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Why is the GOP Florida Legislature Trying to Screw Allen West?

By: Leon H. Wolf (Diary)  |  January 28th, 2012 at 08:55 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

As an outspoken black conservative with a high national profile, Allen West already had a huge national target painted on his back going in to 2012. As part of reapportionment as a result of the 2010 census, Florida gained 2 Congressional seats. Despite that, it appears that the Republican-controlled Florida legislature seems to have somehow managed to make Allen West’s seat much more difficult to defend. Via Shark Tank:

 Over the past several weeks, many Republicans have voiced their disappointment towards the Republican legislature after the release of the preliminary redistricting maps. Much of the ire concerns the proposed boundaries of Congressman Allen West’s 22nd Congressional District that would be redrawn to include far more registered Democrats.

West’s congressional district inexplicably sheds the most out support as compared to all other incumbent Republican and Democrat Congressman. A few weeks back we quoted an unnamed legislator saying that, “Allen West was screwed”, a statement which was originally made about made five months before the purposed maps were made public, leading insiders to believe that the fix was in against Allen West. But in light of Weatherford’s comment, it is increasingly clear that this is a fait accompli.

According to Weatherford, those preliminary maps will not change- at the most, any additional changes would be minimal, and those changes would not make any appreciable difference from the preliminary maps. In addition, Weatherford stated that a deal was struck between him, Senate President Mike Haridopolos, and Senator Don Gaetz to finalize these maps and push them through as soon as possible. Weatherford also said that the proposed maps are in legal compliance with both the Voting Rights Act and Amendment 6.

So based on Weatherford’s comments, the 22nd Congressional District is now very much in play for the Democrat Party, and West is at an even larger disadvantage than he was previously- it will be a very difficult and expensive seat for Republicans to defend.

The Florida Senate passed their plan on January 17th and the Florida House passed theirs on Friday. I am not really sure what, if any, distinctions exist between the plans with respect to FL-22 (West’s district). At this point the maps will be subjected to legal review for compliance with the Voting Rights Act and Amendment 6.

If you live in Florida and are a fan of Allen West, now might be a good time to call your state Representative and Senator to let them know how you feel about any action that would harm his chances of re-election in the fall.

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  • aj_0000

    How far up the chain this goes. Getting rid of one of the most high profile Tea Party Congressmen could be a directive coming all the way down from Washington. Nothing would surprise me at this point.

    • izoneguy

      Like Sec. of Defense under President Gringrich

      • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

        I just started my diary with a diatribe against the GOP-Establishment…which is c/w the sentiments on this page.

        Critique is invited….

        • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

          http://www.redstate.com/rsklaroff/

        • dudette

          is at the top doing this in FLA–get it out in the open. who exactly is redistricting

      • Common_Cents

        Not a bad ticket.

    • mikelindell2

      then the establishment wants you out. God forbid you serve in Washington to try to strengthen or fix the country. I guess Gingrich isn’t the only one they’re after. If they keep trying to alienate any true conservative they are going to irreparably split the party.

    • http://xmmlbchat.blogspot.com katesmith

      A lot of the guys running Florida politics are establishment, ie not America first Tea Party types. Meaning they supported Gov. Rick Scott’s opponent. I don’t know who had the final word on the new districts but I wouldn’t count on embedded types to do any favors for Tea Party-America first backed candidates.

    • soljerblue

      the impetus came from Boehner or Kantor.

      Rather like the Beckett business — “will someone rid me of this meddlesome priest?” (Henry II)

    • rattlerjake

      The biggest problem with the GOP is that very few of them have any conservative views/values. They have been playing the political game so long and are living off of all of the perks that liberalism has afforded them that they are unwilling for a true conservative to lead. It’s the same reason that Romney is being allowed to lie about Gingrich and defame his character without an outcry from the GOP; it was the same reason the Sarah Palin took such a beating. I’ll bet two dimes to a donut that Romney wins the nomination and if he gets into the White House it will be business as usual.

    • michael778

      I think Allen West would be a very good candidate for VP under Gingrich. those idiots in the Florida government are doing a disservice to their state and to an honorable combat veteran that gave many years service to this country.

    • http://www.RightonMainSt.com Mike Merrill

      I think it’s a much broader issue than Allen West. I think the GOP “powers that be” are more interested in asserting their power, and in the process, undermining the Tea Party wherever they can. If they keep moving in this direction, we may see the Tea Party split off as a third party after the next election. I’m a conservative, but I’m fed up with the GOP establishment.

    • http://www.sunshinestatesarah.com SunshineStateSarah

      http://www.redstate.com/sunshinestatesarah/2012/02/02/florida-state-representative-scott-plakon-rush-limbaugh-is-wrong/

      Please everyone take a little time to research the chaotic mess that is the Florida redistricting process. No one is out to get Allen West, least of all Will Weatherford.

  • smagar

    Allen West is very visible and very popular. I doubt that conservative talk radio, talk TV and the blogosphere will take this lying down.

    Has West done something to anger the Florida legislature?

    • smagar

      By “outstanding,” I mean an explanation so good, so plausible and so readily acceptable by everyone that it will drown out all the accusations by the Congressional Black Caucus (and insinuations by the MSM) that the Florida GOP crackers ganged up on uppity Alan West.

      I can’t think of any explanation that even comes close to the standard I laid out above…with the possible exception of complying with the Voting Rights Act or other federal guidelines.

      But, I’m not in the Florida GOP, so let’s hear what they have to say. It better be good.

      • rdelbov

        act makes it very hard to protect West’s seat. There are new limits to what can be done under the current law. Its been widely expectly that West’s seat would be weakened.

        http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Florida_Legislative_District_Boundaries,_Amendment_5_(2010)

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FL22_109.PNG

        West’s seat above is a jagged mess. Unbfortunely West has the short straw in redistricting because “reform” (a joke) makes its hard to replicate his current seat.

        • Adjoran

          The methods of drawing lines are limited now by the ballot initiatives. Gerrymandering is almost impossible – natural boundaries and political divisions must be respected.

          Then, you have to consider the math – Republicans hold 19 of 25 districts now, and want a leg up on the two new ones. With gerrymandering out, several districts are going to have to become more competitive.

          It is crazy to believe they are “out to get” Rep. West. Unless you are a paranoid conspiracy nut, you understand the Party wants to keep a popular new figure who ousted a Democrat. But West’s popularity argues for him not to be “protected” at the cost of other seats – he can raise money nationally and has much better name recognition than most congressional newcomers.

          Finally, look at his current district, and everyone take a chill pill:

          http://tinyurl.com/btohfk

          • soljerblue

            You won’t hear ‘squat’ in protest from the MSM or the CBC — and the DNC is smacking its chops and salivating at the chance to take down a high profile, TeaParty, black conservative.

            They should be careful what they wish for. Recall Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama — aced out of a federal judgeship by Ted Kennedy back in the day, now a three term senator and a top member of the Judiciary Committee.

            I’m sure Westy isn’t going away, whatever happens.

        • Scope

          Just a week before the 2010 election that West won, Romney’s super PAC, Free and Strong America PAC donated money to West’s campaign, along with 30 other Republican House seats. Apparently West wasn’t about to be bought off by Romney, and said that Romney is “center to center left.” That’s a no no when someone is calling in their chits.

          This Haridopolos guy, mentioned in the article, seems to be a real piece of work. He was going to run for the national Senate seat, but backed out in August, when there was much backlash against him, for lying about the Jim Greer criminal investigation. Jim Greer, the former state GOP leader, has a trial coming up in July 2012 for setting up a shadow group, Victory Strategies, and Greer is accused of funneling money into it, and away from the state GOP. From what I’ve read, Greer was asked to step down, and was promised a severance package, but never was awarded the money, so he took the money and then some from the funneled dollars into Victory Strategies. Haridopolos lied and said that Greer was never promised the severance money, but later admitted that he lied, and that Greer was offered the money, and if he wins the lawsuit against him, he should be paid those severance monies. It appears that at least some of the people involved were a part of the Crist cabal. Crist left the Republican party, and ran as an Independent, when the conservatives outed him in favor of Marco Rubio for a Senate seat. Gingrich has claimed that Romney has the former Crist people working on his campaign. Haridopolos not only endorsed Mitt Romney, but is a part of his Fla. campaign staff. And I thought the VA GOP was up to their eyeballs in corruption and complicity.

          This is a major war between the moderate Republicans such as Dick Lugar, who blamed the Tea Parties for the loss of the Senate in 2010. John McCain called the Tea Party people hobbits. John Kyl, on Fox, said that the Tea Party Republicans reminded him a lot of Senator Obama who refused to raise the debt ceiling limit. There was a Republican House member who said that the Tea Party congressional members had to be marginalized before they destroyed the Republican brand. The Tea Party people want John Boehner gone as the Speaker. Mitt Romney is running as the savior of the old guard, and will insure that their moderate, reach across the aisle ways are kept in tact, along with their butt imprints on their already too long held seats. There is no doubt in my mind that the Republicans would be willing to lose a House seat (Allen West’s) in order to get rid of the Tea Party conservatives, as West is a tad to vocal for their taste.

          Everyone claims that the Tea Parties have gone to sleep in the 2012 election cycle. I’m not so sure now that they haven’t been blacked out on the TV news broadcasts, just as Perry was.

      • cwfoster

        You really think the Congressional Black Caucus or the MSM will say a THING? or were you being Ironic?

      • artbrownsr

        have removed him from the “Black Caucus” as most of them are Dems. or RINOS.

  • chbroussard

    by Democrats, we expect it. When it’s done by our own party, it’s worse. There are so many establishment Republicans that need to be erradicated from our party. Voting for Republicans may be better than voting for Democrats, but in many instances, not much. Col. West has been outspoken about his commitment to changing things in Washington, and he is now paying the price for trying to do what he was elected to do.

    • smagar

      …needs to get on these boards PDQ.

      • roryfreedom

        Allen West unfortunately fits the template for elimination. He is a freshman Republican whose district is almost totally surrounded by heavily Democrat territory. West’s only hope was to extend his Condo Belt district further north into GOP precincts in Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter, But this would impinge upon Tom Rooney’s district and his home base. Numbers and geography simply do not favor Rep. West. I’m sure his Tea Party affiliation is a factor to a degree.

        • Stan(ley) Pruss

          https://www.allenwestforcongress.com/donatenow/

          If you really want to help him win, send him money.

          • sane_voter

            My thought has been that Rubio is the chosen one for VP, and that West will be installed to the empty seat by Scott. But maybe that is wishful thinking . . .

        • kchand

          Is there anything keeping him from running in another CD? Here in AZ there is no CD residency requirement, only state residency.

          • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

            …because he’d not want to be a carpetbagger.

            The TPM will simply have to mobilize resources to focus on his re-election, emphasizing his rapidly-achieved capacity to utter simple-truths.

          • bdirks

            Ever read it?

            You don’t have to reside in the Congressional District you seek to represent in any state (states are not allowed to set laws on residency, term limits, etc on federal offices), and there are a number of folks currently in Congress who can’t actually vote for themselves on the ballot, including….. wait for it…… Allen West!

            His home is in Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s district, and she is technically his Congresswoman.

          • jlsankot

            in Iowa, you DO have to reside in your district. Tom Latham, has moved or will move, and the same goes for Leonard Boswell. I know, it’s Iowa, but that’s the way it is, and I wouldn’t live anywhere else.

            Our problem in the future, if we lose population to the cities, is that we will not have sufficient representation in DC, and we have so little now. We have only 2 Republicans out of 6 total representatives.

            Add Allen West to your daily prayers. I think he is the perfect picture of a REAL patriot and I pray for his success and strength to succeed his enemies.

          • bdirks

            No, you don’t. Boswell or Latham may be moving, but that is only for the political aspect of living in the District you want to represent. The Constitution of the United States is the supreme arbiter of qualifications for Members of Congress, and no state is allowed to set additional rules beyond that is spelled out in that document – and all the Constitution says is that you have to be a resident of the state, not the District.

            Prove me wrong though, if you can. Find the Iowa law that says U.S. House members have to reside in their own district to be elected in Iowa. Here’s a hint: you can’t,

          • jlsankot

            Unfortunately, all I have is the local media, which, like all media, is extremely liberal and so it is, no doubt, “my bad”, as is the popular thing to say.

            Thank you for the lesson.

    • conservnca

      we tried to speak out for Perry too! The circumstances may have been different but the effect is the same, betrayal for not playing by the rules of corruption. If we don’t fight back when real conservatism is so openly and blatantly attacked, all fear from the powers that be of this Republic belonging to We The People will be gone.
      Regardless of the reasons sited unto sheer nausea um, the real reason Perry’s candidacy collapsed was a concerted, behind the scenes decision to make sure he could not remain a threat.
      The same thing is now happening to Allen West, only now they can use the legality of it to keep their hands clean.
      It seems instead of a two way battle, this country is divided by three.

      • chbroussard

        The exact same thing was done to Perry. It ought to be quite clear that any Republican who presents a challenge to the establishment status quo is considered a threat. We have allowed these guys to get reelected over and over again instead of booting them out. We are now paying the price. Country divided by three instead of two? Indeed.

        • smagar

          See rdelbov, Adjoran and roryfreedom’s comments above. They sound as if they know what they’re talking about.

          I suppose it’s possible that “The Man” (as in “Establishment Man”) is trying to keep Allen West down. Perhaps, though, we shouldn’t automatically presume that that’s the case here.

          • chbroussard

            considering the spineless boobs we have in leadership positions and their obvious desire to keep the status quo and not rock the boat, I have to at least consider it a possibility. The “Establishment Man” has done a pretty good job on Gingrich, Perry, and not so many years ago on Sarah Palin.

            So someone like West who is smart, articulate, charismatic, and a true conservative is not a threat? Heck, he might even start making rumblings about Congress living by the same laws they stradle us with. So yes, I automatically presume keeping the status quo has something to do with this. After following politics for 40 years, absolutely nothing surprises me, including backstabbing.

  • sta46

    Simple… he’s conservative, and a highly visible Tea Party member ergo the “establishment ” hates him and he has to go.
    I agree with aj_0000… bet this came from DC… and the CBC hates him too so I’m betting he won’t get much help there… unlike Maaxine Waters whose ethics investigation seems to have been permanantly put on the back burner.

  • ss396

    If the redraw weakens Rep. West, who does it strengthen? Is there actually a strategy in here, or is Rep. West just being sacrificed?

    The national GOP got their noses bloodied by the Tea Party over that whole Rubio-Crist fiasco in 2010, and told to keep their $#%$## noses out of the primaries. Is this payback time for them?

    • Adjoran

      for the new law which attempts to end gerrymandering.

  • lightspeed

    This year is the year the establishment wing of the GOP takes back the party. Romney, of course, is the spearhead. Expect a lot more of this B.S. The DC power elite lost power to Tea Party “rubes” and they are digging in and waging war. We need to throw these elite know-it-alls out on their collective butt. They are complicit in the growth of government and loss of freedoms. They are the same types who held onto power in Vichy France. They try to act conservative while facilitating Obama’s spending and standing idly by while Obama spits on the constitution (“recess” appointments, Obamacare, TSA, etc.). They don’t want to rock the boat, just “get along” while America spirals into European socialism and worse. The Tea Party is as much a threat to the GOP elite as it is to Obama. They will not defend the Republican base, but rather sacrifice it. Tea Party Republicans who cannot be co-opted will be destroyed. Disgusting.

    • http://www.skiloveland.com skicougar

      In Texas, we have Huckabee on TV commercials supporting dewhurst for senate who everyone in Texas knows to be another wealthy RINO, much the same as Hutchinson is over tea party favorite Cruz, a cuban american; or Texas’s version of Rubio.

      So sad that the establishment is quite fine with giving up the white house and gains in congress this year and making the road back for the US much tougher as long as they keep control of the powers that be in the GOP.

      There’s no other explanation for the florida gop or the squashing of the tea party in the US house by gop leadership.

      • greyeagle

        Frankly, the members of FOX News needs to stay the heck out of TX business. They have no credibility after the way the constantly trashed Governor Perry. I hope Mr. Cruz wins. If I still lived there I would vote for him.

        • lightspeed

          I don’t even watch Fox News any more.

          • snowshooze

            West can pull it anyway. Everyone loves this guy, Republican and Democrats too.
            So, you can throw all the slack on his plate, and he will do fine anyway.
            But that means he takes the heat off of everyone else.
            So, looking deeper… Mr. West has broad shoulders, and he can bear the load for the rest.
            Thereby, we wind up ahead in districts with less influential leaders.

          • conservnca

            Fox News has definitely now joined the ranks of the lame steam media!

          • arthurjake

            They are at least loyal to there beliefs. Fox believes in ratings. The longer liberals are in power the longer there ratings stay up complaining about it. I have given up on TV all together as a means of getting any kind of news.

      • lightspeed

        elections must be for these guys. Sure, they can still fix them, but wouldn’t it be better if the elite could just choose our leaders for us without all the voting nonsense? Clearly they know what is best for us.

        The idiots in power on both sides of the aisle are a cancer that needs to be cut out. The American people need to take back the country before it is too late. I fear that day is rapidly approaching. Four more years of Obama and squishy, complacent Republicans may be the end of the Republic as we know it. We shall see.

      • http://www.baseballcrank.com Dan McLaughlin

        The people currently running for FL-SEN. If I’m in that race, I do NOT want a guy with West’s warchest, national following & high profile being forced out of his current job.

        • jakeofalltrades

          Very good point!

        • mboyle1988

          I challenge ANYONE to draw a district that complies with FDF, includes Plantation (where West lives) or at least a good chunk of Broward, and is a more favorable district than what the legislature drew. It cannot be done. The legislature isn’t targeting West. He had the most gerrymandered district in the country. FDF was always going to force him out.

          • naraht

            I’ll see your Florida 22nd and raise you the Maryland 3rd.

          • naraht

            take your pick.

          • sulmak

            raise you Arizona’s 2nd.

            Though the reason for it isn’t as bad

            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona%27s_2nd_congressional_district

            Also thanks to the Voting Rights Act’s mandatory gerrymandering

            North Carolina’s 12th, Mel Watts district

            originally the district was no wider than a highway lane in some areas

            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina’s_12th_congressional_district

            Va 3rd

            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia%27s_3rd_congressional_district

            Florida’s 3rd

            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida%27s_3rd_congressional_district

          • deVere

            West has turned out to be an establishment “conservative” who voted to add $2 trillion to US debt. When he got to Washington he quickly became part of the problem there. If he’s about to lose his job, in my opinion it’s not much of a loss.

    • http://www.gmsplace.com/ civil truth

      …when by their actions they give the radical Democrats one-party control of the federal government. They don’t realize that the Democrats have changed the rules of engagement and are going for permanent power.

      Here’s their likely fate:

      • http://www.gmsplace.com/ civil truth

        ..illustrating the general truth of my comment above,

        it does seem from various comments subsequently posted here by those who seem informed about the Florida redistricting process that the evidence does not support a charge that the Florida Republican “establishment” is conspiring against Rep West.

        So I will modify my comment to be a warning about natural consequences of collaborating with evil.

        • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

          …and the import of this reaction thereto…
          is what is motivating the TPM to act, now, aggressively.

          To whatever degree the TPM has slumbered, it is now an energized giant; quoting Network, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this any-more!”

          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90ELleCQvew&feature=player_embedded

          We must not relent, fearing BHO being re-elected and hoping that we can hold-on until 2016.

          *

          These are the recently-received comments of a childhood-friend:

          It does seem that Republican “establishment”/”moderates”
          know how to shoot straight – when they’re aiming at conservatives. Not when they oppose Democrats.

          I don’t think Newt can hold it together – especially against the onslaught of negative publicity, hysterics, and lies (the new media “bipartisanship”) coupled with his instability and personal shortcomings.

          I think the Romney folks have successfully exhausted conservatives. But this may be a blessing in disguise (if Romney somehow can win) if conservatives take the correct lessons from this debacle and refocus, starting with the
          2012 Congressional races.

          If Obama wins, which looks more likely each day, we face the prospect of a Venezuela scenario – in which case the question is how long we can maintain five conservatives in the SCOTUS.

          *

          The situation is Venezuela is predictably tenuous…
          http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_64246.shtml
          …but this need not dissuade Americans from “seeing” this future [just as the implications of the economics of Greece are internalized].

          Thus, regardless of what re-districting has rendered, the RS-community must band-together and prioritize this re-election.

    • sociologyphdjd

      Great post. They are coming back. How sad when they realize that about a quarter of the base is so disgusted with the way they have handled all other candidates other than Romney (I was originally a Paul or Bachman guy, can accept Gingrich or Santorum).

      Many of us hayseeds will just sit this little general election on out and take stock of where this Grand Ole Party is at that time. They should not count on holding the legislature. Truly, I think the establishment is utterly clueless.

      It is the arrogance of ignorance.

  • greyeagle

    I will be calling the Governor if needed and ask what the heck is going on. I am a huge fan of Col. West and would be extremely angry if he lost the election because of changing his district.

  • sociologyphdjd

    There is a myth that Florida’s GOP is conservative. It really is not. On some issues, perhaps. But not Tea Party conservative. I used to live in the state and still own property there. The GOP is almost as corrupt as the Democratic party. And this guy Rick Scott, well, he is not exactly the real deal. So don’t be surprised when a guy with integrity is cut off at the knees. My guess is that he has refused to play ball with the wrong person. No worries, the GOP will be finished after this election cycle given the hatchet jobs that they have performed on all non-Romney candidates.

  • Adjoran

    The new amendments forbid gerrymandering which ignores geographical and political boundaries. There isn’t much that can be done when you need to create two new districts.

    West has a good name recognition and a national profile he can easily turn – and has already begun – into a national fundraising operation. So he doesn’t need “protection” even if they could do it.

    It’s 19-6 Republican now, with 2 new districts. I know math makes some people’s heads hurt, but several Republican districts MUST become more competitive if we are to have a shot at picking up the new seats.

    No one is “against” West, and it is not helpful to feed the paranoid nuts on the internet.

    Take a look at his current district, maybe you’ll get the idea:

    http://tinyurl.com/btohfk

    • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

      …and the map appears to be gerrymandered.

      Note the encompassed coastal regions, and how there is a big “U” within Boynton Beach.

      Someone was doing something to place key-voters into key-districts.

      Perhaps someone in-the-know could “rank” the region’s communities, although it would seem that the more coastal sites would be apt to be more D-oriented [senior citizens, etc.].

      Otherwise, prior postings are apt, for Colonel West will need all available support.

  • Juggernaut

    just erase her like they plan for Weiners district. Take about make America beautiful, no pun intended. She’ll end on working for MSDNC sooner or later.

    Leave Col. West alone, we need a strong voice of reason who knows how to deal with hard headed establishment types who failed the country 2001 through 2008. Politicians who hold out for less costly bills and fight to cut pork are far better than weaklings who cave in to liberal and moderate pressures.

    We need to fight to move the democratic party to the right off the hard left wall.

    • smagar

      The woman is a living, breathing reminder of why Americans should vote Republican.

      It’s one thing for kooks in a small sliver of Florida to choose to send her to Washington. It’s quite another for national Democrats to give her a position of prominence.

      • carolina

        Her constant lies are so blatant that I have grown to LOVE every time she gets media attention. She is a great reason to vote for the GOP!

      • carolina

        Her constant lies are so blatant that I have grown to LOVE every time she gets media attention. She is a great reason to vote for the GOP!

  • freemanja1991

    He Should have ran for senate this was foreseeable, the district would have been hard to make more R leaning due to the redistricting amendments on the ballot in 10, it is already very gerrymandered. I will miss him but he should have tried to move up earlier.

    • gawken

      Col. West said months ago, when talk about him running fo r the senate first started, that he would NOT run, because he had made a committment, a promise, to the people of his district, and he felt it would be wrong to start running so soon for another office. The man has principals, and more importantly, he abides by them.

      Florida is happily returning to its RED roots. We will have two GOP senators soon, and Gov Scott is doing a good job, and will, I believe be re-elected.

      Thus, the prospects for statewide office are limited for other up and coming Republicans in state.

      As West is definitely NOT part of the establishment, he did not have much of a prospect of rising in the House GOP leadership. I never saw him as a career House member, indeed..he has long been in favor of term limits,…so Ialways expected that he’d serve 3-4 terms at best.

      Happily, there are two viable scenarios for West’s immediate future. Win or lose this November, I’d like to see the next president appoint him high within the administration. Asst SecDef, Sec of the Army, Sec of Veterans Affairs… are some possibilities..John Leman is the model here, he was very effective as Reagan’s SecNav. And if we get a big enough of a majority in the Senate, maybe they’ll have the cojones to try and get him through as SecDef.

      Or, if Rubio does respond to the pleas of the nominee to run for VP, then there will be a senate appt for Scott to fill. And I can easily see Scott naming West to the Senate, where he’d probably have a very easy race in 2014.

      This is going to be a good year for the GOP in the Senate, and 2014 will be even better..

      • arthurjake

        I would like to see the current Army leadership get the axe first thing. I believe they showed no principles above worrying about there own careers when they didn’t all just retire out of protest over the current cuts. Instead they lent weight to Obama and company saying the cuts were part of a new plan that would make America win wars without ground forces to do it. I do not believe people educated at places like West Point, VMI, or Norwich can be so inept in military history as to forget the many examples in American military history of when we went to war completely unprepared to wage it.

  • naraht

    See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FL22_109.PNG .

    With 2010 Constitutional Amendment, http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Florida_Congressional_District_Boundaries,_Amendment_6_(2010)

    there really wasn’t much choice.

    Now if we could just get a vote on that in Maryland.

    • steeltube

      The redistricting that the GOP is engaged in will be under a microscope by the Democrats, NAACP, and the Justice Dept.

      West had no ties to the state legislature and was not going to be protected. While it doesn’t help West, a redistricting that withstands scrutiny from the above entities is in everybody’s best interests.

      • naraht

        Jeff Miller in FL-1 in the Far West probably couldn’t be gerrymandered out of his district even if Obama got to do the redistricting all by himself. And Mica in the 7th is probably fine because the area to the East of the Maj-Minority 3rd has to go *somewhere*…

  • johnt

    Keep your head down, say nice things about Democrats, & blow kisses to the media.

    • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

      That’s their MO: float stuff about Republicans without even a hint of proof.

      • johnt

        which at the least shows some disregard for West’s position.
        I am unfamuilar with the proof requirements for a comment meant to be sardonic. Please supply. I’ll be back later, thanks much.

      • Adrian

        and as always the question is, what do we do about it? 2010 was supposed to be the big eye opener for establishment Republicans as the Tea Party candidates swept into the house. I admit, I have no ideas. Elections do not, apparently, have any consequences whatsoever, unless they are bad consequences (see Obama). Nothing good ever seems to come from a conservative victory.

        • Ann_W

          I didn’t think so. The bigger question is how to get good conservatives to run.

          • Adrian

            is a good conservative who ran and won and now is being back stabbed by his own party. Your semi-snarky comment does nothing to answer my question about what we do about THAT. But thanks for playing.

          • Ann_W

            My bad. Allen West is a conservative.

          • Adrian

            Blog comments, like email, aren’t always the clearest means of communication. :)

          • duncer

            Some fellow that thinks he is securing his seat with a back room deal might live to regret it. West could move to his district a few months before his term is up, primary him and take his seat. If the schemer was really a good congressman he would not need gerrymander tricks to win.

  • boonerdan

    I hope that YES vote on NDAA was worth it.

    • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

      I bet he’s proud of that vote.

      Sorry if your panties are in a wad over the rights of Al Qaeda members.

  • tngal

    Sorry to TJ. Can’t find open thread. Everyon knows his daughter has health issues. And I’m sure ALL HERE wish her a fast recovery.

    http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/rick-santorum-s-daughter-admitted-to-hospital-in-philadelphia-20120128

  • ombd

    Gotta love the good Colonel – certainly speaks his mind. And compared to what liberals say about the GOP, this is actually pretty tame stuff. Hell, we had a Democratic judge this week pull out the “C” word to decribe those who don’t agree with her … http://bit.ly/qVdDUt

  • turningtables

    at shaping the national debate….

    unless they can first corral party leadership..

    It is time to hand the GOP a crap sandwich. One that tastes just as badly as the ones they have been serving us for a couple of decades.

    This is why I reject Santorum-Romney-Gingrich. They represent the latest gourmet feces DC wants to shove down our throats.

  • snowshooze

    Beyond the internal war against West.. Why would anyone redistrict to a long term disadvantage if they were only trying to unseat one Congressman.
    Now I am not talking about the Democrats here.. obviously, they are loving this.
    But for the Republican establishment to concede this much power over one man… I cannot see it.
    Possibly, everyone else scratching their heads too???

    • mboyle1988

      You cannot draw a clean, GOP leaning seat in Palm Beach/Broward. I’m amazed they got it as close as they did.

      • snowshooze

        I am reading it is seriously gerrymandered… does that mean it is favoring the Republicans as much as possible?
        I would think to the contrary, however I am not immersed in the districting science.. and I don’t know how the old and new district’s compare. Is it just the breaks?

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