I don't know if this a new low on the immigration debate or if it's par for the course, but it's definitely pretty disgusting rhetoric. Last night, during a little show-and-tell on the House floor, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) basically compared immigrants trying to cross the border into the US to
cattle:
"We could also electrify this wire with the kind of current that would not kill somebody, but it would be a discouragement for them to be fooling around with it. We do that with livestock all the time."
More after the jump.
The comparison occurred last night during what
The Hill calls "prop time." King had brought a number of props to demonstrate his support for a wall along the Mexico-US border:
He had mock sand representing the desert as well as fake construction panels as C-SPAN focused in on the unusual display.
But it got really interesting when King broke out the mock electrical wiring: "I also say we need to do a few other things on top of that wall, and one of them being to put a little bit of wire on top here to provide a disincentive for people to climb over the top."
And here's the money quote:
He added, "We could also electrify this wire with the kind of current that would not kill somebody, but it would be a discouragement for them to be fooling around with it. We do that with livestock all the time."
When confronted with the comparison, this was his press flunky's lame reply:
"He was comparing a fence to a fence -- a border fence to an Iowa farm fence."
What a truly lame justification for King's outrageous comment. How can advocating the use of the same methods used to fence in livestock to keep immigrants out NOT amount to a comparison between immigrants and cattle? Of course, this is the guy who made this comment, so I guess we shouldn't be suprised:
"I think that if Barbara Lee would read the history of Joe McCarthy, she would realize that he was a hero for America."
I guess it'd be too much to ask Rep. King to care about this, but rhetotic like his is contributing to a climate of xenophobia, and even violence, against Latinos:
A recent report by the Anti-Defamation League documents a sharp rise in anti-immigrant rallies and hate crimes indiscriminately committed against Latinos in the United States. The report notes that "extremists have become increasingly emboldened by, and fixated on, the controversy over immigration policy, encouraging their supporters to capitalize on the issue by encouraging anti-immigrant activism, and even violence against all Hispanics." It warns that these groups now view immigration as a "wedge issue" to promote white supremacist agendas, with particular success in Southern communities.
The fact that Rep. King and his GOP comrades think that appealing to their base's xenophobia is a winning strategy shows how dangerous that base has become to the long-term prospects of this country. Every minute spent discussing non-issues like flag-burning, gay marriage, or immigrant bashing, is one minute less spent on real problems, such as healthcare, energy independence, the stagnant economy, the national debt, real domestic security or ending the war in Iraq. If the GOP manages to retain Congress with this strategy, it will be even more indebted to its xenophobic base, which could hijack the national agenda to the point where nothing of importance gets done. The stakes in November couldn't possibly be higher.
Until then, if you feel like sending Steve King some "love," here's his contact info:
Email form for IA residents only, but I guess you can work around that ;)
Washington, D.C.
1432 Longworth Office Building
Washington D.C. 20515
Phone: 202.225.4426
Fax: 202.225.3193
Council Bluffs
40 Pearl St.
Council Bluffs, IA 51503
Phone: 712.325.1404
Fax: 712.325.1405
Creston
208 W Taylor Street
P.O. Box 601
Creston, IA 50801
Phone: 641.782.2495
Fax: 641.782.2497
Sioux City
526 Nebraska Street
Sioux City, IA 51101
Phone: 712.224.4692
Fax: 712.224.4693
Spencer
306 N Grand Avenue
P.O. Box 650
Spencer, IA 51301
Phone: 712.580.7754
Fax: 712.580.3354
Storm Lake
800 Oneida St., Suite A
Storm Lake, Iowa 50588
Phone: 712.732.4197
Fax: 712.732.4217
Update [2006-7-13 13:26:21 by vawolf]: If you wanna show Steve even more "love", please contribute to
Joy Shulte's campaign. Hat tip to Los Diablo for pointing this out.