Senator Tim Scott’s Passover Message

Plus, Kraft pulls out of Columbia

One of the biggest political trends of 2024 is what appears to be a shift of black voters, particularly men, into the Republican camp and away from Democrats.

Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina has been trying to speed that shift with a series of videos he’s hosting along with four black Republican members of Congress: Burgess Owens, Byron Donalds, John James, and Wesley Hunt.

A lot of it is standard political fodder. Scott tells of being in a black barbershop and being asked why he is with Trump. Scott’s answer? “He allows you to keep your money.”

Rep. John James of Michigan has a slightly different answer: “The Republican Party is a party of school choice. Where the Democrat Party is a party taking away your choice. Republican Party is a party of access to capital and entrepreneurship. And the Democrat Party is a party of centralized government, increased regulations. …Republican Party is rule of law….Democrats are about defunding the police and sanctuary cities.”

In the middle of all the political talking points, though, came a surprising, timely, and optimistic message from Senator Scott, about a common message he found in the Exodus story remembered at Passover and the African American story of liberation from slavery. Scott didn’t intend it as directed at a Jewish audience, or as a message for Passover, which begins tonight, but it seems to me to be right on point, under the circumstances.

“I preached a sermon on Sunday, this past Sunday…for a black church, and one of the things I said, was, looking at the struggle of the Jewish people, 400 years of slavery, looking at 400 years of slavery for us. Sometimes when there is an ocean in front of you and there is an army behind you, history says, you die.”

“But if you believe in His story—” Scott said, pointing a finger toward the heavens. “Because my primary identifier is as a child of the Most High God. As a child of the Most High God, there is an ocean in front of me and an army behind me? Good news, He parts the Red Sea.”

Kraft on Columbia: Robert Kraft, a former trustee of Columbia University who owns the New England Patriots football team and whose name is on the Kraft Center that houses Columbia’s Hillel, has put out a statement: “I am no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken.”

More from Kraft: “It was through the full academic scholarship Columbia gave me that I was able to attend college and get my start in life and for that I have been tremendously grateful. However, the school I love so much—the one that welcomed me and provided me with so much opportunity—is no longer an institution I recognize. I am deeply saddened at the virulent hate that continues to grow on campus and throughout our country.”

Kraft, who is also founder of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, went on, “It is my hope that Columbia and its leadership will stand up to this hate by ending these protests immediately and will work to earn back the respect and trust of the many of us who have lost faith in the institution.”

Thank you and Program Note: Thanks for reading and supporting The Editors. Publishing will be somewhat less frequent between now and May 1 owing to the Passover holiday. In the meantime, if you appreciate this newsletter, consider forwarding it to a friend, colleague, or family member along with a suggestion that they sign up themselves.