Last Call For Just Blame Obama

Former Rep. Allen West has gotten the taste of that sweet Wingnut Gravy Train and he's never going to let it go.  He's found his niche as the Black Guy Who Hates Obama and he'll ride that for as long as he can, Ben Carson be damned.

On Sunday, Fox News host Charles Payne asserted to West that many people believed that Obama was the “central reason” why the racial divide seemed to be worsening.

“For President Obama, when you look at it from his perspective as a progressive socialist community organizer, he believes race relations are fine because of the impact they are having on social justice,” West explained. “So when you have this divide among us because that is the goal of collectivism, which is what the president believes in, then everything is fine for him.”

“When you have somebody like Al Sharpton visiting the White House and providing him counsel 82 times, and standing and putting pressure on Sony, and other individuals,” he continued, “and this angst that has happened, and this mob atmosphere that is going on, this is really what the president would like to have. This vomiting of dissension. But that is not what the inner-city needs right now.”

Payne opined that the country seemed to be more racially divided because the president had taken opportunity “at every turn” during his administration to blame racism for America’s problems.

“They created that atmosphere back early in 2009,” West agreed. “Eric Holder said we were a nation of cowards when it came to race. And you look at the fact that we have elected and re-elected the first black president, but yet he still believes that is not enough. We have [black people as serving as] the national security advisor, the [secretary of] Department of Homeland Security.”

“I don’t know what else you need to have.”

How about not being shot for being black, asshole? 

Gotta hand it to West, being a black person making white racists feel better about their racism has been very profitable throughout American history.  It takes a certain hardness of spirit to do that, probably the kind of thing he picked up in Iraq before getting kicked out of the Army for torturing Iraqi civilians.  Please note this didn't stop him from winning a term in Congress, because as I've said before, we're a nation that largely approves of torturing brown people.

But yes, blaming President Obama for "race relations" in this country is exactly what millions of racists want to hear from a black guy on FOX News.  West will be set for a long time.

I Can't Imagine How The Guy Got Voted Out Of Office

Former Republican Congressman Allen West apparently doesn't know much about anything, but he knows everything is Obama's fault, including downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in Ukraine.

"The blood on Vladimir Putin’s hands was poured by Barack Obama, who is indirectly responsible, accountable and no different than Neville Chamberlain’s weakness in the face of the 20th Century maniacal dictator Adolf Hitler," West, who maintains a relatively large following among conservative activists, wrote in a new post on his blog Friday.

"So much for no drama Obama," West added. "He is purposefully creating drama globally."

To substantiate his claim, West cited Obama's 2012 hot mic moment when he told Russian President Dmitri Medvedev he would have more "flexibility" to negotiate with Russia on missile defense after the U.S. election.


"Sadly, hundreds of Ukrainians and 298 souls on MH17 have paid the price for the weakness and abject cowardice of Obama’s 'flexibility,'" West wrote. "And here in America we quibble over a lawsuit against this charlatan."

.
Yeah Allen, let's talk about charlatans, who con people into believing them when they have materially misrepresented themselves.  Sort of like what you did proclaiming yourself an American military hero when you actually resigned in disgrace from military service when the soldiers under your command beat an Iraqi man senseless because you thought, without any evidence mind you, that the man was involved in an attempt on your life.

That's the definition of charlatan to me.  No wonder Obama was re-elected, and you sir, were not.

Crawl under your rock and trouble this country no more.  You're as unqualified a foreign policy expert as you are a soldier.

America The Not-So-Beautiful

Last night's Super Bowl was effectively over in the second quarter when the Seahawks were up 22-0, but the biggest controversy of the night was a commercial that offended millions of Americans from one of the most famous brands on Earth.



A simple message from Coke:  America is beautiful, and we're made up of many cultures from many lands, with many languages  Buy our sugar water with acid in it.  But don't tell right-wing bigots like Allen West that.

No, many conservatives didn't much care for Coca-Cola's one-minute spot, which showcased several singers performing "America The Beautiful" in languages such as English, Arabic and Spanish. 

Former tea party congressman Allen West even took time to write a blog post during the game to voice his displeasure. For West, the ad started out strong enough. 

"Then the words went from English to languages I didn’t recognize," a troubled West wrote, calling it "a truly disturbing commercial." 

Michael Patrick Leahy over at Breitbart was offended, too. 

Not only did Coke use "a deeply Christian patriotic anthem whose theme is unity – in several foreign languages," but Leahy noted that the "ad also prominently features a gay couple."

You see, if you're an LGBTQ person, or wear a hijab, or speak Spanish, you're not an American.  Even though there's millions of Americans who do those things regularly, here in America.  Twitter showcased the awesome hate.

But please, tell me again how racism and bigotry don't exist in America, and how they are all the invention of the delusional liberal mind.  Allen West and his buddies are the same guys who scream that minorities are captive on the "Democrat plantation" and that we should vote for the awesome, inclusive GOP, but apparently anyone other than straight, white Christians don't qualify as American enough.

And they wonder why minorities of all stripes vote overwhelmingly for Democrats, and why refusal to pass immigration reform is the biggest problem facing the GOP right now.

How The West Was Fired

Apparently Allen West is apparently such a complete and total douchebag that he actually managed to get himself canned from the clown show blog/GOP propaganda mill at Pajamas Media.

Former Congressman Allen West is leaving his job at Pajamas Media after an altercation with a female staffer in which he allegedly called her a “Jewish American princess,” BuzzFeed learned on Thursday. 

“In order to focus on political interests, Allen West will transition from his full-time role as director of programming for Next Generation.TV to a twice-a-month contributor of written commentary on PJMedia.com, effective October 1, 2013,” PJ Media financier Aubrey Chernick wrote to staff in an email from Sept. 16. “I wanted our staff and consultants to have this information first. However, PJ Media is not announcing this publicly for several weeks, so please do not share this news with anyone outside of the company until you see our public announcement.” 

In a message to staff, West wrote: “Shortly, I will be giving up my position as director of programming at Next Generation.TV to get back on the front lines to expand the message of constitutional conservatism across our country.” 

Two sources familiar with what happened told BuzzFeed that West had gotten into an argument with a female employee and called her a “Jewish American princess” while telling her to “shut up.” 

Reached by phone, West told BuzzFeed he was leaving his job voluntarily, though one source familiar with the situation told BuzzFeed he had been fired. He did not deny that an exchange with the employee had occurred, but said it hadn’t led to his leaving the company. 

“No, I didn’t get fired,” West said. “I’m leaving to pursue political aspirations. That’s it. There’ll be a statement that comes out and it’s effective in October.”

Sure, he didn't get fired, just like he didn't get fired by voters in the 2012 election.  He voluntarily chose to lose the election to pursue this opportunity, which he couldn't even hold for a year.  The guy has a completely awful employment record, you know.  I wouldn't hire him as a pizza delivery driver.

It's also pretty amazing that out of all the awful things Allen West has said since employed by PJ Media, the thing that actually gets him fired is "Jewish American princess."  That's pretty insulting, but c'mon, we're talking about a guy who thinks Orange Julius is covering up Benghazi for Obama.

Still employed at Fox.  I think.  Think about what that says for a moment.

Orange (Julius) Is The New Black (Ops)

It seems House Speaker John Boehner doesn't have enough BENGHAZI!11! in his Benghazi, so he's getting a not-so-subtle reminder up in his district from some real nutjobs who he really works for.

The advocacy group Special Operations Speaks (SOS) recently announced that it is circulating a petition and would be placing billboards in Boehner’s congressional district calling out the Speaker for turning his back on the cause. “ONE MAN stands between the American people and the Watergate-style Select Committee needed to get to the truth and deliver justice. It’s not Barack Obama. It’s not Eric Holder. It’s not John Kerry either,” the email announces, “House Speaker John Boehner is the ONE MAN blocking a real investigation of Benghazi.”

“Boehner’s stonewalling is helping Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Susan Rice, and the rest of Obama’s corrupt administration get away with the deadliest scandal in American history,” the email goes on to read, referencing the various debunked theories about the supposed cover-up. According to SOS, by not taking action on forming a special committee, Boehner “continues to help hide the truth by denying a vote to form a Select Committee.”

Orange Julius is about to get his smoothie drank, yo.  And there's more trouble in Washington waiting for him when he gets back from his summer tanning.

Boehner is also receiving push back from rank-and-file members on his unwillingness to treat Benghazi as a Watergate-level scandal. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), the leading advocate for the creation of a special committee, filed a bill to do just that, signing up 163 co-sponsors onto H.Res. 36. Boehner has refused to allow that bill to hit the floor, however, leaving it for now in the House Rules Committee. In response, Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) in late July filed what’s known as a discharge petition to help get the bill out of committee and up for a vote, which SOS’s billboard urges Boehner’s constituents to call him in support of.
Stockton, Wolf, and Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-TX) all took part in an unveiling of a 60-foot long petition — at a press conference sponsored by SOS — calling on Boehner to act swiftly on the discharge petition, an event that Fox News heavily promoted. Fox News contributor and former Congressman Allen West (R-FL) has also weighed in on the matter, accusing Boehner and other Republicans of complicity in the alleged “cover-up” for not supporting the special committee. The Speaker’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the discharge petition and the billboards going up in Ohio.

The most comically inept "House leader" in decades continues his tangerine-tinged tumble from the heights of power.  If his own party is openly coming after him at this point over not being rabid enough on Benghazi, things are going to get real interesting later on.

More Dems Versus Better Dems

There are two schools of thought on how to recover the Speaker of the House position for the Democrats:  one says that we need to have the numbers first and then get real liberal legislation passed as a result of mass, the other says we have to have true liberals in the House first to build a power base and then the numbers will flow from there.  The first has the advantage of short term gains that can lead to longer ones but at the risk of a GOP backlash, the latter means a longer time in control but requires more time to come to power, and perhaps never coming to power until the Republicans have made it impossible to do so.

One of the key House Dems in the "More Dems versus Better Dems" argument right now is Patrick Murphy, the Florida businessman who beat out the repugnant Allen West.  Howie Klein over at Down With Tyranny reminds us that Patrick Murphy is at best a Blue Dog, and at worst, a full-blown Republican.  Coming from Kentucky (where our last Congressional Democrat, Blue Dog Ben Chandler, was roundly defeated) I can certainly relate:

I was more than a little shocked when Keith Ellison, one of the most progressive stalwarts in the House, endorsed Patrick Murphy. Murphy, a rich spoiled brat, a Romney donor, and a lifelong Republican who just switched parties, had exactly one thing going for him (aside from his father's personal attack PAC): he ran against hated war criminal Allen West. Many Members of Congress were especially eager to see West defeated-- and not just because he's a loudmouthed teabagger. Alan Grayson argued that there was no one else in the House like West because West is a war criminal. His presence brought a sense of infamy on the whole joint. Most progressives agree with Grayson on that one but they didn't rush to endorse Murphy. New Dems and other corrupt conservatives with blue t-shirts did. Ellison, of course, had an even more personal grudge against West, who isn't just a raving McCarthyite but is also a vicious Islamophobe who hate personally baited Ellison. I had never talked with Ellison when he called me to tell me his thoughts on why he had endorsed Murphy; that was also our last conversation (at least so far).

One thing Ellison said that I liked-- and liked a lot-- was an indication that he would take Murphy under his wing and help him understand the progressive prospective. It's a shame he can't time travel back to when Murphy was 5 or 6 years old... but it's worth a try. And he needs to get started quickly. Yesterday MSNBC anchor Andrea Mitchell asked Murphy a typically loaded Villager kind of question: "How much are you willing to cut entitlements if you get the tax increases you want?" Could you imagine anything like that coming out of Rachel Maddow's mouth? And Murphy's response-- well just the exact New Dem line: "Everything should be on the table." Boehner's gonna love this boy! And Ellison better get busy.

Democrats retook the House in 2006 because of Blue Dogs.  The response 4 years later was the Tea Party, and now in 2012, the Blue Dogs have almost all been replaced with Tea Party whackaloons.  The problem is with district gerrymandered they way they are, the choices for a lot of liberals who live in red districts are Allen West vs Patrick Murphy, Tea Party vs Blue Dog.

Is one really better than the other?  I'd rather have a dozen Patrick Murphys than any Allen Wests...but voters certainly didn't think so in 2010.

We'll see.  Keep an eye on Patrick.

Last Days Of The Wild Wild West

Allen West, the last guy in America to figure out that Allen West lost his bid for reelection, has finally admitted that he lost his bid for reelection.

After two weeks of battle with St. Lucie County elections officials — and a recount of early votes that wound up extending Murphy’s lead — West acknowledged that he couldn’t surmount his 1,904-vote, or 0.58 percent, deficit. That difference was just outside the 0.5 percent threshold to automatically trigger a recount of all votes.

So the brash conservative opted to bow out rather than wage a long and costly court battle he was unlikely to win.

“For two weeks since Election Day, we have been working to ensure every vote is counted accurately and fairly. We have made progress towards that goal, thanks to the dedication of our supporters and their unrelenting efforts to protect the integrity of the democratic process,” West said in a statement to POLITICO. “While many questions remain unanswered, today I am announcing that I will take no further action to contest the outcome of this election.”

West congratulated Murphy, saying, “I pray he will serve his constituents with honor and integrity, and put the interests of our nation before his own.”

Oh, I fully expect Allen West to be the first person to sign up for Murphy's job in 2014.  He's not done, folks, not by a long shot...just ask Alan Grayson what it means to be an unapologetic partisan House member from Florida voted out of a job, only to come roaring back two years later.

We'll see, but for now, I expect West to end up on FOX or some other wingnut welfare operation until he can get back to running to make Florida safe from socialist Kenyan Muslim Marxist everythings, or whatever he does.

Something tells me I'm going to continue to get use out of the tag as I will Grayson's (which is still true, guy has a spine, he paid for it, he came back.)

West Of The Sun, East Of The Moonbat

Rep. Allen West of Florida? Call your office, please. While you still have one, that is.

Firebrand Florida Rep. Allen West is losing his reelection fight by a 9-point margin to Democrat Patrick Murphy, according to a poll taken for the Democratic group House Majority PAC. The survey, taken by the firm Garin-Hart-Yang Research and shared by a source with POLITICO, found Murphy leading West, 52 percent to 43 percent.

But TEH POLLZ ARE TEH SKOOWED and stuff right?

There's reason to take the House Majority PAC poll seriously. Not only is it taken by a gold-plated Democratic pollster, it's also weighted significantly in the GOP direction. The poll sample was composed of 44 percent Republicans and 37 percent Democrats -- a stronger GOP lean than the actual congressional district.

Murphy comes out ahead anyway in the survey thanks to an 18-point lead among independents. His 9-point advantage over West exceeds President Barack Obama's 7-point lead over Romney in the district.

To recap, the poll oversampled Republicans and West is still losing by 9.  Good night, sweet putz. May choirs of pollsters sing thee to thy rest in the private sector.

Unleash Joe Biden, Chain Of Fools Edition

Vice President Joe Biden made an unfortunate choice of words on Tuesday.

A defiant Vice President Joe Biden is denouncing Republican criticism over his remarks to southern Virginia voters that presidential challenger Mitt Romney would put them "back in chains" but concedes he meant to use different words.

The campaign flap began after Biden told supporters in Danville, Va., that the Republican ticket wanted to "unchain Wall Street." He then added: "They're going to put y'all back in chains."

Biden, speaking later in Wytheville, says he had meant to use the term "unshackled."

But he did not apologize and mocked the Romney campaign for showing outrage.

Nor should he, considering Rick Santorum and Allen West beat him to the punch months ago. 

Rick Santorum invoked chains last summer to warned Iowa voters that health care reform would lull citizens into government dependency. “They will put you in chains called ‘Obamacare,’ and you will never break away,” Santorum said.

Florida Rep. Allen West went a step further, likening Obama’s programs to slavery. “He does not want you to have the self-esteem of getting up and earning and having that title of American,” West said in July. “He’d rather you be his slave.”

The difference:  Joe Biden is man enough to admit he could have used a different phrase.  Keep that in mind.

Last Call

It wouldn't be a week without Rep. Allen West (R-Self Hating) comparing government to slavery, this time it's Social Security.

No, really.

"What we're doing is we're creating a welfare entitlement class," West told Fox News on Sunday, naming the rising number of Americans on Social Security disability and the poverty roll as well as increase in food stamp recipients and extension of unemployment benefits. “So once again we are creating the sense of economic dependence which, to me, is a form of modern, 21st-century slavery.”

West blasted the “liberal media” for reporting that he equated Social Security and slavery in the comment. West suggested his Facebook followers watch the interview for themselves.

“It seems that there is absolutely no level the attack machine will sink to deliberately distort my comments,” he wrote. “I was clearly talking about the number of people on Social Security disability- a completely separate issue then claims that I said I am against Social Security.”

Oh yes, saying that the number of people in Social Security evokes slavery is such a very, very different prospect than calling Social Security itself slavery, much like the number of tea party assholes in Congress evoking the concept of the Taliban is different from calling these tea party assholes "Talibangelicals".   Then as usual, Allen West blasts the liberal media for, you know, quoting him verbatim.

Idiot.  Did I mention Allen West is stupid enough to dump on Social Security while being a Congressman from Florida, the retirement capital of the country?  Yeah, thought so.  After all, this is a guy who constantly invokes his military service as making himself more of a man and a leader and brags about how intelligent he is, but he's too chickenshit to debate his political opponents, even his Republican ones ahead of next month's primaries.

It's getting old.  West screams about how whatever program/policy X Obama does is slavery, slavery slavery and when he gets called on it, he denies that's what he meant.  This guy is certifiable.

Contemptible Conduct

As expected yesterday afternoon, House Republicans voted to hold AG Eric Holder in Contempt of Congress in a cheap poltical stunt (shocking I know).  The vote was 255-67 as a number of Democrats, including the Congressional Black Caucus and Nancy Pelosi, walked out of the vote.

A large number of Democrats -- including members of the Congressional Black Caucus and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi -- walked off the House floor in protest and refused to participate in the vote. Speaking in New Orleans immediately after the vote, Holder dismissed it as "the regrettable culmination of what became a misguided -- and politically motivated -- investigation during an election year."

The criminal contempt charge refers the dispute to District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen, who will decide whether to file charges against Holder. Most legal analysts do not expect Machen -- an Obama appointee who ultimately answers to Holder -- to take any action.

The Dems who voted against Holder?  17, including Kentucky Rep Ben Chandler.  I'm so verrrrrry surprised at that, gosh.  Not.

• Jason Altmire (PA-04)
• John Barrow (GA-12)
• Dan Boren (OK-02)
• Leonard Boswell (IA-03)
• Ben Chandler (KY-06)
• Mark Critz (PA-12)
• Joe Donnelly (IN-02)
• Kathy Hochul (NY-26)
• Ron Kind (WI-03)
• Larry Kissell (NC-08)
• Jim Matheson (UT-02)
• Mike McIntyre (NC-07)
• Bill Owens (NY-23)
• Collin Peterson (MN-07)
• Nick Rahall (WV-03)
• Mike Ross (AR-04)
• Tim Walz (MN-01)

 And it turns out GOP Reps. Steve LaTourette of OH-14 and Scott Rigell of VA-2 both voted no on the final contempt vote.  More courage than nearly a dozen and a half of our own guys.  Nice.  Meanwhile, Rep. Allen West (R-Nutjob) went on Facebook to pull a Sarah Palin and flat out accused the Congressional Black Caucus of being racists.

America holds this Congress in contempt.  We vote on that in November.

If There's Never Any Negative Reinforcement...

...then Rep. Allen West will continue to say awful things about this President without anyone thinking maybe that he's unfit to serve in Congress.

Rep. Allen West, a tea party Republican from Florida, on Monday compared the draw down of U.S. troops in Afghanistan to the appeasement of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, according to Right Wing Watch.

On May 1, President Barack Obama signed a ten-year security agreement with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Under the agreement, the majority of U.S. troops will be withdrawn by 2014 but the U.S. will continue to have a role in Afghanistan for a decade.

“I look at what happened between President Obama and President Karzai as a 1930s, Chamberlain, Hitler moment,” West told radio host Frank Gaffney. “There is not going to be peace in our time.”

I mean at this point what does Allen West have to say in order to be admonished by anyone in the GOP, or to be thrown out on his ass by Florida voters?  He's a joke, and nobody's laughing anymore.  Furthermore, the joke's on us.

Luckily West's opponent is Patrick Murphy, a businessman (and thankfully NOT a current member of Congress) who is running to take back Florida's 18th for the blue team.  Here he is in a June interview with Think Progress:




 Seems a bit less insane than West, yes?

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.

The Thin, Stupid Line

Florida Republican Rep. Allen West is the gift that keeps on giving for the Democrats.  He's the poster child of everything wrong with the Tea Party in a swing state like Florida and why the Republicans are in for some shocking and disappointing election results in November.  His contempt for anyone not in his chummy little clique of "patriots" is borderline hatred, and he simply can't contain himself when given a media outlet.

“There is a very thin line between communism, progressivism, Marxism, Socialism,” West said. “It’s about nationalizing production, it’s about creating and expanding the welfare state, it’s about this idea of social and economic justice… it is also about the creation of a secular state.”

He said proposed federal government rules requiring virtually all private insurance policies to cover female contraceptives was “really about” the federal government reclassifying religious organizations so that religion could be manipulated “however they wish.” In addition, West claimed that the government was already in the process of nationalizing production.

“Folks, do your research, understand these ideologies, this is a choice between two very clear futures for the United States of America,” West said. “And I’m not going to back down.”

Allen West wouldn't know the difference among Karl Marx, Richard Marx, and Groucho Marx, frankly.  But it sure is fun watching him spout the same FOX News propaganda over and over again, ensuring he's a national embarrassment to his constituents.  He's being saying moronic things for his entire term so far and has fled Florida's 22nd district for the far redder and safer 18th after drawing some big-league opposition.  So if Florida wants to keep this clown in the House, by all means.

I could use the laugh.  New tag: Allen West Sees Marxists EVERYWHERE.