An Iowa Republican congressman is sticking by controversial remarks he made earlier this year where he compared immigrants to bird dogs – saying that it was meant as a compliment.
According to HuffingtonPost.com, U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) told TV station WHO that “It was a compliment … They knew it was a compliment, they turned it into an insult because they’re professional hyperventilators.”
King said at a town hall earlier this year that when picking a good bird dog, it is important to avoid choosing “the one that’s sleeping in the corner.” He then added that immigrants to the United States should be looked at in the same way.
“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 said at the time. “We’ve got the vigor from the planet to come to America.”
According to Salon.com, in May, in remarks captured on video, “King suggested lazy immigrants should be avoided as well. ‘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. We’ve got the vigor from the planet to come to America.’”
