Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Represent

“If we don’t defend Western civilization, then we will become subjugated by the people who are the enemies of faith, the enemies of justice.” Not a member of the Klu Klux Klan. Not a Proud Boy. These were the words of a sitting United States Congressman. If you are unfamiliar with the life and words of Steve King, Representative from Iowa, this . is the gentleman who asserted, “We can't restore our civilization with somebody else's babies.” And there was this gem about immigration from a couple years back: “For everyone who’s a valedictorian, there’s another hundred out there that — they weigh one hundred thirty pounds and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling seventy-five pounds of marijuana across the desert.” Or perhaps you're a fan of his comments about African American women experiencing the "tragedy of abortion: “They chose to have an abortion. I would give you even money that a vast majority of mothers who say they can’t afford an abortion have an iPhone, which costs more.”
These statements weren't recorded  surreptitiously. They weren't taken out  of  context. They are representative of the work Congressman Steve has been doing for  the people of Iowa's fourth district since 2003. Which may be why his interview  with the Austrian far-right propaganda site Unzensuriert didn't initially ring any alarms. He told his  host, “The U.S. subtracts from its population a million of our babies in the form of abortion. We add to our population approximately 1.8 million of ‘somebody else’s babies’ who are raised in another culture before they get to us.” This double dip into two of Steve's favorite topics is referred to in far-right circles as The Great Replacement. White European culture is in danger from  someone else's  babies. Got it. 
Meanwhile, back here in the United States of America, Steve King is up for re-election in a couple of weeks. He has won his past five contests by more than twenty points. He is currently ahead of his Democratic challenger by ten points. Which I suppose is mildly refreshing, but the percentages won't  matter if this is truly representative of  the folks in the Fourth District. Can that be right? Is Iowa so red, or so white, that this ideology can carry the day? 
Hard to believe. 

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