Steve King (R-IA) reflects on Jewish identity as only he can

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Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, speaks with reporters as he leaves the House Republican Conference meeting in the basement of the Capitol on Oct. 4, 2013. Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Getty

By Steve Benen

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), one of Congress’ fiercest anti-immigrant voices, has cultivated a reputation for offending a whole lot of people with racially charged rhetoric. Even House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) no longer makes any effort to defend him, last year dismissing King as an “a**hole.”

Friday, however, the far-right congressman broke new ground, adding a new group of people to his list.
Rep. Steve King of Iowa said he doesn’t understand how American Jews can be “Democrats first and Jewish second” and support President Obama’s approach to Israel.

“Well, there were some 50 or so Democrats that decided they would boycott the president’s speech. One thing that’s happened is – just look at the polling, that means – here is what thing that I don’t understand, I don’t understand how Jews in America can be Democrats first and Jewish second and support Israel along the line of just following their president,” said the Iowa Republican on Boston Herald radio Friday, asked about members of Congress who did not attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress earlier in the month. […] Asked if anti-Semitism was a factor, he said it was a component along with “just plain liberalism.”

Even for King, this is pretty nutty stuff. The decision not to attend the prime minister’s speech to Congress was a complex one, based in large part on Benjamin Netanyahu’s unprecedented partnership with congressional Republicans who ignored U.S. protocols in the hopes of sabotaging American foreign policy. For Steve King to suggest the Democrats are anti-Semitic because they disagree with Netanyahu and a GOP stunt is ridiculous.

FULL story at link.