Dave Weigel, now at Bloomberg Politics, reports Orange John Boehner’s latest self-defending “argument”:
… Reformers and Boehner, having failed (by choice) to push for an immigration bill that could have been conferenced with the Senate’s bill, are now positing a 2015 grand bargain. The theory: After Republicans take the Senate, they’ll be facing a presidential election and the challenge of winning 270-plus electoral votes in a country that is becoming more Hispanic.
The party’s core is enough this year, but won’t be in 2016, so it’d be a big help if a Republican Congress cuts an immigration deal with the lame duck president. The “establishment” is of one mind about this. In the Wall Street Journal, a beachhead of conservative immigration reform, Gerald Seib argues that a reform deal might be a “silver lining for Obama” after a Republican Senate takeover…
… “When I first heard that [Boehner] quote,” said Iowa Representative Steve King, “I tried to figure this out: Why would anybody figure that amnesty was easier to pass? There’s no mathematical rationale that would indicate that it would be more likely to pass under Republican control of the Senate. If there’s no rationale, it has to be a ploy.”…
Which reminded me, I hadn’t yet front-paged Sahil Kapur’s article in TPM on “The Method To Steve King’s Madness“:
…[T]he Iowa Republican gave an interview to the conservative outlet Newsmax in July 2013, declaring, “For every [young undocumented immigrant] who’s a valedictorian, there’s another hundred out there who weigh 130 pounds — and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert.”
The quote went viral, unleashing a firestorm from immigrant-rights activists. House Speaker John Boehner, Republican of Ohio, publicly denounced King’s “hateful” remarks and called him an “asshole” behind closed doors.
King concedes that the one hundred-to-one claim was an “estimate,” but with a mischievous smile, he points out that he succeeded at shifting the immigration debate. He fueled the conservative antagonism that killed the Senate bill in the House. “I’d suggest that we have now more objectively characterized Dreamers,” he snarks, “and [Durbin] hasn’t yet said thank you.”
Brent Siegrist, former Republican Iowa House Speaker who served with King in the legislature, is familiar with these tactics. “I’ll say this about Steve: Most of his controversial comments are the kind that you might say are off the cuff. They’re not. He’s a bright guy,” he says. “He knows what he’s doing when he’s stirring the pot. And he likes that.”…
… His first campaign came about in 1996 when he was annoyed with his state senator, Republican Wayne Bennett, for opposing parental notification for a minor seeking an abortion. “I set about recruiting somebody to run for state senate who reflected my values,” he says. “Pretty soon I had a kitchen cabinet that was following me. It’s kind of the way Dick Cheney became vice president.”
During the campaign, he stumbled upon his signature issue in the legislature: English as the official language…. “I was running through my topics and I said, ‘And I believe English should be the official language of the state of Iowa.’ And it just brought the house down. There was this huge applause,” King says. “I knew how strongly I believed in it. But I didn’t know how strongly they believed in it.”
Today, Latinos are the Hawkeye State’s fastest-growing demographic, a fact that may resonate with King’s conservative district. From 2000 to 2010 Latinos nearly doubled, many attracted to the growing meatpacking industry. Although Hispanics constitute a mere 5 percent of the state’s population, their presence has surged to about quarter of residents in Buena Vista County and Crawford County. King represents both counties. Out of the nine Iowa counties where Hispanics made up 10 percent or more of the population, King represents — or, due to redistricting, has represented — seven of them…
Kathy Witzke, a self-described farm wife from Newell, Iowa, who worked on King’s eventual campaign for Congress, says, “He’s just a regular person who’s speakin’ plain Midwestern English like we all are out here. We don’t have time to tap dance around this crap and make as many people like us as possible.”…
Anyone interested in the retrogression of the Stupid Party should definitely read the whole thing; shorter: King used his dwindling, but still powerful, bloc of rural white ‘Murcan Heartlanders(tm) to move from the statehouse to national attention, where he formed a twin-sons-of-different-mothers working friendship with Tom Tancredo, another professional xenophobe with big ambitions:
… The two helped kill Bush’s reform push in 2006 and 2007 by channelling the nativist anxieties of the conservative base, even as strategists like Karl Rove warned that Republicans needed a pro-Hispanic vision to remain a strong national party. King chilled the atmosphere early by saying at a well-attended press conference that anyone who voted for reform “deserves to be branded with a scarlet letter, ‘A’ for amnesty.”…
Tancredo left Congress in 2009, running two failed bids for governor. King has stayed behind, passing up a chance in 2013 to seek retiring Democrat Tom Harkin’s open Senate seat, deciding instead to fight on immigration from the House. King honed his message with a laser-like focus on illegal immigrants. “I’m fighting to preserve the rule of law,” he said this year. “Why would we reward people for breaking our laws? Rewarding law breakers produces more law breakers.”
Though King had plenty of help, his quest to scuttle immigration reform paid off again this year, when the stakes were higher and the obstacles greater. Far from heeding Boehner’s call to embrace reform, House Republicans danced on its grave by passing bills in 2013 and again in August 2014 to ensure the deportation of everyone in the country illegally. The first was authored by King; the second was written with his counsel. “It was like I ordered it off the menu,” he boasts. “I was on the list of four or five people that [Boehner] thanked in conference after we got that resolved, and that’s the first time I remember him thanking me.”…
Liz Mair, a former Republican National Committee spokeswoman who now works for the immigration reform cause, says, “King’s main effect on the immigration reform debate is Overton Window-ish,” invoking a political science term that describes the “window” of policies considered acceptable at a given time, named after Joseph P. Overton. “Very, very few grassroots conservatives or elected Republicans actually agree with him on immigration policy. However, he enables elected Republicans who are more restrictionist or otherwise hardline … to strike a pose that reads as ‘moderate.'”…
King’s overarching goal is not to seek higher office or enter the ranks of leadership. “I don’t know that that’s my style,” he says. “I’m more the conscience of the conservative than I am someone looking for consensus.” He wants to elect a president in his image. Journalist Obradovich says, “When Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum come to Iowa, they absolutely want to see and talk to Steve King.”…
Steve King is the poster child for nuking Iowa’s status as the nation’s first primary. Having taken note of Tancredo’s failed aspirations to higher office, King’s dug himself into a private barony among his common-as-pig-tracks constituents, like a fly maggot into an aging boar’s flank. His only claim to attention is as a speedbump, but while he retains his deathgrip on the Power of the Primary, the Media Village Idiots will nod & gape & produce thumbsuckers as though Steve King and the state’s pig factory slurry pits weren’t twin environmental disasters — and embarrassments.
g
Meaning Boehner was right, for once. King is an asshole.
BruceFromOhio
“Why would we reward people for breaking our laws? Rewarding law breakers produces more law breakers.”
These two-bit soulless rat fuck criminals are walking, talking projection booths, every single Gaia-damned motherfucking one of them.
pseudonymous in nc
@g:
A bona fide racist asshole. But apparently, you’re not allowed to call a member of Congress who says racist things and promotes racist laws an abject, obvious racist, because civility.
srv
Woodbury county, ground zero for the meteor.
Culture of Truth
Kathy Witzke, a self-described farm wife from Newell, Iowa, who worked on King’s eventual campaign for Congress, says, “He’s just a regular person who lies like we all do out here. We don’t have time to tap dance and tell the truth.”
fixed it for you
Tenar Darell
Every once in a while, in an excess of empathy probably, I wonder if Boehner mutters to himself, “Will no one rid me of these turbulent congesscritters?” Then I remember the 1990s, and I don’t feel for that orange clown at all. He deserves every backstabbing (there are words I want to use that will get me moderated, but you all can think ’em) creep in his caucus.
Violet
@Culture of Truth:
I think it’s more like this:
Tree With Water
Californians of a certain vintage will recall S.I. Hayakawa. He was an academic who parlayed the very same “english as the official language” schtick into 6 years riding the U.S. senate gravy train.
Omnes Omnibus
While King is a ginormous asshole, phrases like “After Republicans take the Senate” annoy me quite a bit.
I know it is describe GOPer thinking, but it still annoys me. Sam Wang still has an Election Day probability of a D controlled Senate at 53%.
burnspbesq
I’m still not 100 percent convinced that Steve is the worst Republican Congresscritter named King.
Corner Stone
God dammit.
James E Powell
@g:
King is an asshole.
We must never lose sight of the fact that for a very large chunk of Americans, King is exactly the kind of person they wish they could vote for in every election. We are, as Hunter S Thompson once so eloquently put it, “just a nation of two hundred million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns and no qualms about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable.”
Corner Stone
Don’t give the Texans any credit for anything, Phil.
Bullshit.
Mike in NC
Was sent on a business trip to Iowa (Des Moines) around January 1996 or so. First store I stopped at and walked into was blaring Limbaugh at deafening volume. Told me everything I needed to know about the state, which I fled a week later, never to return.
Corner Stone
We should cut Ryan Fitzpatrick overnight. Not even worth suiting up another game.
scav
danielx
Yeah, I got yer plain Midwestern English, right here: In a pig’s ass.
Just like Newtie didn’t want to ascend to the Speakership back when he was a backbench bomb thrower….all power corrupts but some must govern, in which case Brother King will reluctantly scramble to the top of the heap, if the opportunity arises. So he may be smart – he’s still a crazy sonofabitch, and he’s still ambitious, and he has absolutely no intention of toning it down, ever.
Omnes Omnibus
@Mike in NC:
You are in NC and you say that? I bet random chance is at least as likely to turn up such a place in your state.
El Caganer
@Mike in NC: You can find the same thing all over Pennsylvania. Hell, you can find it right here in Philadelphia, you don’t even have to go to Gooberville.
Mike in NC
@Omnes Omnibus: No shit, Sherlock.
Jim C
It’s a caucus, not a primary. It’s never been a primary, Mark Penn.
eemom
Saw a bumper sticker today: “Rugby is my feminine side”, and thought of you.
NotMax
Back in pre-recycling days, a friend went to college in Des Moines and rented an apartment right across the street from the WCTU.
Used to sneak out late at night and place all the empty beer cans and liquor bottles into their trash cans. Can verify this was not mere braggadocio as I visited him for a week once.
Roy G.
@Tree With Water: Hmmm, nice try, but Hayakawa’s academic specialty was linguistics, plus he was of Japanese descent, all of which points to a false equivalency with Steve King, who arrived at the same point by way of mere demagoguery.
Regarding the post, I would add that the reason I left the midwest was the rising tide of intolerant racist asshats that Steve King, Michelle Bachmann etc. incited to fly their freak flags and put fetuses on billboards, etc.
Of course, King brings to mind a favorite old Minnesotahn joke: Why does the Mississippi River flow south? Because Iowa sucks! Goodniiiight!
Omnes Omnibus
@eemom: Rugby makes you think of AL? Odd that.
@Roy G.: You do known that Iowa is an acronym for Idiots Out Wandering Around, right?
NotMax
@Omnes Omnibus
That calls for a tipsy Congresswoman singing what she calls “the Iowa song” (starts about 1:05).
jl
Not sure Boehner’s next little gambit will work even with a GOP Senate. House GOPers in crazy GOP primary base districts will wonder what Boehner will do for them that outweighs the headache of the crazy GOP primary challenger.
eemom
@Omnes Omnibus:
ok, so being 102 years old with 5 hours of sleep the last 2 nights I fergot the link…..sosume.
Omnes Omnibus
@eemom: It was aimed at me, right? Or am I so vain?
balconesfault
Of course, a big reason that immigrants flocked to Iowa is because the GOP did the meatpackers bidding and stripped away union protections … leaving the door wide open for non-union (and often undocumented) labor.
But we know who the working man’s friend is? The guy who responds to the symptom, and not the disease …
PIGL
@danielx: You are quoting Le Carré…except it was “brother Lacon”…except also it’s not exactly quoting.
Omnes Omnibus
@PIGL: Oddly, I just started rereading “Tinker, Tailor,…” a couple of days ago.
jl
@balconesfault:
“But we know who the working man’s friend is? The guy who responds to the symptom, and not the disease …”
I’d rephrase that as ‘They guy who responds to the symptoms while crapping in the water well, not the disease…”
Violet
@Omnes Omnibus: Is your hat strategically dipped below one eye?
Omnes Omnibus
@Violet: When I wear a hat, it is. Honestly, along with being James Bond, one of my youthful ambitions was to be the “You’re So Vain” guy.
Random note: Jagger actually sang the lead part on the choruses and Simon sang harmony. He couldn’t hit notes that she could. Girl Power?
eemom
@Omnes Omnibus:
You are the only rugby hit in my database.
‘sides, you talk like John Malkovich.
Omnes Omnibus
@eemom: So the song is about me? I always thought so.
Violet
@Omnes Omnibus: Doesn’t surprise me at all. Not sure about the apricot scarf, though. If you’re the “You’re So Vain” guy, you get to hang with the underworld spies when you’re not with the wife of a close friend, so if you’re not James Bond at least you know him.
eemom
@Omnes Omnibus:
It’s a good song, except for “You probly think the song is about you.”
eemom
@Omnes Omnibus:
@eemom:
omg.
Violet
@eemom: Rugby household here.
Omnes Omnibus
@Violet: One has one’s influences as a kid. Those were some of mine. I definitely went through a period … OTOH, I read Howard Fast novels and Steinbeck too. Influences tend to create a bouillabaisse.
Villago Delenda Est
So, we’ve established now that King is not stupid.
This means he can only be evil.
Omnes Omnibus
@Villago Delenda Est: Bullshit, he is both.
eemom
@Violet:
It is very embarrassing to admit, but I don’t even know what rugby looks like. Being played.
For some reason I always picture it like Ultimate Frisbee the guys used to play in college, but I know that’s wrong. Cuz that was like football, or something.
Violet
@Villago Delenda Est: When did we establish that he’s not stupid?
Violet
@eemom: It’s a bit grittier than Ultimate. And the players are usually wearing shirts.
Omnes Omnibus
@Violet: Union? Yes?
@eemom: Oh, dear. Rugby is a ruffian’s game played by gentlemen. while soccer is a gentlemen’s game played by ruffians.
Villago Delenda Est
@Violet: Here:
He knows what he’s doing. He’s evil.
Ruckus
@Villago Delenda Est:
He doesn’t have to work at being evil, that is the base he starts from, but he works at being stupid, no matter what anyone thinks is going on inside that melon on his shoulders.
So both. Always both.
Violet
@Omnes Omnibus: Yes, Union. International usually. Can’t keep up with the leagues, although sometimes watch some Heineken Cup.
Edit: Do watch some Sevens from time to time–very different game.
Violet
@Villago Delenda Est: No, another Republican claims King knows what he’s doing. It may or may not be true. Have we followed the money behind Siegrist?
I think King is probably evil but also stupid.
Omnes Omnibus
@Violet: It is weird and indicates my age but my favorite player (from the position I wanted to play – but I was not tall and I was comparatively fast) was Jean-Pierre Rives. He, to me, was a perfect player and I got to see him play.
Anne Laurie
@Violet: He’s evil and stupid! — two GOP traditions that combine to create something even more disgusting.
burnspbesq
@Anne Laurie:
He’s a floor wax and a dessert topping.
Violet
@Omnes Omnibus: Jonah Lomu for me. Got to see him play in his prime. Amazing.
burnspbesq
Meanwhile …
https://mobile.twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/520355884724404224
burnspbesq
YSWP. Let’s try that again.
[tweet https://mobile.twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/520355884724404224
Amir Khalid
@burnspbesq: Is Nate Silver still having that playground spat with Sam Wang?
burnspbesq
@Amir Khalid:
Haven’t been following that. Is it as entertaining as Wenger vs. Mourinho?
Tree With Water
@Roy G.: I well remember Hayakawa, so I got you beat there. ‘English as the official language’ was the issue that first endeared him to California’s GOP, and his enthusiastic slinging of Spiro Agnew caliber abuse at student anti-war protestors sealed that deal. (Just why you dragged his ancestry into it I don’t understand, much less what that has to do with any equivalency with King, false or otherwise). A decade later came another round of mean spirited bigotry, this time maladroitly championed by the vicious republican governor Pete Wilson. Indeed, a case could be made those two proved the 1-2 punch that drove Hispanic Californians into the democratic party. Let hope events in Iowa follow a similar course.
Amir Khalid
@burnspbesq:
I don’t know much about it myself. I just saw mention of it on a few American political-news sites — some silly my-kungfu-is-better-than-yours nonsense, apparently, more from Nate than from Sam.
Matt
Hey Kathy: FUCK YOU and all your racist buddies. As the late, great, Bill Hicks once said: “You are fucked and you are fucking us. Kill yourself, kill yourself, kill yourself now.”
Sherparick
@g: It is the broken clock principle. Every time King opens his Neo-Confederate mouth, the Union dead of Iowa spin in their graves.
Iowa Old Lady
@Mike in NC: Back off there. Iowa went for Obama in both 2008 and 2012. Also Steve King is evil. Both can be true.
Cervantes
@Amir Khalid: They should both know better and let their work speak for itself.
Lurking Canadian
@eemom: Picture football. Now take away pads, forward passing and rules. That’s rugby.
Jay C
@Tree With Water:
Yeah, I also remember old Sam Hayakawa, though IIRC, it wasn’t so much the “English-as-Official-Language” shtick that got him elected, as the fact that he became the face of organized hippie-punching (though in those days, there were actual hippies around, and I think he actually did punch some) due to his violent reactions against student activism at his college in the ’60s. Also, ISTR that he once in the Senate, he basically vanished from sight until his retirement.
Wikipedia did provide this little tidbit, though:
And we know how well THAT turned out….
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Iowa Old Lady: yes, even so called hard blue states like California have their deep red parts. It’s a rural thing and that’s likely why King keeps on sabotaging reform – his Agro-Biz buddies want illegals for the cheep labor.
Cervantes
@Mike in NC:
Maybe they did it on purpose, knowing how you’d react.