The Delusion of Allen West

For those of you who haven't been paying attention over the last couple of days, Allen West is back in

the news again, and I am thoroughly convinced that this is the way Allen West likes it.

The Congressman from Florida's 22^nd District stated late last week that President Barack Obama “does not want you to have the self-esteem of getting up and earning, and having the title of an American...he would rather you be his slave.”

After being called to the carpet by some in the political media, West didn't offer a mea culpa as much as he did a “yeah...and what!” by basically saying that the President's policies, including the recently upheld Affordable Care Act, have created a state that is completely government depended.

"Since June of 2009 or so, we have seen 2.4 million private-sector jobs created, but we’ve had 3.1 million people going on Social Security disability and, as we said just this past month, the 85,000 went on Social Security disability as opposed to 80,000 jobs created." He added, "So once again we are creating the sense of economic dependence which, to me, is a form of modern, 21st-century slavery."

There are a lot of things that need to be debunked in West's diatribe of bullshit, starting with the fact that many of those 3.1 million people eligible for disability may in fact be disabled and can't work, also while he mentions the fact that 2.4 million private-sector jobs have been created, he neglects to tell people that his party has been on a mission to stop the creation of public-sector jobs that would go a long way in terms of bailing out cities, states, and ultimately the nation.

This also brings to the forefront Republican hypocrisy which is running rampant these days. Anytime a progressive makes mention of slavery, the civil rights movement, or anything else that has to do with this country's shameful history on race they are usually nailed with the predictable and unoriginal tag of “race-baiter”. (If Dr. King were alive today he would be number one on the list.) Chris Rock, who is a comedian by the way, tweets a hilarious and fact based joke and the right has a collective meltdown, West goes on Mike Huckabee's Fox News show, unleashes this garbage and he is heldup as the party's next great star.

I try not to pay attention to West and his evil twin Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh, who apparently takes pleasure in bashing war heroes even though he himself has never served while at the same time declining to pay his child support. In a lot of ways these guys are the Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity of The United States House of Representatives, proxies who are willing to do and say anything to a base that doesn't understand that the medicare they so desperately love comes from the government they so desperately despise.

There is a huge difference between the two sets though, while Limbaugh and Hannity can influence millions of sheep with their radio and television projects, what they can't do is get actual legislation passed. Twenty years ago clowns like West and Walsh would not have even been granted keys to the party's front door, now they sit at the dining room table with their feet propped up.

West has espoused his distrust of muslims. He cited the threat of "radical Islamic terrorists" as his motivation for voting to extend provisions of the Patriot Act however he voted against another extension in May 2011. He once sent a scathing email to his state colleague Florida Congressswoman and head of the Democratic National Committee, Debbie Wasserman Schultz that should have had even the most partisan Republican repudiating it for it's sexist tone. There is also the by now famous quip about 78 to 81 members of the Democratic Party being communists.

West isn't a politician as much as he is a carnival barker, a guy who desperately wants the spotlight, but not for any of his legislation work. If voters in his district don't send a message and vote him out in November, the next two years will be a collection of Chris Christie type You Tube videos that make him look like the toughest guy on the block.

If only there were Republicans who were willing to return to their roots, and reign in the buffoons.