The conventional wisdom concerning vice-presidential picks is that they don’t really matter because voters focus on the top of the ticket in presidential elections. This is ordinarily true, but 2024 is no ordinary election. This time the winner will be the oldest president ever inaugurated, so it’s eminently possible that his vice-president will be called on to finish his term. We know what that means if Biden wins, so Trump’s running mate will receive more than the usual amount of voter scrutiny. Thus, he must not choose another irascible white male or any Florida resident. This eliminates all but one of the four choices toward whom he is reportedly leaning. He has a compelling life story and, at 58, he’s young enough to be a vigorous chief executive if required. According to an NBC News report, Trump has narrowed his search to four top prospects: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Tim Scott of South Carolina and JD Vance of Ohio. If the report is accurate, the first name that should be crossed off the list is Burgum. The last thing Trump needs in a running mate is an aging white guy from a state he won by 33 points in 2020. The next name that must be scratched off is Rubio. The 12th Amendment precludes electors from voting for a president and vice president who reside in the same state. The third name that should be removed from the list is Vance. He’s a good Senator but would bring nothing to the ticket that Trump doesn’t already possess. (READ MORE from David Catron: Merchan Will Jail Trump Unless SCOTUS Intervenes) Which brings us to Senator Scott, who is encumbered by few if any liabilities and has much to offer Trump’s ticket and the country. He has a compelling life story. Having grown up in a poor, single-parent household in South Carolina, he nonetheless believed the escape route from poverty was hard work and education. In 2010, he proved it by becoming the first Black Republican from South Carolina elected to the House of Representatives since 1897. In 2012, he was appointed to a vacant seat in the U.S. Senate and subsequently won a special election in order to finish out the term. In 2016 and 2022, he was reelected with more than 60 percent of the vote. He is a solid conservative who soundly rejects identity politics: I am living proof that America is the land of opportunity, and not a land of oppression … For those of you on the left, you can call me a prop, you can call me a token, you can call me the N-word, you can question my Blackness, you can even call me “Uncle Tim.” Just understand: Your words are no match for my evidence. The truth of my life disproves your lies. Nor does Scott pull his punches when discussing President Biden’s myriad economic blunders. As the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, he recently delivered this withering indictment of Bidenomics: President Biden and Bidenomics has devastated our economy and devastated people working paycheck to paycheck. The highest percentage of Americans with the fewest dollars in their savings account for an emergency is now because of President Biden and Democrats’ reckless spending … Prices across the board have certainly increased nearly 20 percent since Biden took office. In addition to being a serious conservative and a vocal critic of the Biden administration, Scott’s prowess as a fundraiser will not have been lost on Trump. According to a report in the New York Times, he will host a major event on June 19 that will include a number of billionaire donors, including Pershing Square Capital Management’s Bill Ackman, CrownQuest’s Tim Dunn, Citadel’s Ken Griffin and Apollo’s Marc Rowan. If Scott succeeds in convincing these people and other deep-pocketed donors to support Trump, which he probably will, his value to the former president’s campaign will increase exponentially. And his all important fundraising skills by no means exhaust the value Scott would bring to the Trump ticket. (READ MORE: Why Trump Eagerly Accepted Unfair Debate Rules) As the Associated Press reports, he has launched a $14 million outreach effort to minority voters: “Scott’s push comes as Trump’s campaign is ramping up its own outreach efforts to Hispanic and Black voters, especially Black men, in his expected rematch against President Joe Biden.” The polls have consistently shown that non-white working class voters are deeply dissatisfied with Biden’s job performance, particularly on the economy. As Scott himself puts it, “Much to the chagrin of many folks, there’s no doubt that African American men are wide open for a political shift of partisanship.” And he knows how to drive home the message that Biden is bad for all voters. Here’s how he put it on Fox and Friends yesterday: The one thing we know without any question: We cannot afford Joe Biden on the world stage. The best thing Joe Biden can do to restore American prominence on the global stage — stay off of it. We need Donald Trump back on the stage … We need a sharp President of the United States, protecting the Western alliance, defending our allies and doing the right thing for the American people. That person is Donald Trump. It’s time for us to fire Joe Biden. That clip should allay any fears that Tim Scott is too nice to play the “attack dog” role that vice-presidential candidates traditionally play in tight elections. He would be far better in this role than Mike Pence ever was and would also do a better job in a VP debate with Kamala Harris. His candidacy would be historic and kill any (serious) claim that Trump is a racist. He has a compelling life story and, at 58, he’s young enough to be a vigorous chief executive if required by unforeseen circumstances to move into the Oval Office. He has more experience in Washington than most of his rivals for the VP slot, yet has a positive vision of the United States that reminds us of the optimism that Ronald Reagan always exuded. In the end, Tim Scott is clearly the perfect running mate for Trump. We can only hope that Trump himself has the foresight to see that blindingly obvious reality. The post Tim Scott Is Trump’s Ideal Running Mate appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.