We’ve already heard Rep Devin Nunes’ take the view that shouting racist and homophobic epithets at members of congress is okay because House Democrats are using “totalitarian tactics” to pass health reform. Newt Gingrich also explained that members shouldn’t vote for health reform because that would be like voting for the Civil Rights Act.
But for the latest and greatest in racial cluelessness from members of Congress, we’ll have to turn to Iowa Republican Steve King who had this to say on the subject of calling members of congress “faggots” and “niggers”:
“I just don’t think it’s anything,” King said, emphasizing that the incidents were isolated. “There are a lot of places in this country that I couldn’t walk through. I wouldn’t live to get to the other end of it.”
The incidents were isolated. But how isolated were the sentiments behind them? If I understand King correctly, he seems to be saying that he believes a white person such as himself couldn’t walk through a black neighborhood without being killed. On the off chance that this is simple confusion on his part, I’d like to assure him that this is false. Fortunately we have plenty of majority-black neighborhood right here in Washington, DC. Maybe Rep King and I could take a stroll through one of them one of these days if he’d like.