http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the ... _blog.htmlRepublican Rep. Allen West says many congressional Democrats are Communists
At an event late Tuesday — shortly after The Fix wrote about how West is too much of a bomb-thrower to be the GOP’s vice presidential nominee — the freshman congressman suggested that as many as 81 Democrats in Congress are not only secret Communists, but actual members of the Communist Party.
When a questioner asked West about Marxists in “the American legislature,” some in the crowd jeered, but West took a different approach.
“No, it’s a good question,” he said, adding: “I believe there is about 78 to 81 members of the Democratic Party that are members of the Communist Party.”
After a long pause, West adds that he is talking about the Congressional Progressive Caucus, a group of 76 of the more liberal Democrats in the U.S. House.
West’s comment clearly states that these members of Congress are also actual members of the Communist Party, though. There is no evidence to support that.
West campaign manager Tim Edson pointed out that some Democratic members of Congress have traveled to Communist Cuba in recent years. (So have Republicans.)
He also noted that certain Democratic members have also praised Cuban President Fidel Castro. (For the record, Illinois Rep. Bobby Rush and former California congresswoman Diane Watson, both members of the Progressive Caucus, have both praised Castro.)
“He stands by the comments,” Edson said. “Call them what you want; they’re clearly people who oppose capitalism and free markets and individual economic freedom. So, if the shot fits.”
Pressed on whether those members are actual Communists, Edson said the label isn’t the point.
“We can quibble about the terminology used to describe them, but it’s clear,” he said. “Whatever you call people that oppose capitalism and free markets and individual economic freedom — maybe it’s ‘socialist,’ maybe it’s ’Communist’ — but that’s the point the congressman was making, and he stands by the words.”
Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus said West is trying to turn back the clock to the days of Sen. Joe McCarthy (R-Wis.) and the so-called “Red Scare.”
Look, I have just about zero use for the Progressive Caucus, and I'm sure it contains folks who are ideologically hostile to capitalism, but that is a far far cry from being "members of the Communist Party"....“We can quibble about the terminology used to describe them, but it’s clear,” he said. “Whatever you call people that oppose capitalism and free markets and individual economic freedom — maybe it’s ‘socialist,’ maybe it’s ’Communist’ — but that’s the point the congressman was making, and he stands by the words.”
When you're accusing people of something that specific, the "terminology" does matter. It's not quibbling. What Mr. West said is simply false.
This is precisely the sort of thing that has gone so far in coarsening and poisoning the political dialog in this country. On this board, we have a moron who frequently likes to accuse Republicans of being guilty of "treason"; what West has done is exactly the same kind of thing.
Fortunately, because West (much like our resident moron) has such an established reputation for saying ignorant outrageous things, the amount of damage he can do is limited; almost no one takes him seriously. I haven't done any research into his re-election prospects, but I don't imagine they're very good.)
And now we have a Democrat that doesn't think raising five boys constitutes "work":
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/s ... 54235706/1Hilary Rosen says Ann Romney never worked 'day in her life'
The presidential campaign exploded Thursday into a bitter debate over women's work, a day after a Democratic adviser made a dismissive remark about stay-at-home mom Ann Romney, wife of the GOP candidate Mitt Romney.
Wednesday night on CNN, Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen said Romney, who raised five now-grown sons, had "never worked a day in her life." Mitt Romney had said earlier that his wife had relayed to him the economic concerns of women around the country.
Rosen's comment reignited a mom-culture war that dates back to Hillary Rodham Clinton's 1992 remark that instead of working as a lawyer, she "could have stayed home and baked cookies." It convulsed the political Twitterverse — both Rosen and Ann Romney were trending topics on the social-networking site — and cable television networks.
Yes, let's attack the most sympathetic and likable person on the other side, and insult all stay at home moms to boot....Brilliant....
I have to give some credit here to Team Obama and the DNC...they recognized immediately what a boneheaded play this was, and lost no time condemning it without reservation and tossing Ms. Rosen under the bus, (trying to claim that she provided no advice to either...though she has been to the White House 35 times...an average of once a month....since Obama became President, and her PR firm has a lucrative contract with the DNC)
Ms. Rosen herself eventually apologized. (though she really dragged her feet about it, and initially attempted to defend what she said)
I also have to give a little credit to the media which did, give a reasonable amount of coverage to this.
Unlike the case where Obama was caught on an open mike telling the water boy for the dictator of Russia that he could be more "flexible" after the election....(which was largely treated as a joke, and didn't receive anywhere near the coverage that dopey "etch-a-sketch" comment from a Romney aid got.)
I put these two stories together in the same OP because even though to they appear completely unrelated, they seem to me to illustrate the same sort of brain-dead rhetoric about the opposition that has done so much to harden the deep political divide in this country and make useful discussion and compromise so difficult.
This is classic example of taking one sentence out of context.
) but for anyone who cares, here it is:
