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GOP lawmaker dehumanizes immigrants by comparing them to dogs

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) compared immigrants to dogs yesterday at a town hall meeting, saying the U.S.

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) compared immigrants to dogs yesterday at a town hall meeting, saying the U.S. should choose immigrants like choosing the "pick of the litter."

King, a longtime opponent of amnesty for illegal immigrants, told constituents in Pocahontas, Iowa, that "we've always had bird dogs around our place."

"You want a good bird dog, and you want one that's gonna be aggressive?" King said. "Pick the one that's the friskiest, the one that's in games the most, not the one that's over there sleeping in the corner."

“If you want a pet to sleep on the couch, get the one that’s sleeping in the corner,” he continued.  "You get the pick of the litter and you got yourself a pretty good bird dog." 


"Well, we've got the pick of every donor civilization on the planet,” King went on. “We’ve got the vigor from the planet to come to America." 

King's effort to dehumanize immigrants isn't exactly new.  In 2006, he compared immigrants to livestock while making the case for an electrified fence along the Southern border. 

Ironically, King endorsed fellow Republican Mitt Romney for president just five days before making these insidious remarks.  Romney, of course, has been widely criticized for transporting his family's pet dog, Seamus, on the roof of a car for 12 hours during a family vacation in 1983.

The video was captured by American Bridge 21st Century and first reported by Salon.

King is running for a sixth term against former Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack, the wife of former Governor and current U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

Ed will have more to say about this tonight on The Ed Show at 8p/11pET on msnbc!