Because ignorance and democracy were apparently always meant to be interchangeable....
King maintains support
in Iowa after inflammatory comments
SCOTT McFETRIDGE
yahoo.com
CARROLL, Iowa (AP) —
Outside his rural congressional district stretching over 39 Iowa counties,
conservative U.S. Rep. Steve King's stream of inflammatory comments generate
outrage and condemnation, but back home they rate little more than a shrug.
"That's just
Steve being Steve," was how Tom Reiter put it, looking into a mirror while
getting his hair cut Thursday in Carroll. "He doesn't pull any
punches."
It's been that way
since King, a former construction company owner and state legislator, was
elected to Congress in 2002. It's still true, days after King tweeted his
support for a far-right Dutch politician who opposes immigration and added,
"We can't restore our civilization with somebody else's babies."
Later in a radio interview, King responded to a question about changing
demographics that could mean whites will no longer make up a U.S. majority by
predicting, "Hispanics and the blacks will be fighting each other before
that happens."
King's comments
prompted House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to call for Republican leaders to
condemn what she called "vile racism," and House Speaker Paul Ryan
told Fox News he disagreed with King about "somebody else's babies."
The White House also distanced itself from King's comments.
In the 4th
Congressional District, dotted with small towns and some of the world's most
valuable farmland, King remains popular, typically winning 60 percent or more
of the vote with reliable support even from those who feel uneasy about some of
his statements. The comments have included opposition to placing an image of
black anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, comments about
immigrant children having "calves the size of cantaloupes" because of
carrying marijuana across the border and support for fortifying a border wall by
placing an electric wire on top.
Although the Hispanic
population is growing in cities such as Storm Lake with large meat processing
plants, the district remains overwhelmingly white and deeply conservative, with
about 70,000 more Republicans than Democrats. It backed Trump in the 2016
election by nearly 2 to 1, with some counties giving the Republican six times
more votes than Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Many voters credit
King for a willingness to speak his mind despite criticism.
"He's honestly
saying what he believes," said Pat Luther, a retired teacher who joined
her husband for coffee and a frosted doughnut Thursday at Bunkers Dunkers
Bakery in Jefferson.
Her husband, Dave
Luther, nodded and added, "Political correctness makes me tired."
The couple have lived
most of their lives in Jefferson, a city of 4,200 on the southern edge of the
district, and acknowledged some of King's comments "make you cringe."
But Dave Luther, a
Republican and retired insurance agent, said he believes King doesn't mean to
be offensive.
"He's just
concerned about immigration and how our country is changing," he said.
Although the entire
district favors Republicans, apart from Ames, home to Iowa State University, it
gets more conservative heading north and west.
Heading west to
Carroll, hair stylist Amy Riddle agrees with customer Reiter that in a
conservative district, voters are willing to overlook statements from a
congressman they trust, and agree with on issues.
"If you know the
character of a person, you're able to give him a little grace," she said.
Don Kass, the chairman
of the Republican Party in Plymouth County, said he sometimes wishes King
wouldn't "feed the liberal bears," but adds that most criticism comes
from people outside the district.
Since they agree with
King on the issues, Gwen Ecklund, a Republican Party leader in Crawford County,
said voters don't worry about his comments.
"I think there's
a skepticism among the voters regarding Washington and the media and because of
that, the voters may not seem to take it as seriously as others do," she
said.
Not everyone supports
King, though it's hard to find someone who thinks voters will reject the
congressman.
One who holds out hope
is Democrat Kim Weaver, who ran against King in 2016. She lost in 38 of 39
counties but expressed optimism as she edges toward another run next year.
"Maybe it's just
that I'm naive, but I don't believe the people in northwest Iowa are horrible
racist bigots, not aware of what's going on," said Weaver, who works as an
advocate for seniors in care centers.
Weaver said King's
recent comments prompted a flood of donations from inside and outside the
district to an exploratory committee she has established.
"People are
starting to realize, this guy really means this stuff," she said.
Dorla Neiderheiser, a
retired nurse from the 200-person city of Paton in Greene County, said she'd
like to see King replaced, quipping that "People on the coasts must feel
like we're uneducated."
Still, she said,
"A lot of people seem to want to hear it that way."
Libertarian Dale
Gentry, a retired teacher from Rockwell City who owns an auto restoration
business just off the 2,100-person city's town square, is no fan of the
congressman, saying, "Steve doesn't plug his mind in before his mouth
takes off."
But Gentry doesn't
have a lot of faith in the two political parties, which he says cater to a left
and right fringe.
"That's not the
way it should be," he said. "We've lost the middle-of-the-road
guys."
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