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Tag: Scott

  • ‘My friends ask: are you going here?’ Bristol City’s Alex Scott, transfer target of the elite

    ‘My friends ask: are you going here?’ Bristol City’s Alex Scott, transfer target of the elite

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    “I feel like I played all right … I don’t think I played that well,” Alex Scott says, doing himself something of a disservice as the Bristol City midfielder reflects on the night Manchester City came to town. A clip of Scott gliding into the box and away from Julián Álvarez and Riyad Mahrez and bursting between Kevin De Bruyne and Rico Lewis went viral. His modesty is indicative of his endearing personality and the standards he has set himself. “I wanted to show what I’ve been doing the past two years in the Championship against one of the best teams in the world.”

    What the 19-year-old has been doing this season has earned him the English Football League young player of the year award, previously won by Brennan Johnson, Ollie Watkins and Jude Bellingham, an opponent in Scott’s youth days at Southampton and a source of inspiration. “I played against Jude a few times,” he says. “I remember playing in tournaments against Harvey Elliott quite a bit and Jamal Musiala, now of Bayern Munich, because we used to play Chelsea all the time. Players like Jude and Jamal who have gone on to the highest level possible, it gives motivation for young lads like myself who have played against them and seen how good they were as kids.”

    Alex Scott with his EFL young player of the year award last Sunday.
    Alex Scott with his EFL young player of the year award last Sunday. Photograph: Andrew Fosker/Shutterstock

    Pep Guardiola gushed and Jack Grealish, one of Scott’s idols, was equally complimentary. Grealish later called Scott a “top, top talent” in a social media post. “I was speaking to him a little bit after the game and managed to get his shirt, so it was a special night all round,” Scott says. “To get the recognition from someone like him, it did mean a lot. He is friends with Andi [Weimann], who knows him from when they were at Villa together. I’m thankful to Andi for pulling me over to chat because I was a bit nervous.”

    Scott’s teammate and flatmate, the striker Tommy Conway, another Bristol City youngster to shine this season, got Erling Haaland’s shirt. Scott was given the moniker the “Guernsey Grealish” because he also wears his socks and shin pads low. The versatile Scott – he has excelled as a wing-back, winger and at the base and tip of midfield – is the most-fouled player in the Championship this season. Sunderland’s Luke O’Nien resorted to drastic measures to stop him in February, jumping on Scott for an impromptu piggyback on halfway.

    Scott laughs in the boardroom at Bristol City’s sleek training base and is at ease as he discusses everything from growing up on the Channel Islands and joining Guernsey FC for pre-season at 15 to winning the Under-19 European Championship with England and studying clips of Grealish, Bellingham and Frenkie de Jong. “That’s the level I want to be playing at one day,” he says. “I look at players with a similar playing style to me in terms of dribbling and breaking lines. You can watch all the clips you want but if you don’t put the work in on the grass then you’re not going to progress. I’m doing extras when I can and trying things at training that I know I need to work on, for example shooting, dribbling and passing on my left foot.”

    Scott, who made his 100th senior appearance last weekend and became Guernsey’s youngest-ever player when making his debut against Haywards Heath Town aged 16 in September 2019, speaks with striking maturity. He joined Bristol City from Guernsey on a free three months later, after scoring a perfect hat-trick in a trial against Yate Town. He was fast-tracked to the first team and Scott’s ability to carve open defences with a killer pass or surging run have made him a fans’ favourite from virtually the moment Nigel Pearson handed him his debut aged 17. Pearson is adamant Scott will play for England’s senior side.

    Even the way Scott talks about tactical fouls, while discussing playing in a deeper midfield role for his country, belies his years. “Sometimes it needs a player to almost hit someone a little bit and go through a player, in the nicest way possible. If you want to be a top midfielder who can play holding midfield, No 8 or a No 10, you need to have all those parts of your game.” Scott has always had a degree of bite. “I can get a bit feisty in a game if I need to. I think if you ask my parents they will say the same thing about when I was a young lad playing at home.”

    Alex Scott in action for Bristol City against West Brom this season.
    Alex Scott in action for Bristol City against West Brom this season. Photograph: David Davies/PA

    Scott spent almost five years at Southampton and a season at Bournemouth. Then came a big decision and frank conversations with his parents, Steph and Noel. “My mum and dad knew I wasn’t happy playing,” Scott says. “They sat me down and said: ‘Bournemouth want you go to back, but do you want to do it?’ It was upsetting my mum a lot because she knew I wasn’t happy. When I got released from Southampton, I gave up a little bit, I lost interest a bit. From the age of eight to 13, I never really had a social life in Guernsey. I’d go to school on a Friday, fly to Southampton, Sunday I’d fly home and then I’d be at school again. I never really had a chance to enjoy my life as a 13-year-old kid, to go out and see my friends and play with them.

    “You know what dads are like, they want you to play. But he knew I wasn’t happy. I told him straight and said: ‘I just want to play in Guernsey.’ He was fine with that and that took a bit of weight off my shoulders because it felt at times like I was almost playing for him a little bit when I was going over. I knew I hated it when I was flying over every weekend but I didn’t want to upset my dad or anything.”

    His love for the game has certainly returned. “Monday Night Football, Champions League, Friday nights – it is on at all times in the household,” he says, smiling. “We’re either watching something on the telly or playing two-touch on the balcony.” He occasionally plays Xbox with his friends and elder brother, Callum. “Other than that, I’ll speak with my parents, the normal 19-year-old life, really.”

    Scott never expected to be in this position. “I remember being in food tech at school, with my friends, speaking about these young players that were coming through and playing at the highest stage: Karamoko Dembélé, Louie Barry, players like that. Two years later, my first England [Under-18s] squad [in March 2021], I’m playing with those players and my friends are texting me like: ‘What are they actually like? What are they like off the pitch? How good are they?’

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    “Alfie Devine, who I now play with for England [Under-20s], is probably one of my closest mates. Being a Spurs fan I remember when he scored against Marine at 16. I was watching that with my dad at home and thinking: ‘He’s going to be the next one to come through at Spurs.’ Now I’m best mates with him at England level. That in itself is surreal for me.”

    Now he is the subject of interest from the Premier League’s elite. Scott has told his mum, who has signed up to receive Bristol City notifications on Twitter, to treat transfer talk with caution. “My friends ask me: ‘Are you going here? Are you going here?’ I just ignore them, basically.”

    Alex Scott (third left) and his England Under-20 teammates before last month’s friendly against France in Spain.
    Alex Scott (third left) and his England Under-20 teammates before last month’s friendly against France in Spain. Photograph: Fran Santiago/The FA/Getty Images

    Many Bristol City supporters are resigned to Saturday’s home match against Burnley being Scott’s last at Ashton Gate. His immediate focus, he says, is on making the England squad for May’s Under-20 World Cup or June’s Under-21 European Championship. Is the 2026 World Cup on his radar? “What’s that, three years from now … I’ll be 22. Why not?”

    A little more than three years on from Isthmian League Division One South East trips with Guernsey to Sittingbourne and Cray Valley Paper Mills, where he played in front of a crowd of 56, Scott is determined to continue his impressive trajectory. “It has been a bit of a whirlwind few years,” he says. “I don’t really want to look back on how it’s gone, I just want to keep going.”



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    ( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

  • Tim Scott gets tripped up on abortion ban questions

    Tim Scott gets tripped up on abortion ban questions

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    By Thursday morning in New Hampshire, Scott said he did believe some type of federal restriction should be implemented, and said if president, he would “definitely” sign into law a 20-week ban — a measure he has supported in the Senate.

    “We have to have a federal limit on how far we can go, and that is something that we have to discuss,” Scott said in a local television interview in Manchester.

    Pressed later on the issue outside the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester, Scott deflected — accusing Democrats of hypocrisy and raising objections to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen suggesting that abortions could increase the African American workforce. He did not elaborate on how far the federal government should go to restrict abortions.

    Scott is expected to hinge a potential presidential campaign on his Christian faith and court the evangelical vote — a voting bloc that overwhelmingly opposes abortion rights. But his answers over the past 24 hours suggest that he believes Republicans have done themselves no electoral favors by celebrating recent abortion restrictions and calling for sweeping national bans.

    But by the standards of many in the GOP — and as red states around the country have passed six-week and even total bans — the 20-week ban that Scott said he would sign does not go far enough. Scott’s reluctance to weigh in on earlier, more restrictive bans illustrates the fine line he and other Republican White House hopefuls must walk. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has similarly avoided providing specifics about her position on a national ban, while former President Donald Trump has suggested that Republicans suffered electorally by not embracing exceptions to their abortion ban bills.

    Scott in 2021 co-sponsored the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, a bill that proposed jailing doctors for up to five years for performing abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Scott did not directly answer a question about whether he agreed with prosecuting doctors who did so. He has, however, condemned a bill introduced in the South Carolina legislature that could impose the death penalty on women receiving abortions.

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    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • How Tim Scott thinks he can outmaneuver Trump, DeSantis and Pence

    How Tim Scott thinks he can outmaneuver Trump, DeSantis and Pence

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    A foregone conclusion, though, is that evangelicals — with all their subsets and denominations — will be his top constituency.

    In a video announcing his new committee, Scott’s first pledge was to defend America’s faith values and protect religious liberty. Scott’s answer later in the morning on how he would beat Trump in a primary involved a reference to Psalm 139.

    And own advisers say Scott’s path to viability involves courting the vote of churchgoers, particularly in Iowa, where his first meetings after his Wednesday announcement were with homeschool families and pastors.

    “Dear Heavenly Father,” read the first fundraising appeal from his exploratory committee, an email Wednesday morning that included a suggested two-minute prayer for Scott.

    But the evangelical lane isn’t one Scott will likely have to himself, and his focus on social conservatives could complicate Scott’s ability to appeal to a newer generation of Republican voters with looser opinions on abortion access and marriage equality.

    In addition to Trump — who in the White House became a hero of conservative Christians after delivering them the Supreme Court, among other things — former Vice President Mike Pence also speaks the language of Bible-believing Christians. Pence has long oriented his political message around faith and, like Scott, is at home in evangelical church settings.

    But a day after news broke that he was launching an exploratory committee, Scott sounded like a man ready to compete for primacy with that constituency.

    To a room of 35 pastors and their wives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Wednesday, Scott told his life story — his spiritual testimony — before taking questions from Christian leaders who could ultimately help steer Iowa Christian voters toward one candidate or another.

    “Anybody who’s around him for just a couple minutes doesn’t doubt his heartfelt belief in Christ as his savior,” said Chad Connelly, the former chair of the South Carolina Republican Party who now runs an organization that engages pastors on political and policy issues. Connelly, who is also organizing pastor roundtables for other Republican 2024 hopefuls, recalled a minister telling him once: “Tim Scott quotes more scripture in conversation than a pastor does.”

    In a place like Iowa or Scott’s home state of South Carolina, though, the pool of voters identifying as conservative Christians is broad. And it represents a wide range of pro- and anti-Trump Republicans.

    “I’ve just learned this constituency — they’re not like robots,” said Steve Scheffler, the Republican National Committeeman from Iowa and president of the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition. “Even though they agree on most issues, their methodology by the time they have their final pick in the caucuses can vary by 180 degrees.”

    A person familiar with Scott’s campaign strategy said voters are “going to be hearing a lot about his faith, and how it affects his worldview and vision.”

    As for his path to viability with the Republican primary electorate, another Scott adviser pointed to Scott being little-known nationally, which affords him a higher favorable rating and lower unfavorable rating than much of the rest of the field. His name recognition problem, meanwhile, can be remedied with the nearly $22 million he had sitting in his campaign account as of the end of last year — a number likely to be larger when he posts his first-quarter filings in coming days.

    Scott has kept a healthy distance from Trump in the Senate, neither a loyalist and cheerleader nor a critic. That puts him in position to pick up Trump admirers who are ready for the party to move on, as well as anti-Trump Republicans.

    But positioning oneself as the candidate who can earn the support of social conservatives while also broadening the GOP’s appeal to independents and swing voters will prove to be a tall order.

    Example No. 1: Abortion.

    At a time when Republican leaders are reckoning with the party’s losses among young voters and suburban women — particularly after last year’s Dobbs decision — Scott is attempting to walk a fine line on abortion rights. The issue has long remained one of the top priorities of conservative evangelicals.

    The senator, who was among the featured speakers at Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life’s gala last fall and says he is “100% pro-life,” has declined to answer reporters’ questions on whether he would support a national abortion ban, such as a 15-week ban proposed by his home-state colleague, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

    Scott remained reticent to speak about the issue on Wednesday, telling local reporters in Cedar Rapids that he favors a “robust debate” on abortion. Later, in an interview on CBS News, Scott brushed off multiple questions about whether he would support federal abortion limits.

    In his exploratory committee launch video, Scott vowed to “protect the right to life,” something he doesn’t mention on his website’s six-point “issues” page. Similarly, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley has spoken about the need for the country to reach “consensus” on the issue, while avoiding specifics about when in the course of a pregnancy it should be outlawed.

    Trump, meanwhile, has drawn sharp criticism from top anti-abortion opponents for suggesting that the party became too extreme on the issue, despite the fact he appointed judges who later issued major court rulings siding with opponents of abortion rights.

    In contrast, Pence has positioned himself as the GOP primary field’s chief crusader against abortion rights, calling for a national ban and, more recently, celebrating a Texas judge’s controversial ruling against use of an abortion pill.

    Despite most other candidates and prospective candidates in the field also incorporating faith into their message, opponents of Scott note that he has not sought to brand himself as a conservative “fighter,” and religion is no longer the primary motivating factor for many voters.

    “It’s kind of like bringing a knife to a gun fight,” said one GOP consultant working for another 2024 Republican hopeful, referring to Scott’s emphasis on faith. “Everyone else is playing 12-dimensional chess, and you’re playing checkers.”

    Scott’s first events after launching his exploratory committee were behind closed doors. Wednesday morning, he and Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) spoke privately with homeschool families, before emerging to speak with reporters. Scott’s roundtable with pastors was also closed to news media, though he gave a public address Wednesday night at a GOP women’s dinner in Cedar Rapids.

    Randy Page, the chief of staff to the president of Bob Jones University and a longtime Republican operative in the state, said he believes Scott is nimble enough to draw in independent-leaning and swing voters even while championing socially conservative causes. Page said he will support Scott if he ultimately runs.

    “Some of the things suburban women may have concerns about, he can talk about the issues in a way that appeals to them,” Page said. “Even if they may not agree with him on those things, they will find other issues they agree with him on and say, ‘This is the kind of man we would want to represent us as president of the United States.”

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    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • Tim Scott announces presidential exploratory committee

    Tim Scott announces presidential exploratory committee

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    Other likely but undeclared GOP candidates include Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former national security adviser John Bolton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. With so many big names potentially running, fellow GOP senators have said it could be tough for Scott to compete.

    Throughout the video, which stretched just over three minutes, Scott repeatedly took aim at President Joe Biden and Democrats, vowing to stand up to China and secure the borders, give parents a choice in their childrens’ education and protect religious liberty.

    “If the radical left gets their way, millions more families will be trapped in failing schools, crime ridden neighborhoods and crushing inflation. Not on my watch,” Scott said amid a backdrop of cannons at Fort Sumter, a former military post in South Carolina that is considered to be where the Civil War began.

    Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, also slammed the left for fostering a “culture of grievance” and “victimhood,” and argued that he has the necessary perspective to push back. He leaned into his evangelical roots and highlighted his childhood with a single mom who overcame poverty through determination.

    “All too often when they [Democrats] get called out for their failures, they weaponize race to divide us, to hold onto their power,” he said in the video. “When I fought back against their liberal agenda, they called me a prop. A token. Because I disrupt their narrative. I threaten their control. They know the truth of my life disproves their lies.”

    Coming off of his “Faith in America” tour, Scott told Fox News he found that people are “starving for hope, starving for an optimistic, positive message anchored in conservative values.”

    After his announcement, Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison lambasted a presidential run by Scott, focusing on his support for Trump’s presidency and opposition to abortion.

    “I’m glad they are afraid of me,” the South Carolina senator responded.

    When pressed on what his strategy to beat Trump in the race would be, Scott reiterated his upbringing and the challenges he has overcome — not mentioning the former president. He was then asked if his tactic would be to tell his personal story, in hopes that voters would resonate.

    “What I’m saying in response to your question is that the field of play is focusing on President Biden’s failures,” he said, again without mentioning Trump by name.

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    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • Hill lawmakers are reacting to yet another school shooting this year — with Rick Scott proposing consideration of an “automatic death penalty” for perpetrators. 

    Hill lawmakers are reacting to yet another school shooting this year — with Rick Scott proposing consideration of an “automatic death penalty” for perpetrators. 

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    A 28-year-old woman fatally shot three students and three adults at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tenn.

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    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • Scott Walker grades Ron DeSantis as a potential GOP frontrunner

    Scott Walker grades Ron DeSantis as a potential GOP frontrunner

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    As the 2024 race heats up, Walker is now weighing in on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential White House hopeful who is heralded as one of the more promising Republicans to emerge in the post-Trump era.

    “I think of all the governors in America, he probably handled the best during the last four years,” said Walker.

    POLITICO’s video team showed Walker some clips from DeSantis’ State of the State. Watch here to see what he had to say, including what grade he would give Desantis.

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    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • US rapper Travis Scott set to perform live in Riyadh on March 17

    US rapper Travis Scott set to perform live in Riyadh on March 17

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    Riyadh: For the first time ever, Grammy-nominated United States (US) rapper Travis Scott is set to perform live in concert in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh on Friday, March 17, 2023.

    The rapper will be performing at the Benban Festival (the venue for the MDL Beast concerts) in Riyadh at 8:30 pm KSA time.

    The American star from Houston, Texas, his songs streamed more than 40 billion times. 

    His 2018 single “Psycho Mode” was deemed by Billboard as one of the “decade-defining songs” and also set a record as “the first hip-hop song to spend at least 30 weeks in the top 10 of the Hot 100” and received a Grammy Award nomination.

    Scott is not only a successful figure in the music field, but also in fashion, culture and acting.

    He also starred in his own Netflix documentary, Look Mom I Can Fly, and scored a spot on President Barack Obama’s Playlist.

    Fans will enjoy some of his hits from his third studio album, Astroworld. In addition to his famous songs like “Sicko Mode”, “Antidote” and “Yosemite”.

    Tickets are now on sale for his concert via the Live Nation website.

    Travis scott concert tickets prices

    • 395 Saudi riyals for general admission (parking)
    • 495 Saudi  riyals for early general entry (parking)
    • 895 Saudi riyals for the golden circle
    • 995 Saudi riyals for early entry to the Golden Circle
    • 1495 Saudi riyals for VIP tickets

    But that is not all. After his concert in Riyadh, international artist Travis Scott will be present in Jeddah at the 2023 Formula 1 Saudi Grand Prix ceremony on Sunday, March 19.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Club for Growth endorses Scott and dings McConnell

    Club for Growth endorses Scott and dings McConnell

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    A spokesman for Club said the group’s super PAC intends to spend on Scott’s behalf in next year’s election, which as of now features no Republican primary opponents. The group spent $60 million on Senate races this past cycle.

    The Club for Growth supported Scott in his 2018 Senate campaign and McIntosh praised the Senator as a “proven conservative who has promoted economic growth.” Scott, a former healthcare executive turned Florida governor, narrowly defeated a Democrat in his bid for Senate that year after spending more than $60 million of his own cash. As of now, there are no notable Democratic challengers for his seat.

    The dig at McConnell by the Club for Growth comes at a tense moment between the Senate Minority Leader and Scott.

    During the 2022 midterms, Scott chaired the National Republican Senatorial Committee, clashing with McConnell throughout the cycle on matters of strategy. A super PAC aligned with McConnell, the Senate Leadership Fund, stepped in to pour $240 million into Senate races last year as the NRSC’s resources were strained. But they eventually cut off funding for poorly performing Republican nominees in Arizona and New Hampshire. Republicans ultimately lost a seat during an election in which they were favored to win back the Senate majority, as Scott, McConnell and their allies each pointed fingers over whose strategy was to blame.

    But the persistent clashes have been over Scott’s campaign season proposal to require Congress to reapprove federal programs, including Medicare and Social Security, every five years. McConnell has sought to distance the party from the idea and even recently said he believed Scott’s own election would be endangered because of it.

    After the midterms, Scott announced he would challenge McConnell as GOP leader — which he did unsuccessfully. McIntosh, in an interview at the time, said he did not foresee McConnell losing the position, but predicted “a sea change in terms of how much power he has as the leader.”

    A spokesperson for McConnell did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Despite no current threat in his 2024 reelection bid, Scott has already begun to build up a campaign operation, bringing on additional campaign staff in Florida and ramping up his political activity in the state. Next week, Scott has a series of campaign events planned, followed by small rallies and roundtables in March.

    The Club for Growth’s endorsement comes as Scott is poised to also have the backing of SLF and the NRSC, which have no plans to oppose his reelection bid, both groups said.

    Scott in a statement to POLITICO said he is “proud” to have the Club’s endorsement.

    “The establishment in Washington has failed and they’re the only ones who don’t realize it,” Scott said. “We need more champions in Washington who are willing to fight the status quo and work to rescue America from the failures of Joe Biden, Democrats, and the Washington establishment.”

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    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • McConnell vs. Scott: The Senate beef that won’t die

    McConnell vs. Scott: The Senate beef that won’t die

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    Most of Congress’ intraparty feuds are fleeting, especially when margins of control are as close as they are in the House and Senate these days. Any standoff that lasts longer than a few days risks ceding power to the other party.

    But Scott and McConnell’s split is going the distance.

    Over the past year, Scott has managed to dislodge Cruz as the biggest thorn in McConnell’s side, no small feat. The Florida senator’s performance as chair of the Senate GOP campaign arm and Scott’s own competing legislative agenda, which McConnell felt compelled to disavow — has sparked a nearly yearlong row between the two GOP senators.

    And it’s more than a mere personality conflict for Republicans. Scott’s challenge of McConnell for leader has factionalized the GOP in a manner not seen since Cruz set the table to run for president a decade ago by taking on McConnell every chance he had. McConnell may have easily dispatched Scott — the final tally was 37-10 — but the fact that McConnell now knows 10 Republican senators were ready to oust him has made his job more complicated.

    “Petty retribution can be a dangerous pattern in this place, particularly with a small body,” Cruz said in an interview, referring to the removal of Scott from the Commerce panel. “There’s an old proverb: when you look for revenge, you better dig two graves.”

    McConnell denies removing Scott and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) from the Commerce Committee over their opposition to him as leader, but he is still slamming the Floridian’s personal policy portfolio nearly a year after its release. In public remarks last week, McConnell lashed Scott for a proposal that he sees as fuel for Democratic campaigns next year: “Unfortunately, that was the Scott plan. That’s not a Republican plan.”

    It’s fair to say the animosity goes both ways.

    “Who does really well with what we’ve been doing, just spending money like it’s going out of style? The elites do, people who make money off of the government do. Wall Street makes money,” Scott said this week. “Who doesn’t like my plan? Those people.”

    While standing behind his plan, Scott also raised eyebrows last week when he introduced a new bill preventing cuts to Medicare and Social Security.

    And that’s not the end of the diss track.

    McConnell warned last week that Scott’s own agenda would become a “challenge” when the former Florida governor stands for reelection. Scott won narrowly in 2018, ousting former Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), though the state has moved to the right in the last four years.

    “He’s gonna win. He’s won three statewide races already,” said fellow Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio. “I don’t think he’s going to have a problem winning reelection.“

    Then Rubio acknowledged what’s abundantly clear: “Obviously, there’s some friction there“ between McConnell and Scott.

    Indeed, the GOP senators’ ongoing back-and-forth is creating plenty of intrigue — particularly given how taciturn McConnell usually is. As Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) put it: “He’s a pretty patient guy, but occasionally even Mitch McConnell has a right to stand up for himself. That’s what I think he’s doing.”

    Others see things differently.

    “The leader’s role is to support incumbent senators. He certainly did it up in Alaska,” said Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who supported Scott in the leadership fight. “Certainly don’t denigrate them, don’t say anything negative about them. Financial support is one thing, but just verbal support is his responsibility. So, beyond disappointing.”

    Scott’s seat is a key cog in the Senate GOP’s plans to win back the majority, and McConnell’s political network is behind him there. Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Scott’s successor at the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is behind Scott. So is the chief McConnell-aligned super PAC — even after it publicly sparred with Scott just a few months ago over campaign strategy.

    “Senator Scott has never lost an election in the state of Florida, and 2024 will be no different,” said Torunn Sinclair, a spokesperson for the Senate Leadership Fund.

    The imbroglio goes back to McConnell’s decision not to release an agenda ahead of November’s midterms, and Scott’s subsequent move to put out his own while running the NRSC. McConnell smarted over the plan, as well as Biden’s concerted attacks linking it to the rest of the party, though on Tuesday he declined to utter Scott’s name.

    “This continues to come up. The president was talking about it in the State of the Union. He’s taken it out to various states. So let me say one more time. There is no agenda on the part of Senate Republicans to revisit Medicare or Social Security. Period,” McConnell said.

    In addition to policy disputes, the clash stems in part from the two Republicans’ divergent views of modern politics. Scott views the attention he gets from Democrats as valuable increased name recognition, and he’s raised money off of the loss of his committee assignment. He said in an interview that it’s “great” to see Biden distribute his proposal: “I put out a plan, Biden puts it out. What else could you ask for?”

    But McConnell sees things very differently, according to allies. He’s studiously avoided releasing any agenda that can be easily pilloried, instead trying to run as a check on Democrats — a strategy that’s had mixed results in his 16 years as Senate GOP leader.

    With the party gearing up for another bid to take back the White House and Senate, that means some Republicans are cringing every time Biden brings up Scott.

    “It’s a problem when you have the president of the United States in his State of the Union saying that Republicans want to get rid of Social Security,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.). Because of Scott, she added, Biden “has a kernel to hold onto. And I think that frustrates McConnell.”

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    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • Tim Scott to attend presidential forum alongside Haley

    Tim Scott to attend presidential forum alongside Haley

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    Scott, who has planned a “listening tour” to begin Thursday in Charleston, followed by a multi-day visit to Iowa next week, is building out a staff of potential presidential campaign aides and making calls to donors. But he has so far held off on making his plans explicit or putting a campaign team on the ground in South Carolina, as Haley has. His participation in the “Vision ‘24” forum is one of the surest signs yet that he is, indeed, plotting a White House run.

    Scott would start a presidential run with significant financial resources. His Senate campaign had more cash on hand at the end of 2022 — nearly $21.8 million — than any other federal campaign account. All of that money could roll over into a presidential campaign.

    Scott’s political operation also includes two cash-flush super PACs that started the year with $16 million in the bank. The groups, Opportunity Matters Fund and Opportunity Matters Fund Action, have been funded by a number of Republican megadonors who are fans of Scott, including Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, who has sent $35 million to one of the super PACs over the last two and a half years. The super PACs also have an aligned nonprofit, Opportunity Matters Network, which can raise and spend unlimited money and does not have to disclose its donors.

    Dave Wilson, president of the Palmetto Family Council, noted the high stakes in South Carolina this year, as frontrunners like Trump and, potentially, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may have to contend with two well-liked homegrown Republicans. South Carolina is one of the GOP’s earliest presidential primary states.

    “The fact that this year you have the potential of two South Carolinians in the race completely changes the dynamic,” Wilson said. “We expect people to show up in our state. We expect them to come to our restaurants and go to our meetings and attend our churches and have those handshake conversations that really put people to the test.”

    Former Vice President Mike Pence, who has visited South Carolina nearly 10 times since leaving the White House in January 2021, served as keynote speaker for the Palmetto Family Council’s annual dinner that year.

    In addition to Trump, DeSantis and a handful of other prospective presidential candidates, the group has invited other conservative leaders to fill speaking slots at the North Charleston event. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) is also scheduled to speak.

    Both Haley and Scott are also expected to attend a private forum in Austin next week where top GOP donors will hear from a cast of potential presidential candidates who aren’t named Trump.

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    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )