Since Florida Is Too Smart For Him Allen West Flees To Texas To Work At A “Think Tank”
“Think tank” and Allen West are not words you might expect to find in a sentence together. But it has come to this.
On the heels of urging our troops to refuse to follow President Obama’s orders and trying to con followers into donating to his PAC so that he could impeach the President even though he was summarily shown the exit door by voters and has no power or authority, former Congressman Allen West is running away from Florida.
The Fox News pundit is taking refuge in Texas – land of the less than rational conservative movement that worships government shutdown artist Senator Ted Cruz (-TX).
Anthony Man at the Sun Sentinel reported that Allen West is leaving Florid to become the CEO of the National Center for Policy Analysis, which Wikipedia describes as “a non-profit neoliberal American think tank whose goals are to develop and promote private alternatives to government regulation and control.”
“The truth is, he had used up his welcome in Florida. He wasn’t going to get elected to anything here. So there was no real political benefit to him staying here,” said Charles Zelden, a professor of history and legal studies who specializes in politics and voting at Nova Southeastern University. “What happens to politicians when they’ve used up their welcome is they go on to get jobs either on TV or in think tanks.”
The NCP seeks to justify “alternatives” to regulation, as in, no regulation. This is reinforced by the fact that it was founded by a libertarian. CorpWatch describes how the New Deal and its social safety nets and government as part of the solution (e.g., creating jobs in times of economic hardship) was in part a response to neoliberal economic theory:
Economic liberalism prevailed in the United States through the 1800s and early 1900s. Then the Great Depression of the 1930s led an economist named John Maynard Keynes to a theory that challenged liberalism as the best policy for capitalists. He said, in essence, that full employment is necessary for capitalism to grow and it can be achieved only if governments and central banks intervene to increase employment. These ideas had much influence on President Roosevelt’s New Deal — which did improve life for many people. The belief that government should advance the common good became widely accepted.
If anyone can destroy the idea that government can do some good, it’s Allen West as a former Congressman.
Wikipedia says that the “topics” addressed by the National Center for Policy Analysis “include reforms in health care, taxes, Social Security, welfare, education and environmental regulation.” Wherein to “reform” means to destroy. Sounds perfect for the man whose words further ignited the already permanently inflamed rhetoric at Fox News.
For two long years, West represented Broward and Palm Beach counties, ticking off constituents with his Tea Party zealotry – the same zealotry that had him accusing the Democratic Party of having dozens (plural) of Communists in the House. Yes, West ran on creating jobs and then created zero jobs. He was busy with his anti-women agenda and hunting down paranoid visions of boogeymen from another century.
In the end, West found a total of 80 alleged “Communists” in the Democratic Party but refused to name any names, so if you’re hungry and looking for work, that’s helpful.
At one time, when he was actually employed by government, West claimed to believe that the President of the United States was afraid to talk to him. If Obama side-stepped the one term West, it probably wasn’t out of fear but pragmatism. Nothing will get done with a person like West – he’s in it like Palin — a cash grab and some spotlight please.
West’s kind of emotional hyperbole and hysteria is better suited to Texas, where Republican elitists often pose as populists in order to better prime their followers for the Big Grift.
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If there was ever to be built a Oxy-moron hall of fame the prize exhibit or attraction will be the term “Conservative ThinkTank”.. Whenever I hear that term I immediately think of Septic Tank but a septic tank has a purpose in that it disperses sewage into the earth and a Conservative septic thank disperses it ONTO the earth.
We Floridian dems are proud to show West the exit door..West did put feelers out in a couple of other states, S.C. and Ga, but Texas and their border militia, probably had West all aflutter.
Lotta out of staters who have taken up residence in FL. Most of them from up north. My guess is that they are a little more discerning when they vote, and West really didn’t appeal to them. Guess I’m saying they’re smarter than Texans.
You said it Joe. was thinking the very same, when I first read this.
The New Scott Brown!
Alan West, where stupid starts and ends!
The further away that this cartoon character is from my state, the better it is for the rest of us, and Texas is more than welcome to him – I only wish our good Governor Skeletor would join him……..
Allen West should fit right in with the Texans who voted in the likes of Louis Gohmert, Ted Cruz and their new Governor Abbot. Speaking of oxy-morons, Allen West and think tank? You gotta love it.
I believe he may actually be heading to a “toilet tank” in Texas. There are certainly no real “think tanks” there.
Does anyone believe that Texas will care what a “blah” man thinks.
This was my first thought, a scene from Blazing Saddles…..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upvZdVK913I
Thanks for the comment.
The think tank has nothing to do with Libertarianism. For what L/libertarians are doing worldwide see the mother Libertarian International Organization at http://www.LibertarianInternational.org
I wonder where the down voter is here on this thread? Typical Reich Wing coward, quick to condemn slow to respond…cogently that is…
Yeah all those “discerning voters from the north” voted for Rick Scott TWICE.
Be afraid, be very afraid!! I think the only reason that disgusting waste of human skin (west) moved to Texas is so that he can run again in 2016 for Congress and get elected..again. (sic)
Ucken Fidiot!!
I could imagine the narcissistic, ex-Col. West at home, on Veterans Day, sitting around in his underwear, cruising the internet for any new references to him and down voting those he disagrees with…just imagining.
Texas.
The derp depository.
He can now join Ted Cruz and campaign for 2016.
Motto: “Why not try the worst?”
“He said, in essence, that full employment is necessary for capitalism to grow and it can be achieved only if governments and central banks intervene to increase employment. ”
This is a pretty poor summary of Keynes and keynesian economics.
Can you provide a better one? Would be interested in seeing it
Included in his move to Texas he’s changing his name to Uncle Tom West.
I have a really really hard time comprehending how any African American can identify with, and join, the republican party over the democratic party. Sorry, but i just don’t get it.
Allen West, resigned from the military instead of being court martialed, he then became a 1 term Congressman in Florida and spouted nothing but hate, the congressional boundaries were redrawn giving him a distinct disadvantage, so he moved to another district and ran there, needless to say, he lost and presumably was not going to get back into public life, yet he can;t keep his mouth shut, spews lies and incites people and tried to incite the military for a coup. No comes the time to find a hospitable environment and Texas is it. It is my opinion that within the next few years we will be hearing of him committing suicide due to his lack of ability to lead.
There is nothing in his resume that indicates he has been successful at anything except terror and physical threats.
Boy they are truly desperate to find a face of color to put on their form of sick conservatism. West is truly one of my brothers that one hopes that he is only in it for the money. If not, he is truly a sick minded brother that should live in Texas. Now he can learn how to be a proper second class nut job.
Again where are the cowards who vote down but never comment!? Where!? They must realize that their position is so weak that they can never defend it properly.
oxymoron west and thinktank.
Neoliberal or Conservative “think tanks” are just another way for oligarchs to launder their money and promote their New Gilded Age ideology to the masses!
Wow. Liberals can be such racists. Just listen to these comments here! If a conservative talked this way about the President, the very same liberals would compare him to the KKK.
I guess living the land of dumbfukistan you haven’t been paying attention. And calling someone an idiot is not racist. IDIOT
Stink tank is more like it. If he had been an enlisted soldier instead of an officer he would be in military prison for the rest of his life.