West Of The Loon, East Of The Facts

GOP Rep. Allen West is attacking President Obama again, this time trying desperately to hang the African-American unemployment rate of 13% squarely around Obama's neck.

Florida Republican congressman Rep. Allen West has torn a page from Sarah Palin’s book and issued a proclamation to the world via his Facebook page.

West cited the 13 percent unemployment rate among black Americans and wrote, “The failed economic policies of President Obama are destroying the black community and lessening the chances for economic freedom while promoting economic dependence.”

Referencing the fact that he was recently un-invited by the NAACP to speak at an event, West said, “Perhaps this is what the NAACP was afraid to hear me address.”

If Allen West had bothered to check his own numbers, he would see that the President actually lowered black unemployment by nearly 4 points in just the last year or so from 16.7%.




Second, West would have noticed a structural unemployment problem with the black unemployment rate being double that of whites dating back to 1970 or so, including even higher 17% black unemployment under Ronald Reagan in the middle of his recession.  In 1984 back unemployment was 14% or so.  Reagan won in a landslide because of his "job policies" anyway.  I guess America didn't blame Reagan for "destroying the black community".  I'm kind of wondering how Obama's time machine caused that little problem.  Oh, and the man that FINALLY got black unemployment down to 6%?

Bill Clinton.  Then Dubya pushed it up to 8%, then doubled it when the economy crashed.

So maybe Allen West wants to explain why there's a structural unemployment imbalance for African-Americans, and how Obama has caused it since 1970.  Can't wait to hear that theory.

Or maybe better yet, Allen West should stop lying in public and assuming his constituents are buffoons.