Debbie Gitchell felt embarrassed.

When she heard that U.S. Rep Steve King had made controversial remarks about Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, the Iowa Civil Rights commissioner wanted to denounce the “hateful” statements.

“This one just hit a button,” Gitchell told fellow commissioners during a meeting Thursday at the Grimes State Office Building in Des Moines.

King, a Republican from Kiron, said if Obama were elected president, Al-Qaeda would be “dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on September 11. Because they will declare victory in this war on terror.”

King could not be reached for comment.


Debbie Gitchell

“People approach me and say, ‘Is he representing your state?’” said Gitchell, of Ames.

King said Obama’s middle name, which is Hussein, would cause Al-Qaeda to celebrate, which Gitchell said was a degrading remark. She asked commissioners what could be done about King and his statements.

“You need to move to western Iowa and vote,” said Connie Gronstal, a commissioner from Council Bluffs.

King has said “much worse” about issues such as immigration, Gronstal added.


Connie Gronstal

“We could probably come up with a whole list of quotes,” said Alicia Claypool, commission chairwoman, of West Des Moines.

Commissioners discussed whether to respond, but they decided against issuing a statement.

Claypool said she struggled with the issue and suggested monitoring King’s statements.

“We might want to consider a public statement at some point down the road,” she said.


Alicia Claypool

Ralph Rosenberg, the commission’s executive director, said the commission typically doesn’t get involved every time it disagrees with a politician’s statement, but could if it touched on issues of civil rights or human dignity.

Commissioner Nancy Witt, of Reinbeck, said King’s speech was hateful and inappropriate, but she balked at using the commission’s staff time and limited resources to respond.

“I regard the guy as a blowhard and aggrandizing and so I just kind of toss it off like the guy is saying outrageous stuff again,” she said. “It’s hateful, but is that a good way to use our resources?”

Commissioner Rich Eychaner, of Des Moines, said there’s a distinction between King’s comments and the anti-gay comments made by state Rep. Sally Kern, R-Okla., who said homosexuality is “the biggest threat that our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam.”

“She’s been widely denounced in her state,” Eychaner said. “But it was a more personal attack on a whole category of people, where this is somewhat focused in the political realm and on a national figure.”


Rich Eychaner

He added that King likely “relishes” the attention paid to his comments, but an emphasis this political season has been placed on civility.

“So maybe the approach is not as much condemning his particular comments but affirming the value of civility in political discussion and that kind of leaves him out of it,” Eychaner said. “How you can respectfully disagree with people without being disrespectful.”

Gitchell agreed with other commissioners that the discussion was productive.

“It may be out of our realm, but maybe just discussing it makes us show that we are aware,” she said.

“The solution lies with the voters and not with statements by us, unfortunately,” said commissioner Rick Morain, of Jefferson.