2011/03/09

America's Most Odious Congressman


Representative Peter King, Republican of New York, has decided that we need to investigate the Muslims.  All of them.  Now.

I'm exaggerating a bit.  Prepared testimony suggests that the hearings aren't going to be the inflammatory, blame all Muslims spectacle that people like myself had at first feared.  Either way, I find the exact content of the hearings to be somewhat secondary.  If done responsibly, this could potentially be a somewhat useful exercise, although I don't really expect any useful result.  It is true that there are elements in our country that will try to radicalize parts of the Muslim community.  Unfortunately, there are also elements in our country that will try to radicalize the Christian, Jewish, white, black and every other community in the country.  That's just the way things are.

The main issue from where I sit is what King is trying to accomplish politically with this little stunt.  King is dipping into that oldest and most popular well of animus in American politics: lets scare the white people by demonizing some Brown people.  From the Southern Strategy right on down to now, it is the most tired play in the GOP playbook.  This is just the most recent manifestation.  I find it difficult to believe that King has anything in mind but pandering to the baser elements of the conservative movement.

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