One of the most ridiculous names — and there will be a lot of them — in the ongoing GOP veepstakes is Florida congressman, tea partier, and crazy person Allen West. Herman Cain, Sarah Palin, and fellow veepstakes participant Nikki Haley have all endorsed West as Romney’s running mate recently. We suspect, though, that none of them sincerely believe West is a viable option, and are simply currying favor with the tea-party wing of the GOP by flattering one of its champions. Because West is, actually, the exact type of person you don’t want as a running mate: A wildly outspoken, unpredictable loose cannon. His appearance at a town hall last night is just the latest example:
The conservative tea party icon also got in shots at Democrats and President Obama, who spoke Tuesday at Florida Atlantic University. West said Obama was “scared” to have a discussion with him. He later said “he’s heard” up to 80 U.S. House Democrats are Communist Party members, but wouldn’t name names.
Maybe you can get away with a bat-shit insane McCarthyist accusation like that when you’re just a zany Florida congressman, but as a V.P. nominee it would be more toxic to your ticket than a campaign rally at Fukushima.
Update: ThinkProgress has video of West saying, “I believe there is about 78 to 81 members of the Democratic Party that are members of the Communist Party,” to which the audience responds with “Rabble, rabble, rabble.”
