How does someone like Steve King manage to win re-election??

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Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
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Simple answer: blind partisanship with a heaping side of anti-abortion.

King represents the northwest part of Iowa. This is by far the most conservative (and sadly least educated) part of Iowa. It's basically Iowa's Alabama. The only solidly liberal part of King's district is Story County, home to Iowa State University. It is on the SE edge of the district. Move the district line one country and King's district is as red as it gets.

This district has a high concentration of evangelicals and other ultra-conservative religious people. They hate abortion. Abortion is the single greatest factor in their votes. King hates abortion, too. The GOP is anti-abortion. That's all they need to know.

King hates illegal immigrants. Ironically, this district is chock full of farms that depend on illegal immigrant labor, especially dairy farms. But... King is a Republican who hates abortion, so the farmers shrug and vote for him anyway.

But, but, King's a racist. WTF? This is Fox :"News" country, and AM radio talk shows are hugely popular. On Fox and talk radio, King being a racist is fake news. It's all a giant smear campaign by liberals. But, "Republicans condemned King, too," you say. "Oh, well, it's all a giant smear campaign by liberals and never-Trumpers then. We know Steve King, and he's a fine man."

Someone above suggested King must really serve his district well. Strangely, that's not really true. Other than being an anti-abortion Republican, King's done almost nothing for his district. He's introduced something like 100 bills to the House, yet the only one that ever made it out of committee was one to rename a post office. That's it. He's been there 16 years IIRC, and passed exactly one bill. Sad.

Someone else suggested his opponent (J.D. Scholten) did a horrible job campaigning. Quite the opposite. The only reason Scholten made this such a close race is because he ran an extraordinary campaign. Probably the best the district has ever seen. Note the King usually wins with solid double-digit margins. The closest anyone got before Scholten was losing by 8 points.

Finally, all of the above notwithstanding, these election results are a bit strange. The other three Iowa House seats all went blue. The Democratic challenger for governor (Hubbell) had a substantial lead all night long... until the last few results came in from King's district. Everyone expected Hubell's lead would fall a bit due to demographics. But, this was over the top. Mathematically, it is only possible if an unusual number of Iowans voted split tickets, i.e, blue for Congress but red for governor. That's certainly possible, but odd. It is being investigated.

Thank you for that. It's pure tribalism, isn't it? Even after Trump set up Iowa soybean farmers for the Chinese nut kick they still believe...
 

obidamnkenobi

Golden Member
Sep 16, 2010
1,407
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Political leader who would put us in WW3 or an alleged pedophile? - not saying those 2 options exist but where do you go?

a) that wasn't the choice..
b) easy; alleged pedofile. If they're guilty they'll go to jail and there will be another election. But a lot of people want WW3 (have you not see all those war-horny repubs?) so probably many would choose that.
 

momeNt

Diamond Member
Jan 26, 2011
9,297
352
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a) that wasn't the choice..
b) easy; alleged pedofile. If they're guilty they'll go to jail and there will be another election. But a lot of people want WW3 (have you not see all those war-horny repubs?) so probably many would choose that.

So it should be pretty easy to vote for an alleged racist then.

Did anybody even read the coverage on his meeting with the Freedom Party? It is pretty obvious fearmongering by the media doing whatever they could to help along the blue storm.
 
Nov 25, 2013
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So it should be pretty easy to vote for an alleged racist then.

Did anybody even read the coverage on his meeting with the Freedom Party? It is pretty obvious fearmongering by the media doing whatever they could to help along the blue storm.

Ah yes, the Freedom Party. Some very fine people I'm sure:

"An attache in Israel wearing a pro-Nazi t-shirt.

Councillors arrested for WhatsApp messages glorifying Nazi Germany.

A candidate forced to quit after news emerged he was heading a student fraternity that distributed a songbook with genocidal anti-Semitic lyrics.

These are just a few of the scandals that the Austrian government's junior coalition partner, the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPO), has been embroiled in so far this year."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/austria-fpo-losing-support-nazi-scandals-180331101800263.html

Praise for Hitler and calling refugees 'untermenschen' — the members of Austria's governing Freedom Party

https://www.thejc.com/news/world/pr...mbers-of-austria-s-governing-freedom-1.466578
 

Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
20,284
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I'd say white supremacist vs socialist decent people would take the socialist.
If the white supremacist said "I'm not going to take all of your money" and the socialist said "I'm going to take all of your money", the Nazi would win. That wouldn't mean that everyone that voted for him was a Nazi, it just means they couldn't afford the other guy.
A lot of people just get by, just enough money every month to keep their heads above water. Telling those folks they have to pay more isn't going to work. They don't have more, they can't get more. A few bucks makes a real difference in their lives.
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,681
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If the white supremacist said "I'm not going to take all of your money" and the socialist said "I'm going to take all of your money", the Nazi would win. That wouldn't mean that everyone that voted for him was a Nazi, it just means they couldn't afford the other guy.
A lot of people just get by, just enough money every month to keep their heads above water. Telling those folks they have to pay more isn't going to work. They don't have more, they can't get more. A few bucks makes a real difference in their lives.

Can you come up with a more ridiculous false dichotomy?
 

momeNt

Diamond Member
Jan 26, 2011
9,297
352
126

In his own words where he retweeted her, its the message, not the messenger. Are we going to condemn Obama for his meeting with Farrakhan? No, because Obama proved himself to be a good leader for this country, and was capable of developing a nuanced opinion about people. He was able to separate message, from messenger. You afforded Obama the benefit of the doubt, I think we owe it to King as well.
 

Atreus21

Lifer
Aug 21, 2007
12,007
572
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It's either that, or the majority of Iowa voters were too stupid to realize that their representative isn't the author, Stephen King. They all thought they were voting for a cool guy.

So:

--are they too stupid to figure out the real Steve King?
--or do they just not care about elected an avowed Nazi that publicly supports Nazis because....hey! they are actually all Nazis?

The cattle cars man. They're right around the goddamn corner.
 

HomerJS

Lifer
Feb 6, 2002
35,963
27,642
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In his own words where he retweeted her, its the message, not the messenger. Are we going to condemn Obama for his meeting with Farrakhan? No, because Obama proved himself to be a good leader for this country, and was capable of developing a nuanced opinion about people. He was able to separate message, from messenger. You afforded Obama the benefit of the doubt, I think we owe it to King as well.
Did at any point did Obama endorse or re-parrot any anti-Semitism like Steve King with his racist tripe?
 

sportage

Lifer
Feb 1, 2008
11,493
3,159
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The metropolitan areas and cities of iOwa always go for the democrat.
And their votes come in fast on election night because they have the technology to report as soon as the polls close.
But the rural area results come in SLOOOOOW.
So often has the democrat took off with a huge lead as results first come in, then as those rural areas slowly drag in the lead flip flops over to the republican.
We're talking F**k-ing iOwa farmers for gods sake....
Total heads up their ass. EXTREMELY bigoted. EXTREMELY racist. EXTREMELY!!!!
And a guy like Steve King plays right into their racist ideology and bigotry.

A little interesting historical info on iOwa and the farms:
In years past, many of those family generation owned iOwa farms have been purchased by Hispanics.
How?
As the old farmers died off or retire into the nearby cities, and their kids having had no desire to inherit the hard life of farming, and the kids went away to college, graduated, then move away out of iOwa because iOwa had NOTHING to offer those college graduates as far as opportunities or jobs.
What began happening years ago was Hispanics began moving into the rural farm areas in large volume, taking advantage of the local jobs within the packing plants, the jobs which iOwa kids had no desire to take because of the hard labor and messy work typical of most packing plants employment, so these Hispanic workers had the money to purchase those mom and pop farms that the mom and pops were no longer able to maintain.
And like I said, these farmers were too old, and their children had no desire to carry on the farm life.
When these mom and pop farms went up for sale, no one but the Hispanics new to the area had the money or desire to purchase those family farms.

As one can imagine, THAT practice of Hispanics moving into the area AND purchasing iOwa farms, that set off a furry of bigotry AND hate towards those new Hispanics farm owners.
Not only THAT....
But the mom and pop farm owners that had no choice but to sell to the Hispanics being the only interested parties in purchasing, and having the money to purchase, then the other farms owners in the area still mom and pop owned actually decried those life long farm neighbors WHO WOULD DARE SELL to the Hispanics.
True!
Not only were the new Hispanics farm owners demonized and shunned for purchasing those farms, but the iOwa families themselves who sold to the Hispanics were also decried and demonized AS TRAITORS to the America way for selling to an Hispanic.
It became VERY UGLY within Rural iOwa.

When those retired farm families sold and moved into the near by cities and towns choosing to live in condo's and apartments, those retired farm owners were harassed, spat on in public, shunned in the stores, and shunned in the community churches by those once their loving life long neighbors.
They sold out to Hispanics, and thus they were community scum and traitors.
Yes, I tell the truth!
And that bigoted hate directed not only at the Hispanics farm owners, but that same hate was also directed at the mom and pop farm retirees who dare sell to the Hispanic.
This hate easily enabled the likes of Steve King to flourish within iOwa politics.

The hate and bigotry is very real within those rural iOwa communities and residents.
So much for the term Bible Belt.
Think of this as the Bible Belt of hate and bigotry, which it absolutely in-fact is.
Those rural iOwans could care less if a Steve King wore a Nazi swastika on his sleeve, or mingled with the Alt-Right, for them it simply doesn't matter.
They will forever hold firm with Steve King and the hate Steve King openly embraces.
And sadly, there is in iOwa a lot of those Steve King rural iOwa communities and Steve King die-hard iOwa supporters.
The openly accepting and liberal minded youth of iOwa get themselves educated, and then move away ASAP.
Leaving the under-educated, simple-minded, certainly closed minded bigoted and racist remaining within rural iOwa communities.
The very people which Steve King relies on.
And add to that a large dose of old fashion republican district gerrymandering, which is very much alive and strong within rural iOwa.

And to answer the ops question... THAT is how Steve King gets re-elected cycle after cycle.
Add in there, old fart US republican Senator Chuck Grassley.
Old Chuck is also quite skilled at playing the game.
For gods sake people.... IT'S F-ing iOWA.
If you don't live there, thank god you don't.
And if you were lucky enough to have escaped, thank god you did.
 

momeNt

Diamond Member
Jan 26, 2011
9,297
352
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Did at any point did Obama endorse or re-parrot any anti-Semitism like Steve King with his racist tripe?

Why are you gaslighting me? Afford him the benefit of the doubt, just as you would Obama.

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Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,681
136
In his own words where he retweeted her, its the message, not the messenger. Are we going to condemn Obama for his meeting with Farrakhan? No, because Obama proved himself to be a good leader for this country, and was capable of developing a nuanced opinion about people. He was able to separate message, from messenger. You afforded Obama the benefit of the doubt, I think we owe it to King as well.

In no way did Obama ever endorse Farrakhan. The "meeting" was a conclave of black leaders. There's no evidence that they even spoke to each other. King is an entirely different story wrt his views & endorsements. Parroting Reagan's "Shining city on a hill" spiel doesn't change that other than among those who want to believe. It's the usual Trumpian cut back.
 

momeNt

Diamond Member
Jan 26, 2011
9,297
352
126
In no way did Obama ever endorse Farrakhan. The "meeting" was a conclave of black leaders. There's no evidence that they even spoke to each other. King is an entirely different story wrt his views & endorsements. Parroting Reagan's "Shining city on a hill" spiel doesn't change that other than among those who want to believe. It's the usual Trumpian cut back.

Does every white man have to refute white nationalism in your eyes? Maybe a quote from Charles Rangel will help you see the point better.

“It’s easy to come down heavy on Farrakhan, but I just hope that this is not coming to the point where, if blacks in South Africa have to carry a passbook to go from place to place, that black Americans have to carry their last statement refuting Farrakhan,” he said. “I would not, if someone said Jesus Christ is a phony, go around asking Jews to sign a statement to condemn him. There is a lot of concern among a lot of blacks that they don’t want to be told what to do, notwithstanding the fact that they probably would have done it anyway.”
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
37,402
8,038
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If he represents the beliefs of his constitutes they will vote for him. Not that strange. You just have trouble understanding because you have this "liberal view" that racism/nazism is bad..
Racism is one thing, genocide another (Nazism embraced genocide, or should I use the present tense? Nazism will never slough off the stink of the death camps... NEVER!).
 

[DHT]Osiris

Lifer
Dec 15, 2015
14,004
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Racism is one thing, genocide another (Nazism embraced genocide, or should I use the present tense? Nazism will never slough off the stink of the death camps... NEVER!).
I would posit that the natural end-state of racism is genocide, unless law, order, and better people prevent it.
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,681
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Does every white man have to refute white nationalism in your eyes? Maybe a quote from Charles Rangel will help you see the point better.

They just have to not endorse it or the people who preach it. King hasn't done that, at all.
 

mect

Platinum Member
Jan 5, 2004
2,424
1,636
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If the white supremacist said "I'm not going to take all of your money" and the socialist said "I'm going to take all of your money", the Nazi would win. That wouldn't mean that everyone that voted for him was a Nazi, it just means they couldn't afford the other guy.
A lot of people just get by, just enough money every month to keep their heads above water. Telling those folks they have to pay more isn't going to work. They don't have more, they can't get more. A few bucks makes a real difference in their lives.
Good thing no democrat or socialist I've ever heard from in America supports increasing the financial burden of the lower and lower middle class. These people you speak of are the very ones that would benefit. Seems that people like this would enjoy being able to afford going to the doctor, their kids being able to go to college,etc.
 

dank69

Lifer
Oct 6, 2009
35,203
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Does every white man have to refute white nationalism in your eyes? Maybe a quote from Charles Rangel will help you see the point better.
Yes, if they are asked about it, every white man shouldn't even hesitate to denounce white nationalism. Can you think of a valid reason why not?
 

momeNt

Diamond Member
Jan 26, 2011
9,297
352
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Yes, if they are asked about it, every white man shouldn't even hesitate to denounce white nationalism. Can you think of a valid reason why not?

What is a valid reason to ask somebody about it in the first place? Is being white a good enough reason?
 

ImpulsE69

Lifer
Jan 8, 2010
14,946
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Yes, if they are asked about it, every white man shouldn't even hesitate to denounce white nationalism. Can you think of a valid reason why not?

You're asknig the wrong people. Ask Trump. He's the one legitimizing and moving things backwards. You'd be surprised how many people have the attitude of 'well if he can brush it off then so can i'.
 

momeNt

Diamond Member
Jan 26, 2011
9,297
352
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You're asknig the wrong people. Ask Trump. He's the one legitimizing and moving things backwards. You'd be surprised how many people have the attitude of 'well if he can brush it off then so can i'.

So you're of the opinion that white people have the responsibility to denounce white nationalism even if they aren't prompted for their opinion?