Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, is still paying the price for having the audacity to defend Western Civilization in post-Obama America, with the cancel culture on the left in full swing.
The latest example of this was seen in the reaction to King using a dated image of a child known as the “Success Kid,” who is seen clenching his fist in apparent triumph, in fundraising appeals on social media.
The mother of that child, Laney Griner, took exception to King using the 2007 image and her lawyer reportedly sent a cease-and-desist letter to the lawmaker demanding that he refund any money raised using the meme.
And make no mistake, Griner was clear about her political constitution, referring to King as a “vile man.”
Just so it’s clear – I have/would never give permission for use of my son’s photo to promote any agenda of this vile man or that disgusting party. https://t.co/AVdl9dxXCs
— Laney Griner (@laneymg) January 23, 2020
And there’s this:
It’ll be fun watching Republicans over the next several years pretending that they never actually supported Trump.
— Laney Griner (@laneymg) January 21, 2020
Griner made a point to be very public in her rejection of King, sharing her objections on social media.
“I recently learned that Iowa Representative Steve King is using my copyrighted photograph of my minor son Samuel known as ‘Success Kid’ to raise money in a ‘Fund our Memes’ online campaign, also implying that he has some kind of ownership in it,” Griner tweeted.
1/5 I recently learned that Iowa Representative Steve King is using my copyrighted photograph of my minor son Samuel known as “Success Kid” to raise money in a “Fund our Memes” online campaign, also implying that he has some kind of ownership in it.
— Laney Griner (@laneymg) January 27, 2020
“Representative King and his campaign staff appropriated ‘Success Kid’ without my permission. ‘Success Kid’s’ is about positivity and celebrates achievement. Neither I, my son, nor ‘Success Kid’ have any affiliation with Representative King,” she added. “Representative King should remove ‘Success Kid’ from his webpages immediately, issue a statement to acknowledge that the image was taken without our permission and endorsement, and refund the money his campaign received from misusing ‘Success Kid’.”
3/5 nor would we have ever agreed to this use. I do not endorse Representative King and, like most people, I strongly disagree with his views. Representative King should remove “Success Kid” from his webpages immediately, issue a statement to acknowledge that the image
— Laney Griner (@laneymg) January 27, 2020
4/5 was taken without our permission and endorsement, and refund the money his campaign received from misusing ‘Success Kid”.
— Laney Griner (@laneymg) January 27, 2020
The liberal media is quick to say that King has a long history of making offensive and controversial statements,” though you can be labeled a controversial figure in the year 2020 for saying only women can have babies or that there are just two genders.
A New York Times interview from last year is often cited to suggest King asked why the terms “white supremacist” and “white nationalist” had become offensive, though a careful review of his words shows he was talking about Western Civilization — the values of which are a frequent target of the progressive left.
King responded to the resulting claim that he supported white supremacy to say, “I want to make one thing abundantly clear; I reject those labels and the evil ideology that they define.”
It didn’t help matters when the House Republicans, under the leadership of Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, responded to the Times interview by removing King from all committee assignments.
Earlier this month, on the anniversary of that interview, King spoke from the floor of the House on how he is treated by GOP leadership — a fray that goes back to the days of former speaker John Boehner.
“I’m treated like a federal felon by my own leadership…To be treated like a federal felon by my own leadership for a made-up story that doesn’t hold up, cannot hold up under the scrutiny of history and it must be rectified,” he said.
Rep. @SteveKingIA: “I’m treated like a federal felon by my own leadership…To be treated like a federal felon by my own leadership for a made-up story that doesn’t hold up, cannot hold up under the scrutiny of history and it must be rectified.” pic.twitter.com/FVfUGDKgL3
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 10, 2020
In the end, because King is an avid supporter of President Donald Trump, it serves the liberal narrative well to paint him as a racist bigot. And though the left goes after King with vigor each election cycle, he continues to be reelected by Iowan voters, having been in office since 2003.
The letter from Griner’s attorney, Stephen D. Rothschild, assured that the established liberal narrative was holding firm.
“You have a record of vitriolic criticism of individuals who belong to protected classes or disadvantaged groups, or who support legal rights that you condemn,” Rothschild wrote, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “The majority of U.S. consumers reject your political and other views, often vehemently, as they have a right to do. Those people may be repelled by any association with your politics and campaign and, therefore, unwilling to purchase products from legitimate licensees of the ‘Success Kid’ meme, an association you have unilaterally and unlawfully imposed.”
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The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
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