Congressman King is struggling to make the case that he has been a strong leader on the Farm Bill. Now, he claims that he has “been working on [the Farm Bill] for more than a year, pulling pieces together.” That’s a bold statement considering that after a year of work he can’t convince his own party to bring it up for a vote.

While Congressman King may not be able to make a strong argument for the Farm Bill, he does make it clear that he’s not an effective voice for rural America. If he was, he should’ve been able to convince the leadership in his own party to bring the Farm Bill up for a vote, instead of blocking it. When they refused to bring it up, he should’ve been the first member of his party to sign the discharge petition for the bill in the House – something he still hasn’t done. He has had a year to make his case to his colleagues and the public, but clearly hasn’t done so. 

Instead of making outrageous statements and appearing on cable news, perhaps he should’ve focused a bit more attention on a bill that’s vital to rural America and the farmers and livestock producers in the 4^th District.