterm elections, criticizing a stream of Democratic candidates with socialist leanings he warned could uproot the American dream. Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee and is leading the effort to elect Republicans to the upper chamber nationwide, referenced Troy Jackson’s race in Maine and James Talarico’s bid in Texas as ones in which he argues socialist proposals will shrink opportunity in the United States if they are elected. He emphasized Abdul el Sayed’s Senate race in Michigan as one that could be particularly damaging to the country during an appearance on the Hang Out with Sean Hannity podcast. “These are people who believe that whatever it takes, even your safety, we’re going to implement a Democrat socialist agenda that is a goal to tear the heart of America out of its chest and replace it,” Scott said, targeting el Sayed as “the most dangerous, radical, and, frankly, weird candidate we have.” Scott offered a fundamentally different vision of the U.S. than Hasan Piker, a Twitch streamer who has become a driving factor in el Sayed’s campaign, gave the same day. Piker said during an interview on MS Now’s Clock It that his overall goal is to unlock “class consciousness” in the U.S., explaining that he is seeking to reverse “very clear calcified attitudes that people have about what America represents,” and that he believes people across the country are the victims of an oppressive system and violence against them that has been “made to be invisible.”Scott offered a different pathway, a “choice [to be] bitter or better.” The South Carolina senator said his grandfather had a hard life, picking cotton in the South, but taught him the value of embracing hope. Scott said that after growing up in a poor household and rising to be the only black senator in the Senate, his past has taught him that success is near-guaranteed in the U.S. for those who work hard, but he warned that socialist proposals, including wealth taxes favored by candidates such as el Sayed, could put such opportunity at risk. “If you become a bitter person, you will never be better. You always play the victim’s card,” Scott said. “Socialism can’t be the answer. Communism follows socialism, and if you want to see big government try to make things better, look at the New Deal — 70 years, $7 trillion later, the poorest communities are now in generational poverty. That’s disrespectful.” El Sayed supports a wealth tax on those earning over $100 million, along with a capital gains tax hike, a personal income tax hike, and the elimination of corporate tax breaks. He has appeared to concede that the middle class, or those earning under $1 million, will face higher taxes to finance his progressive healthcare model. Scott this week warned against wealth taxes, arguing they would erode “a chance to achieve your version of the American dream” by creating fewer wealthy people.“If you have fewer wealthy Americans, you’re going to have fewer jobs. If you have fewer jobs, you have fewer opportunities. If you have fewer opportunities, people gather into little corners, and they help only the people they know,” he said.Scott said that his own story, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s experience, and Hannity’s upbringing are a testament that those who come from poverty can still prosper in the U.S. through hard work. “I like my story because when we prove that these things are possible, everyone should say, ‘I’m smarter than those three knuckleheads. I can do it too.’ That’s what I want people’s attitudes to be,” he said. “Let’s give them the kind of hope that says that because the secret sauce is embedded in the soil of this country, if you work for it, nine times out of 10, you’re going to experience more than you deserve.” Piker, who was involved in campaigning for el Sayed in the Michigan Senate race earlier this year, outlined a different view of the U.S. earlier on Thursday. Piker said people in the U.S. are victims of an unjust system and are “being screwed over by the Republican Party, being screwed over by their bosses, being screwed over screwed over by the forces of capital.” He said his goal is “to remind people of their class position” by “identifying the enmity that many people in America also feel as a part of their daily experience.” “I’ve always wanted to foment class consciousness in America because I feel like a lot of people in the working class in this country don’t recognize themselves as being a part of the working class, where they [instead see themselves as] entrepreneurs,” Piker said. “There’s a famous quote … that I always point to. ‘Socialism will never work in America because the working class do not see themselves as an exploited proletariat, but temporarily embarrassed millionaires.’ And I feel like that’s so perfectly illustrative of the way that many Americans see themselves.” SENATE DEMOCRATS EMERGE UNITED BEHIND ABDUL EL SAYED AFTER CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGScott said there is reason to be optimistic in the U.S. and the systems that undergird it, but he warned that many people “don’t want to work.” He pointed to data showing there are 7 million jobs open in the country and only a 61% labor participation rate as evidence that opportunity is available for those willing to work for it. “I think whether you’re black or white, whether you started off rich or poor, you should fight tooth and nail for the country that is only, it is only possible for our stories to happen in this country, and that’s why we should do everything in our power to empower individuals to fail or succeed based on their merit,” Scott said. “I want to help as many people as humanly possible … but if you’re less fortunate because of your inability, your no desire to work, that’s not on me.”