Dear Friend,
Reprehensible. It’s the only word to describe Allen West’s personal attack on Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Debbie is a woman of courage and conviction and we are proud to have her representing Florida in Congress. And like all of you, I expect better from members of Congress, I expect decency and decorum — neither of which Allen West seems to be able to deliver on.
Unfortunately, this has become the norm for Tea Party extremists — attacks that are baseless, and while they are chock full of personal threats, they are completely devoid of solutions to the issues that Floridians face.
As we work towards making the lives of Floridians better, in the midst of people like Allen West who try to block progress with angry rants and temper tantrums, we need your help.
Click here to make a donation that will help us fight for Floridians and re-elect Democrats who are focused on the people who elected them and not on throwing fits at colleagues.
But Smith is just aping the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, that is also trying to raise funds from West's comments. In the letter, New York Congressman Steve Israel writes:
"I wish I could say I was surprised. Unfortunately, this is exactly the sort of partisan tantrum we're used to from House Republicans as they push our economy to the brink of disaster while pandering to their Tea Party base."
Israel asks for donations of $3 or more to raise $100,000, which he says will be matched by Democratic lawmakers.
West's seat in Florida's 22nd Congressional Delegation is a swing district that had been held for years by Republican Clay Shaw, but fell to Democrat Ron Klein in the Democratic tsunami that was in the '06 elections, when the Dems shockingly won back the House of Representatives.
But in 2010 it reverted back to Republican hands after West, running for the second straight time, aced out Klein 54-46 percent.
Klein weighed in on the fracus on Wednesday, and not surprisingly, came to his former Democratic colleague's defense.
"Mr. West and I ran against each other twice. The races that we ran were definitely rough and tumble,” Klein said. “But I saw it then and I see it now - a person who can dish it out, but can’t take it.
Meanwhile Patrick Murphy, one of two Democrats (Lois Frankel is the other) running to oppose West next year, says the Congressman should be censured for his comment.
"What West has done here is abhorrent. Enough is enough. West's conduct is unbecoming of a member of Congress. He has disrespected his office and he should be censured by the House of Representatives immediately."
This is hardly Congressman West's first time his comments could be labeled as provocative. Just the other day he called Barack Obama supporters a "threat to the gene pool."
And who knows what the Congressman will say this Saturday night, when he speaks in Tampa for a fundraiser for the Hillsborough County Republican party.
