Steve King, Steve King, Steve King.
Never one to apologize when he’s said something outrageous and bafflingly wrong, King took to Breitbart today to double down on his recent comment that most DREAMers are drug runners with “calves the size of cantaloupes.” In response to condemnations from John Boehner, Eric Cantor, much of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and others, King said:
When I read their quotes, I have to believe they didn’t read mine. They completely missed the mark. I don’t yet know of anyone who has raised a logical argument against my statement…
Any of my critics out there should review the video, watch the video, and they should review the entire quote. And they will understand that what I said is objective, it’s true and it cannot be logically challenged.
He added, “When people start calling you names, that’s what confirms you’ve won the debate.”
King’s logic is, as always, delusional, but it’s an honest question as to whether John Boehner is effectively letting Steve King win the debate.
In a new post today, Benjy Sarlin at MSNBC cautions against thinking that King “is a fringe voice in the House immigration debate with little influence on his party.”
“He isn’t,” Sarlin writes. “In fact, when it comes to the undocumented youth, there’s a decent argument that he’s the de facto policy leader.”
The proof’s in the pudding. As Speaker, Boehner has had trouble whipping his caucus on a number of high-profile votes: VAWA, Hurricane Sandy relief, Plan B, and now immigration reform (even though 218+ votes in support of the Senate bill exist right now in the House). But when Steve King wanted a vote on an amendment to deport DREAMers last month, all but six Republicans fell in line. As we pointed out then, the House–and John Boehner–is effectively letting King run the show. And as Sarlin concluded today, “the Congressman whipping the caucus on immigration votes isn’t Boehner–it’s King.”
As Rachel Weiner at the Washington Post says today, letting King run amok is hugely bad news for a Republican Party in dire trouble with Latino and minority voters:
King won’t back down, and his intransigence shows how treacherous immigration reform is for Republicans. The closer the party moves to passing real reform and beginning to repair its relationship with the Latino community, the angrier opponents within the GOP will get — and the more likely they are to make comments that can be used in Democratic attacks.
There’s particular danger in a drawn-out debate over immigration reform. The more methodical the House deliberations are, the more opportunity for reform opponents to make incendiary comments. And until House Republicans come out with a bill (or series of bills) there will be nothing but words to define the GOP effort.
Comments like King’s are especially damaging if reform fails, and Republicans are left to make the case that they tried to pass it in good faith. A major hurdle Republicans face with Hispanic voters is the empathy gap. By a 50-point margin, Latino voters say the Democratic Party has more concern than the Republican Party for Latinos.
Latino Decision polling today backs this up: when Latino voters were prompted with quotes from Republicans like Steve King, 78% of them grew more unfavorable toward the GOP (compared to 71% who grew more favorable when listening to quotes from Republicans like Paul Ryan, who are obviously more pro-reform). This reflects the sentiments of Americans across the nation, who want the House to act on immigration with citizenship. Even in King’s own Iowa district, 70% of Republican voters back immigration reform with legal status, and 51% support a pathway to citizenship. The national electorate is not with Steve King. Yet the GOP House leadership is letting him and his ugly rhetoric lead the way.
Boehner made headlines this weekend when he refused to take a position on immigration reform, preferring to describe himself as a facilitator of the legislative process. His lack of leadership is creating a vacuum that King and his cohorts are more than happy to fill. Perhaps that means that immigration reform will not be passed this year. But it also unequivocally means that the GOP at large is in huge trouble when it comes to attracting Latinos, immigrants, and minorities–basically, any group of voters outside their current base.
