(CNN) No one should have more sympathy for Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) than me. As the first black man elected to the US Senate from the Deep South since Reconstruction, Scott occupies a remarkable position in Congress. "If you're going to be a black conservative, you will be attacked," he said on the Senate floor . I've even defended the Tea Party against charges of blanket racism. Just about every time I've taken such a position, I've received the kinds of verbal assaults Scott has experienced.

Source: CNN February 19, 2017 22:50 UTC