Triple Threat Steve King

Triple Threat Steve King

The new Obama era of change, more cross-aisle cooperation and less cheap-shot politics appears to be lost on Iowa's own Steve "Worst... Person... In The Woooooorrld!" King (Know Nothing-IA). Steve gets a triple play in the last 36 or so hours

We'll start with cake. King failed to join the rest of the Iowa congressional delegation in a small Iowa delegation reception for Iowans vising the Capitol for the inauguration. The Democrats are of course celebrating, and Chuck Grassley and Tom Latham are participating.

But King made a point of not participating, and after O. Kay raised the issue, a spokesperson said:

King's share of the cost of cookies & punch would have been about $100 and King didn't want to take that money out of his campaign treasury because he didn't think the people who donated to his campaign would approve of such spending.

Not doing it is way bigger of a deal than doing it. You show respect for the office and celebrate a peaceful transition of power. King's capable of ceremonial bipartisanship; I remember seeing him at Chet Culver's inaugural ball, where he failed to draw any applause from the heavily Democratic crowd. But this is such a little, should be non-controversial thing that you can't see it as anything but a calculated insult.



King's obession with the president-elect's middle name has also popped up again, as Politico notes and quotes:

After telling the Associated Press last year that Obama’s middle name was among the reasons Islamic terrorists would rejoice over his election, King says he’s since been careful to avoid using it. Thus he found Obama’s decision to allow it be mentioned on the steps of the Capitol “bizarre” and “a double-standard.”

“Is that reserved just for him, not his critics?” King asked.

The congressman says he doubts Obama’s sincerity when he explained that he chose to use his middle name so as to be historically consistent with past inaugurations, when America has heard the full names of its presidents echo from the inaugural stand.

“Whatever his reasons are,” King said, “the one he gave us could not be the reason.”

The only appropriate response Obama can give is the playground classic, "that's my name don't wear it out." Ranks right up there with "I know you are what am I" and "I meant to do that.

Plus Hussein is a way better name than S or Herbert Walker or Gamaliel or Milhouse. Or Bristol, Piper, Track, Willow and Trig.

Lastly, and most substantively, Coralville Courier notes that King is calling for last-minute presidential pardons for two Border Patrol Agents involved in the shooting of a drug smuggling suspect. The Ramos and Compean case is a cause celebré in the anti-immigrant movement, so it's clear Steve will keep playing that card.

So, with two shots of nativism and one petty insult, King might get Worse, Worser, and Worst all at once.