I'm puzzled as to what the point of having Steve King on the Sunday shows might be. It's certainly not to enlighten the debate or have an intelligent discussion about, say, anything; it must therefore be a form of punishment. Somewhere, the bookers on
Meet The Press decided that they hate America so much that they will make America listen to Steve Goddamn King and Steve Goddamn King's opinions on the brown people yet a-freaking-gain. Now, we're all pretty clear on Steve Goddamn King's opinions on the brown people, as King has made demonizing those brown people into his new career (apparently the communist light bulbs and people treating animals insufficiently cruelly have been all worked out now), so the only thing you're going to "learn" from having Steve King on your show is that Steve King is just as much of a racist prick as everyone already knew.
After King reiterates for the umpteenth longwinded time that those DREAM kids you see around town are more likely to be melon-calved border drug mules than to be valedictorians, based on the irrefutable evidence of Steve King saying so at least six times now, props do have to go out to Ana Navarro for taking on the simple task that seems to elude all the rest of Beltway humanity: pointing out that Steve King is a gigantic idiot.
NAVARRO: I think Congressman King should go get himself some therapy for his melon fixation, I think there might be medication for that. I think he's a mediocre congressman who's got no legislative record, and the only time he makes national press is when he comes out and says something offensive about the undocumented or Hispanics—and frankly, I think he's being helpful to the immigration debate, because it is emboldening other Republicans to speak out strongly against him, people like John Boehner, like Eric Cantor, like Paul Ryan, who are not going to stand anymore for the Republican Party being defined by somebody like Steve King. There are other voices who are the adults in the room […]
Thus wounded, Steve King instantly responds as all peeved racists might: by insulting the brown person's understanding of "the language."
KING: Well, I would say this. First of all I spoke only of drug smugglers. And if Ana understands the language, she should know that. I didn't insult her, I didn't insult other Republicans, and I didn't —
NAVARRO: I'm not undocumented, Congressman, I vote.
Get it? Because she's brown, she must not be able to understand English and
that's why she can't follow Steve King's impeccable argle-bargle about melon-calved DREAM drug conspiracies. In addition to immediately questioning Navarro's capabilities because of her perceived brown-ness,
not the best approach for someone generally suspected of being a racist twit, I think I'm more insulted that King brought such a grade-school comeback to an insultfest. Christ, King, being an asshole is your core competency—this is all you can come up with?
All right, so we're clear on this now, right? Steve King is an asshole. Steve King is, if not an outright racist, someone who sure seems to do a bang-up impression of one any time you give him the unscripted chance. "Oh," Meet The Press will say, "but he is a congressperson! We must all listen to his frothy wisdomz, as opposed to any of the several hundred other congresspeople who might not chew their own toes during every appearance and interview!"
Why? I'm genuinely curious here. Steve King has a "voice" in the immigration debate simply because Steve King is a very loud asshole who is willing to say offensive and untrue things. Huzzah for him, but this is exactly the wrong way to either (1) run a government or (2) have any serious policy discussion on any subject whatsoever, which is why we have in the last six years been utterly incapable of managing either.
Sign our petition urging U.S. House members to bring comprehensive immigration reform to a floor vote, with or without Speaker Boehner or House Republicans like Steve King.
Comments are closed on this story.