Barack Obama

Conservatives Hope To Repeal Obamacare Using A Tactic They Once Decried

Brian Beutler | October 5, 2011, 12:14PM

Jim DeMint

Though the official GOP push to repeal the health care law has slowed since Republicans took power in January, the right flank of the House and Senate haven't quieted down at all. And on Wednesday, several of them gathered outside the Capitol with the anti-reform group "Repeal It Now" in front of a stack of boxes which they claim contained 1,600,000 signed petitions demanding the entire law be repealed.

But though the members are pursuing complete -- not partial -- repeal of the law as soon as possible, they acknowledged they may have to wait until next Congress to make any headway. That's when they might have enough power to use some of the same procedural tools Democrats used to pass the bill.

"Turnabout's fair play," said Rep. Steve King (R-IA).

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Steve King

Steve King: Covering Birth Control Will Make Us 'A Dying Civilization'

Jillian Rayfield | August 2, 2011, 6:26PM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) thinks it's "Orwellian" that the federal government would require health insurance providers to cover birth control, and that if left unchecked the policy could allow the U.S. to become "a dying civilization."

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Michele Bachmann

GOP Masks Infighting By Claiming Democrats Are Holding Debt Limit Hostage

Brian Beutler | July 13, 2011, 1:35PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Republican leaders and their conservative members don't agree on much these days. They're particularly at odds over the wisdom of using the national debt limit as leverage to force the country in a conservative direction. Conservatives are still gung ho about the idea. Their leaders balked at it yesterday.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Debt Negotiations At The White House]

This creates an uncomfortable, public tension, for the party, as its top dogs politely try to smother their rank and file members, who think defaulting on the debt is either no big deal or not really going to happen -- who argue that they can force deep spending cuts one way or another by refusing to raise the debt limit. Either Obama caves, and accepts their far-reaching cuts, or the Treasury department will have to start cutting services and payments to meet the borrowing statute.

But they're of a single mind about one thing -- pretty much the only thing holding the party together: Whatever happens to the debt limit, it's President Obama, not the GOP, holding U.S. creditworthiness -- and thus the entire economy -- hostage.

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House Majority PAC

Democratic Super PAC Sticks GOPers With Ryan Budget In Ad Blitz (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 27, 2011, 6:00AM

U.S. Capitol building

On the heels of the $20 million economic-themed ad blitz by Karl Rove's political money machine this week, Democrats are taking to the air with their own attack ad campaign targeting Republicans over the budget.

The six-figure campaign by House Majority PAC, a Super PAC which can take in unlimited amounts from donors thanks to the Citizens United ruling, launches Monday with ads taking on eight Republican members of Congress across the country.

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Tea Party

Can The Tea Party Survive A Debt Ceiling Deal?

Benjy Sarlin | June 27, 2011, 5:45AM

Imagine the following: President Obama and Speaker John Boehner emerge next week after a series of tense, closed-door meetings to announce a historic deal that cuts the deficit by $4 trillion over the next decade -- more than anyone thought possible. Additional goodies are thrown in that Republicans have been clamoring for as well: an enforceable cap on spending and a vote (symbolic, of course) on a balanced budget amendment. The breakthrough? Republicans agreed to raise $1 trillion in new revenue, mostly through closing various tax loopholes and credits but also by allowing the absolute highest end of the Bush tax cuts -- those affecting millionaires only -- to expire next year.

But that's not good enough for the Tea Party movement, whose leaders say the GOP sold them out. Activists cry bloody murder. Primaries are threatened. Michele Bachmann stages a sit-in. A week of protests are quickly organized outside the Capitol.

But then a funny thing happens...nothing. A large number of Freshman Republicans vote against the bill in protest, but it passes with near unanimous Democratic support. There's considerable grumbling in the press until the next week, when Obama proposes something conservatives hate, perhaps a new executive order slowing deportations, and the base rallies to stop him. Polls show conservative Republicans as unified as ever as another round of dismal economic news puts the White House within reach, and soon everyone is too focused on 2012 to care about the last fight. In such a scenario, can the Tea Party remain a credible force?

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Medicare

Significant New Progressive Ad Campaign Targets Republicans For Voting To End Medicare (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | April 24, 2011, 5:00PM

In a significant escalation of the progressive campaign to make Republicans pay a political price for voting to end Medicare, the progressive advocacy group Americans United for Change will run broadcast TV ads in the districts of Reps. Steve King (R-IA), Sean Duffy (R-WI), Chip Cravaack (R-MN), and Paul Ryan (R-WI).

"What are House Republicans thinking asking millions of seniors, the less fortunate and the disabled to make more sacrifices and the richest among us to make less," says AUC executive Tom McMahon in a statement.

If Republicans have their way, there would be no more guaranteed Medicare benefits for America's seniors, only a guarantee of paying more and more out of pocket for less care after being left to the mercy to the private insurance industry. There would only be a guarantee that millions of Americans would lose their jobs - only a guarantee that America's poor and disabled will live sicker and die younger while millionaires get another tax break they don't need and the nation cannot afford. This is not a path to prosperity, only a path to bankrupting seniors so Paris Hilton and BP can have another tax break. And there's nothing courageous about that.

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IA-04

Christie Vilsack Launches Exploratory House Bid Against Steve King

Eric Kleefeld | April 20, 2011, 1:09PM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) and former Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack (D)

Former Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack, the wife of former governor and current Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, has announced that she is officially exploring a run for Congress -- against the Republican loose cannon Rep. Steve King.

The Des Moines Register reports:

"It's important to listen to Iowa families about the issues they want addressed in Congress," Christie Vilsack said in a statement. "Hearing directly from citizens about their concerns and ideas is very important to me. Too often in campaigns, it's the other way around."

Her "Christie Vilsack for Iowa's 4th Congressional District" website, with a V logo, invites people to give her a headstart on fundraising "as I consider running."

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House '12

Iowa GOPer Latham To Move Districts And Oppose Dem Boswell -- Avoiding Primary With Steve King

Eric Kleefeld | April 15, 2011, 1:56PM

Rep. Tom Latham (R-IA) and Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-IA)

Iowa's partially non-partisan redistricting process has now resulted in some musical chairs, as the state adjusts to being reduced from five House seats to four. And in the latest development, Republican Rep. Tom Latham has announced he is moving across the new lines into the district of Democratic Rep. Leonard Boswell, challenging him in the general election -- and avoiding a Republican primary with Tea Partying Congressman Steve King.

The Des Moines Register reports:

Latham, who now lives in Ames in Iowa's 4th Congressional District, would have resided in Iowa's in the same district as Rep. Steve King, a Kiron Republican, under new political boundaries approved Thursday by the Iowa Legislature. His move to the new 3rd District - which covers southwest Iowa - from Des Moines to Council Bluffs, avoids an intra-party primary battle between two GOP incumbents.

Latham sent a letter today to friends and supporters announcing he will move to the 3rd District, saying, "I have never let map boundaries block the great honor I have felt in representing the interests of all Iowans in the United States Congress."

So which one of them won't have a chair when the music stops in November 2012?

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Budget

Biden Announces Budget Breakthrough After Huddling With Dems

Susan Crabtree | March 31, 2011, 8:58AM

Vice President Joe Biden

Vice President Joe Biden announced a breakthrough in talks to avert a government shutdown as top aides continued to hash out a proposal with cuts of nearly $33 billion in the 2011 budget.

Although Biden said no deal had been reached as of Wednesday night, he was optimistic that the agreement on the top figure was the beginning of the end to the standoff between House Republicans, Senate Democrats and the White House on how to fund the government through September and keep it up and running past April 8.

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Pres '12

Bachmann, Cain, Ron Paul And Steve King To Appear With Iowa Homeschool Group

Eric Kleefeld | March 17, 2011, 11:46AM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Herman Cain

A homeschooling group in Iowa will be hosting some potential presidential hopefuls for a rally at the state Capitol next week, the Des Moines Register reports.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), businessman Herman Cain, and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) will be speaking at the Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators' (NICHE) annual "Homeschool Day at the Capitol" on Wednesday, March 23.

Afterwards, the three will speak at a NICHE event in Des Moines, along with Iowa Congressman Steve King.

Scott Walker

National Republicans Rally Around Scott Walker

Brian Beutler | March 16, 2011, 3:18PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

Ahead of yesterday's House vote to fund the federal government, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) painted the Republicans rebelling against Speaker John Boehner from the right as Scott Walker Republicans -- uninterested in compromise, single-minded in pursuit of a right-wing policy agenda.

The statement quickly diffused through the Capitol, and Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) -- an influential conservative and former Republican leader, who voted against the spending measure -- took kindly to it. On Twitter, Pence joked, "Sen. Schumer called us 'Scott Walker Republicans?' That's the nicest thing anybody has said about me in a long time!"

Turns out this is a view shared by both the so-called "Scott Walker Republicans" themselves, and Republicans who voted to pass the compromise plan.

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Health Care

Tea Party Patriots Team Up With Steve King On Last Ditch Effort To Destroy 'ObamaCare'

Brian Beutler | February 14, 2011, 1:50PM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

The Tea Party Patriots are backing up Iowa Republican Steve King in a last-ditch effort to sink "ObamaCare" before the end of winter. But they're running out of options.

King wants his party to be bold, and attach a measure hacking $100 billion out of the health care law to legislation that will fund the government from March 4 through the end of September. He knows the Democratic Senate and the White House won't let that fly -- but for him larger principles are at stake here, and if the government shuts down because of this fight, so be it.

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Steve King

Steve King: 'I Know' Jihadists Are Coming Over The Border From Mexico

Jillian Rayfield | February 12, 2011, 3:35PM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

TPM tracked down Congressman Steve King at CPAC today, and asked him whether he thinks jihadists are coming over the southern border of the U.S., like Rep. Sue Myrick and Rick Santorum have claimed.

"I know there is. I know from reports that we occasionally pick up 'people of interest from nations of interest,'" King said, explaining that "people of interest from nations of interest" is a government euphemism for jihadists.

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Health Care

Steve King: Let's Kill The Government If Obama Won't Kill Health Care Reform

Brian Beutler and Evan McMorris-Santoro | February 11, 2011, 8:00AM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Here's how the Republicans' power over the purse could lead to an insoluble fight over spending, and, potentially, a government shutdown.

In a presentation at CPAC on Thursday, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) called on Republicans to hold the government hostage until President Obama abandons his dream of reforming the nation's health care system.

Or to put it in King's words: Republicans should do to "ObamaCare" what Democrats did to the Vietnam War.

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Spending

GOP Leaders Announce Spending Cut Agreement

Brian Beutler | February 10, 2011, 7:55PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), and other members of the GOP leadership

Republican House leaders Thursday night claimed to have reached an agreement with their members on proposed spending cuts, which they plan to unveil Friday.

"What we heard here was a commitment to the $100 billion reduction number," said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor at a press availability after a Republican caucus meeting.

As described here, the spending cuts would trim about $100 billion off President Obama's budget request, which he sent to Congress last year. Republicans settled on these levels after rank and file members threatened to rebel if earlier proposed cuts weren't deepend. But even the updated cuts are significantly less than $100 billion, when compared to current spending levels.

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Barack Obama

Do Republicans Want To Repeal The Obama Presidency?

Brian Beutler | February 10, 2011, 10:17AM

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA)

We all know that the Republican party wants to repeal the health care law. And the financial reform law. And roll back spending to the levels they were at during the Bush administration. And tie Obama's hands so he can't issue new regulations, or has to undo old ones.

When you add it all up, what you get is a huge chunk of the entire Obama presidency that Republicans apparently simply want to erase. The Obama administration has done more than just the above, but, if you eliminate those things, suddenly his first two years look pretty unremarkable.

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Government Shutdown

Dems To McConnell: What About All Those Republicans Talking About A Government Shutdown! (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | February 4, 2011, 3:07PM

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell says the only people talking about shutting down the government are a handful of Democrats.

So, Dems are asking, what about all those Republicans who've threatened a shutdown?

They're rounding up examples, and have put a few together in the below video.

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Pres '12

Jim DeMint Headed To Iowa

Eric Kleefeld | January 27, 2011, 10:50AM

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC)

Despite his public denials flatly saying he's not running for president, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) nevertheless seems to be making a lot of the right moves to do so -- particularly an upcoming trip to Iowa. Or instead, could he just be trying to keep the actual candidates on their toes?

The Iowa Republican web site reports:

Sen. DeMint is scheduled to travel to the home of the First-In-The-Nation caucus on Saturday, March 26th.

DeMint will be in Iowa to keynote an event for Congressman Steve King. The event, which is being billed as a "conference," will not be held in the 5th Congressional District, which King represents, but rather it will be held in Des Moines.

Steve King, of course, is the staunch conservative Congressman who has, among other things, accused President Obama of having "demonstrated that he has a default mechanism in him that breaks down the side of race -- on the side that favors the black person." Interestingly, King is also a close ally of Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), who has also been popping into the Hawkeye State.

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State Of The Union

Steve King: Obama's Immigration Plan Is Not Happening

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 25, 2011, 11:39PM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) -- one of the new House majority's most vocal on border issues -- says he welcomed President Obama's immigration talk in the State of the Union tonight, but expects little in legislative action to come from it.

In his speech, Obama tried to build a bridge to anti-illegal immigrant advocates like King, who consider unauthorized population flow across America's southern border to be among the country's most dangerous problems. As he has in the past, Obama said that getting tough on illegal immigration was a priority -- but he asked the Congress to come with him in supporting at least one path to citizenship for illegal immigrants along the lines of the recently failed DREAM Act.

"I am prepared to work with Republicans and Democrats to protect our borders, enforce our laws and address the millions of undocumented workers who are now living in the shadows. I know that debate will be difficult and take time. But tonight, let's agree to make that effort," Obama said in the prepared version of his SOTU remarks. "And let's stop expelling talented, responsible young people who can staff our research labs, start new businesses, and further enrich this nation."

King would have none of it.

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Steve King

Steve King: 'Irrational Leftist Lust' Comment Based On Love, Not Violence

Eric Kleefeld | January 18, 2011, 12:28PM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is further explaining his recent comment, made in a Human Events article, that Democrats passed health care reform because of an "irrational Leftist lust for socialized medicine." As he explained it in an interview just now on ABC News's Top Line, that's not such an incendiary thing to say.

King was asked about the comment, in light of recent commentary over whether heated political rhetoric contributed to the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ).

"Well, I'd say first that the word 'lust' is more associated with love than it is with violence," King responded. "I didn't think it's an irrational comment at all -- I just see it as the situation we're in. I have an irrational lust to love the Constitution and fiscal responsibility and individualism."

King did say that the people in Washington have a responsibility to tone it down, but also said that he did not think "the anomalous tragedy in Tucson" was relevant to that.

Steve King

Rep. Steve King Boasts Of GOP Leaders' 'Mendacity'

Ryan J. Reilly | January 7, 2011, 9:35AM

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) literally accused the Republican leadership of the House of being a bunch of big old liars on the floor of the House last night. But that isn't exactly what he meant.

During a rant on the floor of the House about health care, King used the word "mendacity" -- meaning untruthfulness -- where he likely meant the opposite.

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Abortion

Steve King: I Often Ask School Kids, 'Where Do You Stand On The Abortion Issue?' (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | January 3, 2011, 12:09PM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

For Steve King, life begins at conception -- and abortion talk begins in kindergarten.

In an interview with CNSnews.com last week, King (R-IA) said: "I often go into a high school auditorium, or meet with people at even the K-12 level in their entirety, and I'll tell them, you'll be asked to answer one of the most profound moral questions of our age, and that is: 'Where do you stand on the abortion issue?'"

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Congress

On The Floor: Ten Great Moments From Congress In 2010 (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | December 27, 2010, 8:33AM

As the year comes to a close, and we look ahead to all the wild and wacky things that are sure to happen in the new Republican-controlled House and only narrowly Democratic-controlled Senate, let's take a look back at the past year. A whole lot of amazing and memorable moments happened not only on the campaign trail, but on the two Congressional floors in the Capitol itself.

We've gathered together 10 unforgettable moments from the House and Senate in 2010. Some of them are great -- while others are just so bad that they're good.

But all of them give some perspective on the people who have been running our government, or who are about to have even more power next year. So sit back, relax, and laugh -- because it's better than crying.

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Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Blame The Lame Duck: Republicans Find A New Reason For 'No' Votes

Jillian Rayfield | December 23, 2010, 8:37AM

This year's lame duck Congress has been described as the most productive since World War II, with the passage of a tax cuts deal, a repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, ratification of the new START treaty, and the passage of a bill to provide health care to 9/11 first responders.

But despite the Democrats' legislative victories, and even some bipartisan support, many top Republicans this week have been offering up the lame duck session itself as the latest sacrifice on the "Party of No" altar...

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Family Research Council

Boehner, Cantor Back Family Research Council Campaign Against SPLC

Jillian Rayfield | December 15, 2010, 5:50PM

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Rep. Steve King (R-IA), Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), and Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN)

A number of prominent Republicans have signed on to the Family Research Council's "Start Debating, Stop Hating" campaign in response to a Southern Poverty Law Center report that labeled the Family Research Council a "hate group."

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Steve King

Steve King: If We Can't Repeal Health Care, We'll Defund It (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | December 13, 2010, 12:07PM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Rep. Steve King today explained the Republican strategy for repealing health care reform, acknowledging that, though a full repeal would probably be vetoed by President Obama, they intend to "start marching down through the appropriations bills, every one of them, putting language in them that prohibits any of the funds that are appropriated from being used to either implement or enforce ObamaCare."

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Tea Party Caucus

House Tea Party Caucus Members Requested Over $1 Billion In Earmarks

Eric Kleefeld | December 2, 2010, 10:40AM

Hmm, something seems odd about the House Tea Party Caucus -- the group founded to promote cuts in government spending. As National Journal reports, a new study finds that the caucus' 52 members requested a total of more than $1 billion in this past Congress.

According to a Hotline review of records compiled by Citizens Against Government Waste, the 52 members of the caucus, which pledges to cut spending and reduce the size of government, requested a total of 764 earmarks valued at $1,049,783,150 during Fiscal Year 2010, the last year for which records are available.

"It's disturbing to see the Tea Party Caucus requested that much in earmarks. This is their time to put up or shut up, to be blunt," said David Williams, vice president for policy at Citizens Against Government Waste. "There's going to be a huge backlash if they continue to request earmarks."

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Steve King

Steve King: People Will Die Thinking About Estate Tax If We Don't Act (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | December 1, 2010, 8:42AM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is quite concerned that if the estate tax is reinstated after December 31, there will be "people that are on their death bed, families gathered around the death bed, making life and death decisions by looking at tax liabilities."

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14th Amendment

Steve King Lays Out Plan To Abolish Birthright Citizenship

Eric Kleefeld | November 23, 2010, 11:01AM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Rep. Steve King (R-IA), the staunch opponent of illegal immigration who is set to become the chairman of a key subcommittee on immigration, is setting his sights on the right-wing cause of ending birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants -- which many experts say would be unconstitutional.

And, as King told the local paper Cityview, his plan is to pass a statute anyway, and if it gets overruled in the courts, to then step up the effort to a constitutional amendment:

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United Farm Workers

Steve King Accuses Colbert Of Staging Farm Work: 'I Saw No Sweat' (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | September 24, 2010, 4:31PM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) and Fox News host Megyn Kelly were pretty steamed earlier about Stephen Colbert's testimony earlier today on behalf of the United Farm Workers Union. "I think it's an insult to the time, an insult to the intelligence of the American people," King said.

Kelly agreed: "Many people perceive that as a huge waste of your time and our taxpayer dollars."

But King also suspected there was something more nefarious afoot in Colbert's testimony. After watching video of Colbert's day working as a migrant farm worker, King concluded: "The video looks to me like it was staged." He added: "He didn't do real work. They said it was hot, it was hard. I saw no sweat."

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United Farm Workers

Colbert Testifies On Ag Jobs Bill: 'Like Most Members Of Congress, I Haven't Read It' (VIDEOS)

Jillian Rayfield | September 24, 2010, 12:32PM

There was a lot of hand-wringing over Stephen Colbert's testimony before Congress today, and now that it's over, can we safely say the Republic is not coming to an end? Colbert himself also had high hopes for another outcome: "I trust that following my testimony both sides will work together on this issue in the best interest of the American people. As you always do."

[TPM SLIDESHOW: The Whole Truthiness: Stephen Colbert Testifies On Capitol Hill]

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Repealing health care

Republican Leadership Jumps On Health Care Repeal Bill After Conservative Pressure

Christina Bellantoni | July 1, 2010, 8:30AM

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and other GOP leaders.

Key members of the House Republican leadership this week finally signed on to a measure that would repeal health care reform -- after pressure from the ultra-conservative Club for Growth.

We've written thousands of words about Republicans' on-again, off-again desire to repeal the health care reform law passed this spring. There are plenty of bills out there that would repeal the measure, and the official GOP platform as they attempt to win back power in Congress during this fall's elections is that they would "repeal and replace" reform with their own version. This strategy comes as the Republican base is pushing them more and more to fight what critics call "ObamaCare," while the general public is warming to the law. Another new poll yesterday adds to the trend that health care reform's popularity is on the rise.

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Rush Limbaugh

Limbaugh Is Now Too Oily For Republicans To Touch

Brian Beutler | June 23, 2010, 10:37AM

Rush Limbaugh

If more politicians were as forthright as Rep. Steven King (R-IA), Rush Limbaugh might have more friends in Congress these days. In fact, Republicans are so on-message with the idea that Joe Barton was wrong, and speaking for himself, when he apologized to BP CEO Tony Hayward that they're even willing to throw the conservative talk show host and noted GOP opinion-mover under the bus.

King says that's mostly for show. Republicans, he suspects, are publicly distancing themselves from Tony Haward apologist Joe Barton while privately acknowledging that he was right to accuse the White House of shaking down BP.

"I think there will be a few that, like me, will agree with JB's words, and his description, and there will be a lot of others that privately agree with what he said," King told TPMDC yesterday.

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Steve King

Steve King Still Headed To Colorado -- And Will Join Tom Tancredo

Eric Kleefeld | June 17, 2010, 1:36PM

Former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) and Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) may have been disinvited from two political events this weekend in Colorado, after he made inflammatory remarks about President Obama. But he's still going to Colorado, and will speak at a different venue with none other than former Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo.

The Coloradoan reports that King will be appearing this Saturday at an event for a group called the 9-12 Project Liberty Circle, also featuring Tancredo, a longtime proponent of strict limits on legal immigration as well as cracking down on illegal immigration. The rally's subject is entitled, "United We Stand With Arizona," referring to Arizona's anti-illegal immigration law.

King said earlier this week that Obama has a "default" mechanism that "favors the black person" in an argument. Following this, he was disinvited from a fundraiser for Colorado GOP House candidate Cory Gardner, and a speech at an event for the Northern Colorado Tea Party was also canceled. Yes, that's right -- Steve King actually managed to say something so nasty about Obama that a Tea Party group has disassociated itself from him.

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Steve King

Steve King: 'The American People Need To Have This Debate' About Obama Showing Favoritism On Race

Eric Kleefeld | June 16, 2010, 3:00PM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is standing by his comments that President Obama has a "default mechanism" that "favors the black person" in a dispute -- and says that Americans need to talk about this.

"I have no regrets about what I said. I stand by what I said because what I said is accurate. It's factual," King told Radio Iowa on Tuesday. "I think the president should answer and Attorney General Holder should answer for the Justice Department being used in the way it is, but what I said was accurate and it was objective."

"You have the professional hyperventilators out there who have the radar screen up all the time, trying to find something that they can twist or embellish. That's what's going on," King added. "I don't want anybody to think that Steve King loses a minute's sleep over this."

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Steve King

GOP Candidate And Tea Party Group Cancel Events With Steve King

Eric Kleefeld | June 15, 2010, 3:40PM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Rep. Steve King's (R-IA) comments that President Obama "favors the black person" by default in an argument may have cost him an appearance at a Colorado fundraiser.

King was previously going to speak at an event for Colorado state Rep. Cory Gardner, who is running against freshman Democratic Rep. Betsy Markey. But as the Fort Collins Coloradoan reports:

He was scheduled to speak at a $100 a person fundraiser for Gardner on Saturday in Hudson, but the event has been scrapped, Gardner campaign manager Chris Hansen said.

Hansen wouldn't elaborate on the reasons, but he informed the Coloradoan of the cancellation after the paper inquired about King's remarks. The campaign had sent an e-mail to supporters Friday promoting the fundraiser.

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Steve King

Steve King: Obama Has 'Default Mechanism' That 'Favors The Black Person'

Eric Kleefeld | June 14, 2010, 4:29PM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) said today that President Obama "favors the black person" by default in an argument.

Media Matters reports that King made the remarks this morning in an appearance on the G. Gordon Liddy radio show, during a discussion of the Obama administration's criticism of the new Arizona anti-illegal immigration law:

King: When you look at this administration, I'm offended by Eric Holder and the President also, their posture. It looks like Eric Holder said that white people in America are cowards when it comes to race. And I don't know what the basis of that is but I'm not a coward when it comes to that and I'm happy to talk about these things and I think we should. But the President has demonstrated that he has a default mechanism in him that breaks down the side of race - on the side that favors the black person.

Steve King

Steve King: 'Some People In The White House' Would Fail Citizenship Test

Eric Kleefeld | April 15, 2010, 5:12PM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) declared at an event hosted by Americans For Tax Reform that members of the Obama administration would fail the United States citizenship test, due to their lack of belief in a capitalist economy.

"Even though there would be some people in the White House that would fail this test, if you look at the naturalization flash cards, if you want to become a naturalized American citizen...[the flashcard] will ask, 'What is the economic system of the United States?' Flip that flash card around, it says free enterprise, capitalist," said King, CNSNews reports.

"I am not convinced that people in the White House understand it, let alone believe it, given some of the activities that we have seen," King said.

Steve King

Steve King: 'We've Got To Shoot From The Hip Sometimes'

Eric Kleefeld | April 12, 2010, 5:51PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) campaigned in Iowa over the weekend, appearing at an annual fundraising event for her ally Rep. Steve King (R-IA). And while she was there, Bachmann said that maybe King should run for president -- and he praised her for a "shoot from the hip" political style.

"We've got to shoot from the hip sometimes," King said. "It's not always ready, aim, fire. Sometimes it's just time to fire and you'd better have good instincts so that you can shoot and it might look later like you didn't shoot from the hip but you took careful aim. That's 'cause your instincts brought that about."

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