Steve King Gets Scolded By His Own Party For "Calves Like Cantaloupes"

Impact

A few days ago, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) made a relatively embarrassing comment regarding illegal immigrants. During an interview with Newsmax, he began talking about DREAMers, or young children who came to the United States illegally. He acknowledged that while some DREAMers have achieved great things, "there's another 100 out there that weigh 130 pounds and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert." King has elicited a strong backlash for saying what he did, but has not backed off from his comments. Fortunately, John Boehner has something to say about his fellow Republican's words.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has elicited much controversy and criticism for letting down the Republican Party as well as not cooperating with the Democrats in the House and the executive branch. However, he has decided to take a stand against King's words. Boehner, along with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho), has strongly condemned King's words by calling them "deeply offensive and wrong."

Boehner, Cantor, and other Republican leaders visited and spoke with Latino evangelicals on Wednesday, promising that King does not speak for the Republican Party. Specifically, Boehner has admitted that the current immigration system is broken, and that he is not interested in working with people who want to do "nothing." While some view this statement as ironic, others are hopeful for reform. 

Whether it is a political ploy or an honest opinion, it seems that Speaker Boehner understands how much is at stake when it comes to immigration. It is essential that both parties cooperate to bring reform to the table. Unfortunately, the piecemeal approach that the House is currently taking may not be efficient. Hopefully, Boehner's cooperative attitude is received well and echoed by the various Republican House members so that a law can be produced.