A Man Of No Class: Congressman Allen West

West called Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz “vile, unprofessional, and despicable.” He is a man without any class. Hopefully, fate may allow the experience of the ghosts of Clarence Thomas, Michael Steele and J.C. Watts to give West his just rewards.

 
[National: Comment]
 
Recently, a big Republican donor described President Obama as “the most dangerous man in America.”  
 
The
problem with the designation is that it is directed toward the wrong
individual. It applies best to Congressman Allen West (R. Florida).  
 
West
seems a man who takes himself seriously, is “quick out of the gates,”
and this is a sure sign of a short lived political career. He is the
kind of person Malcolm X spoke so eloquently about; that is, if there is
“no back door,” he will make one. 
 
West may very well be
ignorant of history which dictates “those who forget the past are bound
to repeat its mistakes” and be victims of its process. 

 
A few
recent examples may suffice to make a point about Blacks in the
Republican Party. Particularly where there is great emphasis on being a
“conservative.” 
 
Conservatives were very influential members of
the Ku Klux Klan, and other terror groups as the Red Shirts, Knights of
the White Camelia and White Citizens Council, many of which wore white
sheets and did dreadful things. 
 
Herman Cain declared as a
candidate in the Republican presidential primary. He had a 9-9-9 Plan
that was promising, so we were told.  
 
One of Cain’s
shortcomings is that as he came out swinging, he claimed Blacks who
voted Democratic were “brainwashed” and that thirty-five percent of
Blacks were ready to vote for him. He also boldly proclaimed the Koch
brothers were his “brothers by another mother.” Well, we know his fate.
Yes, he now resides in the forgotten piles of potentially promising
Black Republicans. 
 
Here is another example. When the Republican
Party could not settle on a leader after several rounds of voting, they
elected Michael Steele as Chairman of the Republican National
Committee. Many people have argued that the strategy was to pit him
against President Obama, for what better way to bring down the Black man
from the lofty position of leadership than to sic another Black man
against him. 
 
Steele came out swinging saying. “I will engage the Black Community,” he claimed. 
 
His
attacks on the President were scathing yet ineffective. Even when some
of the most vile criticisms and racist animus characterizations were
leveled against President Obama, Steele did not have the guts to say,
“Wait a minute, that is out of bounds!”  
 
The end result, Steele
could not touch Obama and so he was replaced as Chairman of the RNC. He
forgot about Malcolm observation: “Blacks are not attacked because they
are Democrat or Republican, Masons or Elks, but because they are
Black.” He had “no comment” responses to the racist attacks against the
president. Steele lost more than his job. He is merely a meaningless
has-been who is no longer a news item. 

 
During the Reagan
Administration, Clarence Thomas was nominated to the Supreme Court
replacing the only Black man to sit on the Court. As a Republican, many
people believed Thomas was not really a replacement of the Liberal
Thurgood Marshall who was instrumental in the historic 1954 Brown v.
Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas in which the Supreme Court ruled
segregation was illegal and unconstitutional.  
 
In the pushback
against Thomas during the Congressional hearings, to vet his candidacy,
Thomas described the hearing as “high tech lynching.” Nevertheless,
while he was approved and appointed to the Supreme Court, the sugar to
make the medicine go down was that Thomas, young and pliant, would
become Chief Justice. Thomas went to work; siding with some of the most
Conservative rulings imaginable.  
 
Yet, President George W. Bush appointed Roberts Chief Justice. It must have been bitter disappointment for Thomas. 
 
Let’s
look at J.C. Watts. He was young, articulate and good looking;
presumably with a great future in the Republican Party. Who knows why he
was soon “retired” and only trucked out now and then to make a comment
about some insignificant issue?
 
 
This brings us back to Rep.
Allen West. Military veteran of Afghanistan, still enthused with the
“Gung Ho” spirit, who has come home to fight the Republican battles. The
only problem is he wants to fight anyone who is not Republican or more
specifically Democrats whose ranks comprise Blacks, Whites, Latinos,
Asians, Gays, Lesbians, Handicapped, women and especially immigrants. 
 
West
became a darling of the Tea Party Movement and was elected to Congress
from Florida. To recall, Herman Cain disparage Blacks for voting
Democratic; yet, there are some 42 elected Democratic Congress persons
who are members of the Black Caucus. Prior to West’s election there was
one, no more than two elected Black Republicans in the House. Hence, it
is reasonable to argue, the Tea Party Movement, born in the cauldron
spewing racial venom toward Obama, needed to attract Black members. They
needed a sort of Spook who sat by the Door. They got West because he
spoke their language and so they bankrolled his candidacy. The burning
question is whether West did a “Faust” in order to acquire political
elevation? Still, Herman Cain recommended West for the Vice President
position. 
 
Top rated Republicans have dropped West’s name as a
potential Vice Presidential candidate on the Romney ticket. This
honorary mention certainly got to West’s head. So much so, at a recent
fundraiser with his rhetoric ratcheted up and with his chest out there,
West informed the audience: “There are 78 to 81 Democratic House members
in Congress who are card carrying members of the Communist Party.”  
 

It’s
as if he was reading from the list of membership in the Communist
Party. Reprise of the McCarthy era? However, while much of this has
inflated West’s ego, the reality is he has a minus-40 percent chance of
getting the nomination; the Republicans will not be able to defeat
Obama. Besides what does West bring to the ticket other than empty
rhetoric? He certainly cannot deliver the Black vote because many Blacks
see West as anathema.  
 
Before West’s name was dropped, Senator
Marco Rubio of Florida was the “Tea Party Darling” and was considered a
viable candidate because as conventional wisdom holds, he could attract
Hispanic voters. There is also Senator Robert Portman (R. Ohio) and the
firebrand Sarah Palin, former Vice Presidential candidate on John
McCain’s ticket. In addition, such heavyweights as Condoleezza Rice,
Rick Santorum and Governor Christie have also been mentioned. 
 
The
Republican commentator Bay Buchannan made an interesting comment which
is, the Vice Presidential choice should be someone who “Can do no harm”
and is “absolutely ready to be President” in the event the top guy
falters. On the question of whether West is ready to be President the
answer is probably not.  
 
However, on the more important issue
of “Do no harm” a cursory look at some firebrand statements by West
automatically disqualifies him. On CNN’s April 19, 2012, morning program
with Soledad O’Brien, West boldly stated: “In this new century,
communists, progressives, Marxists and socialists renamed themselves the
Progressive Caucus.”  

 
West seems to view himself as some kind
of ‘Super, Super patriot!’ This is a fragile and dangerous mindset.
After all, Former Vice President Dan Quayle gave the following advice:
“Remember, you are number two, do not act like number one. Do not go out
there campaigning.” 
 
West sent an e-mail message to Democratic
National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, calling her
“vile, unprofessional, and despicable,” “a coward,” “characterless,” and
“not a Lady,” and demanded that she “shut the heck up.”  
 
West
is a man without any class. Hopefully, fate may allow the experience of
the ghosts of Clarence Thomas, Michael Steele and J.C. Watts to give
West his just rewards.

“Speaking Truth To Empower.”

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