At least when Senator Lindsey Graham voted "no" on the bill to raise the debt ceiling, he offered a specific justification. He wanted more money for the military. One can agree or disagree with him, but he opened the door for a discussion on policy and priorities.
Tim Scott, however, does not ever make hard policy choices.
He falls back on tape loops playing in his brain about "out-of-control, inflationary spending," or President Biden wielding an "open checkbook" as he piles up debt.
Scott needs a civics lesson. It is the Congress that controls spending, not President Biden. The President only spends what Congress—of which Scott is a member--- authorizes him to spend.
Scott could work across the aisle and find other Republicans and Democrats who want to control spending. After all, 63 Senators from both parties voted YES on the bill. But we have heard Scott talk the bi-partisan game before, endlessly. He just never delivers.
As a candidate for President, Scott will not be able to outrun his vote to put the credit of the United States at risk and allow a default. That was reckless. He knew his Senate colleagues would bail him out and pass the bill. So he chose to posture and make political points. This is not leadership, and it is not the behavior of a serious person seeking the Presidency.