Maybe if you don't want fleas, don't lie down with dogs?
At a candidate forum in Iowa today, Rep. Steve King was asked to compare his views on race to those of the anti-Semitic white supremacist who murdered 11 Jews in a synagogue in Pittsburgh last weekend. The young man stayed calm, and laid out his question and comparison clearly and politely. He quoted from the murderer's own statements about immigrants and whites, then quoted Steve King on his views regarding immigrants and whites. Then he stated, "You and the shooter both share an ideology that is anti-immigration..."
Steve King didn't let him finish - he interrupted him, objecting vociferously to being compared to the shooter, maintaining his deep love for Israel and accusing the questioner of ambushing him.
"Do NOT associate me with that shooter. I knew you were an ambusher when you walked into the room...You get no question and you get no answer," King said.
The young man tried to ask his question, "I was about to ask you what distinguishes you from the shooter..." but King kept talking over him, saying, "No, you're NOT. You crossed the line. It's not tolerable to accuse me of being associated with a guy who shot 11 people in Pittsburgh. I am someone who has stood with Israel from the beginning. The length of that nation is the length of my life. I've been with them for that long and I'll not listen to another word from you."
God bless youth, though, because he kept on with his tenacious self, asking, "If this isn't your world view, then why did you travel to Austria to work with a white supremacist organization?" Yyyyyyyiiiiikkkkkkeeesssss...
King talked over him for most of that, saying, "We're DONE here, this is OVER..." and King's handler/bodyguard/nanny stepped in to tell the constituent, "I think he's given his answer..." and the kid kept going I love him and said,
"But do you identify as a white supremacist?" at which point King SCREAMED, "STOP IT!" and I swear, it looked like he was gonna charge the audience, and the guy KEPT. GOING!
"Then why did you meet with a white supremacist organization when you were in Oslo, sir?" UNNAMED CONSTITUENT GUY 2020!
King yelled again, "WE'RE DONE!" and then he told the security by the door to "escort this man out of the room."
If King didn't want to be asked about his statements and his associations by his constituents, perhaps he shouldn't be in public service. I have high hopes the electorate will help him out with that next Tuesday.
UPDATE:
The King-Slayer's identity has been discovered! Kaleb Van Fossen is a student at Iowa State University. He appeared on Chris Hayes, and made the very cogent point: Steve King traveled all the way to AUSTRIA to meet with white nationalists, but would not even meet with his own constituents to answer questions.
