Kumar: Steve King, your time is up
A number of reasons have pointed to why Iowa District 4 may need a new representative. Steve King’s inflammatory remarks are just one of them.
FILE
January 23, 2019
The 116th Congress has offered us some of the most talked-about stories in the past couple of months. Iowa politics and politicians aren’t often in headlines unless it’s caucus season. However, thanks to Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, we continue to have Republican Rep. Steve King. He has consistently made headlines, and not in a good way. He has proven time and time again that he does not hold Iowa values, is not fit for office, and will not do anything for the people he represents.
Obviously, there is a lot of negative media attention about him, and it’s well-deserved. When you regularly align yourself against minorities, women, children, those in poverty — really a majority of America — people will have some things to say. Let’s not forget when he tweeted that diversity wasn’t our strength, said minorities haven’t contributed anything to civilization, asked the CEO of Google some really uneducated questions, and more recently asked when the term “white supremacy” became offensive. This is just a short list of his many indiscretions, but it somehow gets worse. He’s absolutely useless to Iowans.
RELATED: Chuck Grassley: voters will decide on keeping Steve King in Washington
King typically votes with the Republican Party, and he’s rarely missed a vote in his time as a representative. At face value, that may seem OK. However, while 4th District voters may want a Republican to represent them, King does not represent Republican values, let alone Iowa values. Some people may disagree, but the Republican Party is not inherently racist, against minorities, or out to get those who are poor. When people like King get elected is when people begin to question the party itself. Just because he may vote with the party does not mean he holds the party’s values. You only need to watch a couple interviews or read a few articles to understand that.
It’s clear that the 4th District wants another Republican, despite the close election last year.
I’ve had the pleasure of growing up in Iowa my entire life. Iowans are some of the kindest and most hardworking people I know. Iowans are not rude (have you heard of “Iowa nice”?) and offer some of the best public education in the country. Iowa was one of the first states to make same-sex marriage legal. And we love our farmers. King upholds none of those values. He votes against bills that will help public education and votes against the protecting the environment. The 4th District may be heavily religious, majority white, and conservative, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find many people who 100 percent agree with King’s extreme views. If you look, you’ll find some, but they don’t represent the majority of Iowans in the area.
RELATED: Cindy Axne appointed to House Agriculture Committee after King’s removal
King used to sit on the Agriculture and Small Business Committees — two policy areas that are important to Iowans and those in the district he represents. Because of his recent comments on white supremacy, the House Republican Steering Committee stripped him of the opportunity to serve on committees, so he essentially no longer serves a purpose. It’s clear that the 4th District wants another Republican, despite the close election last year. Honestly, it won’t be hard to find a less controversial individual who will vote with their party and maybe do more to help constituents. It’s time for King to resign and for 4th District voters to do better by electing someone else to office — not just for their sake, but for the rest of the state, too.
