Rep. Steve King is being widely criticized for his comments in a tweet about “our civilization” being incompatible with “other people’s babies.” King did not make himself popular with many but Republican rejection to King’s appalling comments was slow in coming.
Democrats and Independents, on the other hand, were quick to reject King’s rhetoric.
Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu tweeted,
Dear Representative Steve King: These are my two babies. –Representative Ted Lieu pic.twitter.com/MHU21jJUrY
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) March 12, 2017
And Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) tweeted,
Steve King is my colleague. This Tweet is an open endorsement of white nationalism. Shameful. https://t.co/ojBMetwzPE
— David Cicilline (@davidcicilline) March 12, 2017
If you are looking at examples of appalled outspoken rejections of King’s words from the GOP, you are looking at the wrong party.
The First Republican to speak out appears to have been Minnesota Rep. Pat Garofalo:
.@SteveKingIA <— Rep King is…
A Fake conservative.
A Fake Republican.
But an authentic Cro-Magnon.— Rep. Pat Garofalo (@PatGarofalo) March 12, 2017
While it was refreshing to see him not compared to the poor misunderstood Neanderthals, judging from all we’ve seen and heard for the past eight years, Garofalo is in a minority thinking so.
A little bit later, Republican Evan McMullin, who ran as an Independent in 2016, revealed in a tweet that he was as aware of anybody of this silence:
GOP Congressman @SteveKingIA promotes the un-American ideas of white nationalism. Will any Republican congressmen condemn his bigotry? https://t.co/5etQ8fwZx2
— Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) March 12, 2017
Republican Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) asked,
.@SteveKingIA What exactly do you mean? Do I qualify as "somebody else's baby?" #concernedGOPcolleague
— Carlos Curbelo (@carloslcurbelo) March 13, 2017
David Duke, to nobody’s surprise, cheered King:
Just in case you were thinking about moving -> sanity reigns supreme in Iowa's 4th congressional district.#MakeAmericaGreatAgain https://t.co/RRjTzAzlKw
— David Duke (@DrDavidDuke) March 12, 2017
Nazi Richard Spencer, was equally jubilant:
When you've lost Iowa you've lost white America. Keep attacking #steveking! Swing state of Iowa only voted 9 points for Trump!
— Richard 🥛 Spencer (@RichardBSpencer) March 13, 2017
To Spencer, these are “the 15 words”:
The 15 Words:
[C]ulture and demographics are our destiny. We can't restore our civilization with somebody else's babies.
— Richard 🥛 Spencer (@RichardBSpencer) March 12, 2017
They will presumably stand alongside with the white supremacist’s “14 words,” that, “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.â€
Speaking of “the math you do as a Republican,” this shows Karl Rove that when his fellow conservatives bother to do their sums at all, the results are generally not being put to good use.
It also reveals just how deep the rot goes: Republicans who remained silence were showing their agreement with Duke, Spencer, and King, a tacit admission of the new lows to which the Party of Abraham Lincoln has sunk.
America is supposed to be a refuge for people who think a certain way, not a homeland for people who look a certain way. This is the great lesson Republicans have forgotten. And they should be ashamed.
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