In advance of delivering the Republican rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday evening, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott said he has not sought tips from his congressional colleagues who have been in the same situation.
But he’s still gotten some input.
“All my good friends, from Marco to Joey Kennedy and others, have all given me their words of wisdom,” Scott told reporters on Tuesday.
Both men faced some mishaps in their State of the Union responses.
WASHINGTON POST RUNS ‘FACT CHECK’ QUESTIONING TIM SCOTT’S FAMILY HISTORY IN JIM CROW SOUTH
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida delivered the Republican response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address in 2013, and his awkward pause to take a sip from a bottle of water elicited widespread mockery.
On Tuesday, in recognition of the bottle incident, Rubio told reporters his advice for Scott: “Drink water before.”
Rep. Joe Kennedy of Massachusetts gave the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech in 2018, and the use of ChapStick before going on air made many commentators suggest he was drooling.
Twitter had a field day with Rep. Joe Kennedy’s lips, which he said was the result of too much chapstick https://t.co/rqNFIq2Bi3 pic.twitter.com/SWU45WnqD0
— Business Insider (@BusinessInsider) January 31, 2018
Being given the response to a joint address or State of the Union can be a major break for a politician such as Scott.
But if it doesn’t go well, it can wreck a political career.
Republican Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal was viewed as a potential 2012 Republican presidential candidate if his 2009 State of the Union response went well. But the speech, which he opened with, “Good evening, and happy Mardi Gras,” was criticized for sounding scripted with an oddly rhythmic delivery, sinking his national ambitions. A Fox News panel called it “amateurish” and “not exactly terrific.”
Some politicians can turn a flop of a response around, though. Then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton led an awkward pre-recorded focus group Democratic response to President Ronald Reagan’s 1985 State of the Union, doing little to convince the country that the Democratic Party was doing well after Reagan’s 1984 sweep. Clinton went on to win the presidency in 1992.
Now, Scott is in the spotlight, tasked with giving perhaps the first major nationally watched Republican speech of the post-Trump era.
The 55-year-old is now the only black Republican in the Senate, having joined the chamber in 2013 after being appointed by then-Gov. Nikki Haley. Previously, he was a House member for a bit over one term after time as a state representative and a local elected official.
His work on criminal justice reform issues in the wake of nationwide outrage over George Floyd’s death has also made him a key Republican figure. Last year, he introduced a Republican alternative to Democrats’ police reform bill and plans to reintroduce it this year.
A Washington Post fact-check article last week examined whether Scott exaggerated or left important context out of his descriptions of his grandfather picking cotton, sending his family “from cotton to Congress in one lifetime.” The article was widely criticized by Republicans and conservatives, and the negative and defensive attention helped boost Scott’s profile before his Wednesday speech.
Scott’s speech at the virtual Republican National Convention highlighted his achievements of the “Opportunity Zones” economic initiative, school choice, and his personal story of growing from failing multiple classes in high school to being a senator.
He did not shy away from recognizing historic racial tensions, describing running in a primary against the son of former Sen. Strom Thurmond, a segregation advocate.
“Because of the evolution of the Southern heart, in an overwhelmingly white district, the voters judged me not the color of my skin but on the content of my character,” Scott said.
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Scott told reporters that he has been preparing for the speech by having “lots of ice cream and cookies and sitting on the couch” and has rehearsed the speech “a bunch.”
“From my perspective, you figure out who your audience is, you figure out what you want to say, you try to find a way to say it well, and you lean into who you are,” Scott said.
