Steve Benen is upset with the wrong people with regard to the behavior of Representative Steve King (R-IA), after the Representative admiringly sharing a post by an admitted European Nazi sympathizer:
But what matters in this case is not Collett’s disgusting worldview. It’s not even Steve King’s unsurprising willingness to promote Collett’s online content.
What shouldn’t go overlooked is the Iowa Republican’s ability to get away with stuff like this – because the right-wing congressman’s party has an endless tolerance for his offensive antics. Or put another way, the question is less about Steve King and more about what GOP leaders intend to do about Steve King.
While it’d be great if the Republican leadership repudiated King, it doesn’t really matter. The people who are responsible for Representative King are those that he represents – Iowa’s 4th Congressional District.
His opposition in the mid-terms, J. D. Scholten, should use this as ammunition, and suggest that every vote for King is a vote for someone who is either a Nazi, or so dumb as to admire them. That’s a moral stain on anyone who dares to vote for him.
And, perhaps, a measure of the GOP’s moral strength.
