Tailgunner Allen

It's not everyone who would take "Tailgunner Joe" McCarthy as a role model and idol.

But clearly Allen West (R, FL) does.

On 11 April, at a town hall meeting in Jensen Beach, FL, West claimed between 78 and 81 members of the House of Representatives are Communisrs. All Democrats, of course.

Responding to a question about Marxists, West replied, “I believe there is about 78 to 81 members of the Democratic Party that are members of the Communist Party.”

Calling someone a communist hearkens back to a simpler time, when men were Company Men, women wore aprons, white picket fences were still in vogue, ceilings were made of glass and you could hide under your desk in the event of nuclear attack. Joe McCarthy held sway, terrifying everyone with his paranoid ramblings and compulsive list-making.

 -- Petri, 2012

The Allen campaign managed to simultaneously deny and verify whether Allen meant what he said:

“One stupid reporter with a local publication misquoted the entire thing, and they all jumped on one press account without verifying,” said [West Campaign Manager Tim] Edson. ”It’s all typical west wing marching orders for their friends in the press.”

“Some people are going to quibble about semantics,” he added. “The real point is these people speak for themselves and if you listen to the words of the progressive caucus it’s clear that these people are opponents of capitalism — they oppose free markets, they oppose individual economic freedom — so you can call them whatever you want — whether they’re socialists or marxists or communists.”

-- Nelson, 2012

Here's the video. Sure sounds like he meant it to me.

Sources

Nelson, Steven. (2012, 11 April). Stupid reporter took "Communist" allegation out of context, says Allen campaign. The Daily Caller.

Petri, Alexandria. (2012, 11 April). Allen West hunts communists. The Washington Post.