Category: Allen West

Former Air America Host Arrested After Heckling Rep. Allen West at Town Hall

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The Palm Beach Post has identified former Air America radio host Nicole Sandler as the woman who was arrested and led out of a town hall meeting in handcuffs after she heckled Rep. Allen West and got into a confrontation with the Republican congressman’s wife.

Javier Manjarres at The Shark Tank has video of repeated disruptions at the town hall in Fort Lauderdale where West declared: “You’re not going to intimidate me.” The video ends with Ms. Sandler being arrested and led out of the meeting by police.

UPDATE: Among the things shouted by the hecklers: “How about our Medicare that you’re stealing?” Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit:

This is the left’s latest strategy- disrupt, heckle, insult, and silence conservatives.
Unfortunately for the left, the strategy won’t work with Allen West.

I’m trying to remember a quote from Nancy Pelosi where she compared the Tea Party protests at 2009 health-care town-hall meetings to Nazis.

UPDATE II: Welcome, Instapundit readers!

UPDATE III: Ah, I knew I’d find it. Nancy Pelosi asked about Tea Party protests, August 2009: “I think they’re Astroturf — you be the judge. They’re carrying swastikas and symbols like that to a town hall meeting on health care.”

UPDATE IV: The Sun-Sentinel reports on the arrest:

Nicole Sandler of Coral Springs interrupted when West was explaining the Republican position on Medicare.
Sandler shouted a question, which prompted responses from other audience members: “Shut up lady.”
She didn’t stop. As people recorded the scene with their camera phones, she was escorted out by a Fort Lauderdale police officer.
Sandler objected to being asked to leave, arguing with the officer as he escorted her out, including emphatically cursing at him. Ultimately he arrested her for “trespass after warning” and transferred her to another police officer who took Sandler away.
Sandler used to be a host on the now defunct Air America liberal radio network.

Allahpundit:

You’d think progressives would be out in force to try to embarrass a tea-party all-star, but no. . . . When the big dissident presence at a rally is a host from a defunct radio network, you’ve got yourself an optics problem.

Speaking of “Astroturf,” thanks to Joe Fein in the comments for pointing out that MoveOn.org has called for “Defend the Dream Recess Action” by the Left.

UPDATE V: Dan Riehl:

Given that 2008 established the Racism Rule of political criticism, if the candidate is black, it must be a racist attack, I think we can conclude Nicole there could benefit from some serious sensitivity training.

Now a Memeorandum thread.

UPDATE VI: Yeah, this one’s going viral: Macsmind, The Hayride, Trevor Loudon and All American Blogger.

UPDATE VII: The Democrat response:

Florida Democratic Party spokesman Eric Jotkoff told The Daily Caller that “Floridians are disappointed that Allen West refused to answer the hard questions from his constituents, who are clearly upset with his voting to end Medicare.”
“Once again tonight, we see that Allen West is completely out of touch with the people of South Florida, which is why they are going to send him into retirement in 2012,” Jotkoff said in an e-mail.

Did he refuse to answer any “hard questions”? I don’t think so. Accusing him of “stealing our Medicare” isn’t a question, it’s just a lie. It appears that Democrats who wanted a MoveOn.org “Recess Action” were angry they didn’t get to run the show according to their own plan.

UPDATE VIII: A little background on Nicole Sandler: Since leaving Air America, she now has her own 2-hour daily podcast, and Tuesday guest-hosted the Randi Rhodes Show (Rhodes being Sandler’s former Air America colleague). Then she sent this message via Twitter:

She’s not very popular: A former nationally syndicated radio host, yet she’s got fewer than 4,000 followers on Twitter.

You know who has more Twitter followers than Nicole Sandler? Jimmie Bise Jr. — who also has a podcast.


Allen West: Not Just Yes, But Hell, Yes!

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Tanya Somanander at Think Progress believes that criticizing feminism is “blatant misogyny,” but I think most Americans will agree 100% with Allen West:

We need you to come in and lock shields, and strengthen up the men who are going to the fight for you. To let these other women know on the other side — these planned Parenthood women, the Code Pink women, and all of these women that have been neutering American men and bringing us to the point of this incredible weakness — to let them know that we are not going to have our men become subservient. That’s what we need you to do.

The third annual National Offend a Feminist Week begins May 2, y’know, and now the colonel has given us some splendid inspiration.

Allen West: A Firm ‘No’ on Budget Deal

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by Smitty

The Hill has it briefly, Liberty Pundits picked it up, and Cubachi elaborates with a Fox clip elaborating on his opposition:
West is such a mensch he scared Debbie Wasserman-Schultz out of the Florida delegation.
Given sufficient Allen West clones, I think the country’s problems are solveable. The question would move to where to put all the homo bureaucratus human wreckage left in his wake.

Bonus West at BlogProf.

Ron Klein: ‘No Mas! No Mas!’

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Hey, remember a couple of months ago when liberals were claiming that “radical Tea Party extremist” Allen West was going to be really vulnerable when he seeks re-election in 2012? You didn’t actually believe that, did you?

Former Rep. Ron Klein (D-Fla.) said Wednesday he is not going to run next year for the seat he lost to Rep. Allen West (R) in November, despite entreaties from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
In remarks at a Pompano Beach political event, Klein said DCCC Chairman Steve Israel (N.Y.) asked him to run again. While the districts have not been redrawn yet, West is likely to be among the top Democratic targets.
“But I told him, as I’ve told you, I think I’m ready to try something different. I’m looking forward to the private sector,” Klein said, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
Klein’s decision not to run is a boon for the candidacy of outgoing West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel (D), who announced her candidacy this week and notified the press about Klein’s statement. Businessman Patrick Murphy (D) was the first candidate to jump in the race.

Klein, a prodigous fund-raiser and the only potential opponent with district-wide name recognition, was obviously the DCCC’s first choice. The fact that Klein backed out of a re-match with West is a major clue that the first-term Republican isn’t anywhere near as “vulnerable” as Democrats would have you think.

GO WEST!

(Hat-tip to “TR Sterling.”)

CPAC Day 3: Everybody Write-In Your Straw-Poll Favorite: Ann Coulter; UPDATE: Rejecting My Advice, CPAC Attendees Vote for Ron Paul, Mitt Romney

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They saved the best for the final day of CPAC: Ann Coulter followed by Allen West.

UPDATE: Awesome!

Security at CPAC recognized me when I rolled down to the front row to get a picture. Pretty freaking cool. Ann ended her speech with what every Southern Baptist would recognize as her testimony, and it was 31 flavors of awesome. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

UPDATE II: Getting ready for Allen West’s keynote speech. My daughter Kennedy and her husband Martin have joined me in the Blogger’s Lounge.

UPDATE III: CPAC straw poll results: Ron Paul 30%, Mitt Romney 23%, everybody else in single digits, including Newt Gingrich 6%, Tim Pawlenty 4%, Michelle Bachmann 4%, Sarah Palin 3% and Herman Cain 2%. Note the names below Cain in the straw poll: Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, John Thune, Jon Huntsman and Haley Barbour.

UPDATE IV: A few more photos:

Donald Douglas of American Power with 2011 CPAC keynote speaker Rep. Allen West.

Dana Loesch with her favorite blogger.

Fingers Malloy, Alyssa Farah and my young journalist protege, Josiah Ryan.

Javier Manjarres, Sarah Rumpf and Ed Morrissey.

UPDATE V: Total straw poll results at Human Events, via Memeorandum. I’m on the VIP list at the Reaganpalooza. so I’ll be catching you on the flip side.

UPDATE VI: Young Americans for Freedom has expelled Ron Paul from its national advisory board.

CPAC Update: Rep. Allen West Will Buy Me Beers and Also Give Keynote Speech

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One of these things is very important news:

Freshman Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) will be the closing keynote speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference this year, he said in a Wednesday morning tweet.

Will update with further news of who’s buying me beers at CPAC. Other than “everybody,” of course.

UPDATE: It can be neither confirmed nor denied that Matt Lewis is buying me beers.

UPDATE II: Here is the Tweet by which Congressman West made his big announcement:

Some of you may notice that he didn’t say anything about buying me beers. Well, (a) he only had 140 characters to work with, and (b) some things are too important for a mere Twitter announcement. We expect a press release momentarily. Meanwhile, The Hill reports:

By choosing West, CPAC sends an interesting message. The Florida freshman hasn’t been afraid to clash with the GOP leadership in the House, and he enjoys a unique status as just one of two black Republicans elected in the House.

Uh, that word “unique” has an actual definition. If there are two of something, it’s not “unique.”

UPDATE III: Jerry Wilson is not in the CPAC holiday spirit:

The clubby chummy high school-ish clique vibe is pathetic. . . .
I have yet another doctor’s appointment this morning to see if the staph infection in my sinuses, which has plagued me for several months, is any better. Also, all appearances indicate I have some kind of infection, possibly staph as well, in my lungs or close vicinity thereof. I’ve undergone four rounds of antibiotics in the past five or six months, and in the case of the first three treatments (I finished the most recent one yesterday) all the symptoms came back at full strength within a matter of days.
I’m tired of being sick, and I’m scared about why this isn’t going away.

Persistent illness is indeed cause for concern, and I certainly hope Jerry gets well soon. My own health has been less than optimal the past few days, but remain resolutely determined to ignore any source of woe during “Mardi Gras for the Right.”

If I keel over dead before it’s done, I can only hope that I have done my share by then to put the “party” back in the Republican Party. Until they plow me under, however, Laissez les bons temps rouler!

UPDATE IV: Now a Memeorandum thread. The choice of West is commended as “brilliant” by Cubachi.

You may wonder, “Why is Stacy so certain that Allen West is going to buy him beers?” Let me remind you that I spent Election Night at West’s victory party in Boca Raton.

There was a cash bar at the party and, although I was fortunately able to impose on some of my friends to purchase the necessary refreshments, the very thought a Republican congressional campaign would expect me to buy my own beer . . .

Well, it offended my sense gonzo ethics. If a professional journalist doesn’t even get free beer, what’s the point in becoming a professional journalist?

Might as well go to law school or something.

Speaker John Boehner’s Swearing-In: Less Glamorous, More Choked Up and Crying

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The Washington Post:

Austerity is the theme of Republican John A. Boehner’s installation as House speaker this week, placing the start of this new Congress in stark contrast to the more lavish festivities that marked Democrat Nancy Pelosi’s swearing-in four years ago.
On Wednesday, following a bipartisan prayer service at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Boehner will recite the oath and take the gavel from Pelosi with the attendant pomp and no more – except, perhaps, a few tears.
Then the 61-year-old Ohioan will deliver his maiden speech to the new House, which includes a huge cadre of freshmen lawmakers. Many of them are rambunctious Republicans who sailed into Washington with the tea party winds and are determined to use their new majority to undo much of President Obama’s legislative record.

Don’t expect Hollywood celebrities. Do expect some crying. And lots and lots of Ohio people:

John Boehner would have a sizeable crowd in Washington Wednesday to watch him be sworn in as the 61st Speaker of the House if it were only his blood relatives coming.
Boehner is the second oldest of the 12 children of the late Earl and Mary Ann Boehner of Reading; and 10 of his siblings and their families are going to Washington for the swearing-in.
But hundreds of others are coming as well, by plane, automobile and buses – cousins, family friends, campaign volunteers, Republican Party officials from all over Ohio, and tea party activists who supported the West Chester congressman’s “Pledge to America” campaign that led to the GOP taking over the House in the November election.
“There are a whole lot of us here who want to pay tribute to John’s accomplishments,” said David Kern, a Liberty Township trustee who is chairman of the Butler County Republican Party.
“It’s something we are very proud of – that the speaker of the House comes from Butler County, Ohio,” said Kern, who will fly to Washington Tuesday for the Boehner swearing-in and festivities. “That’s something to celebrate.”

BTW, I’d like to go down to Washington to cover Wednesday’s ceremonies opening the 112th Congress, checking in with some of our favorites like Ann Marie Buerkle and Allen West. So if you want to hit the tip jar for $10 or $20 to help with expenses — gas, parking, bribes for Maryland State Troopers who clock me doing 91 mph in a 65-mph zone — that would be appreciated.

UPDATE: Supporters of North Carolina’s Renee Ellmers will celebrate her swearing-in Wednesday at the Hay-Adams Hotel.


Allen West Asks, ‘Hey, How Come Congress Is Getting So Many Days Off?’

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After taking a look at the congressional calender for 2011, the newly elected Congressman from Florida’s 22nd District sent a letter to Majority Leader Eric Cantor (Page 1 and Page 2 in PDF format) and issued this press release:

Congressman-Elect Allen West has questions surrounding the Congressional calendar released last week and has written a letter to House Majority Leader-Elect Eric Cantor to reflect those concerns.
“As we know, Congress needs to work to create jobs, reduce the deficit, strengthen our economy, limit the size of government and contend with a plethora of national security issues,” West said. “How are we to do that when, among other things, we start off being in session only ten days the entire month of January?”
Congressman-Elect West is concerned with the fact that Congress is only in session 123 days, only one-third of the entire year. He points out that Congress will not even meet the mark of 90 days in session until September of 2011, just a matter of days before the end of the Fiscal Year.
“I am sure we both agree that the issues before us today require the members of Congress to go beyond what has been the accepted practice in the past to meet the challenges of the future,” West writes to Cantor.
West is also concerned with the “retreats” in the month following the swearing in – some of them taxpayer funded- for members of Congress. Congressman-Elect West has already decided he will not attend at least two of the retreats.
“We have to show the American people we are going to be different than years past,” West said. “We are there for one reason and one reason only, to work for the constituents of the districts we are so privileged to represent. I hope that if it becomes clear that we are not meeting the promise we made to the American people, leadership will modify the schedule in order for us to accomplish the important task we have before us.”

News coverage from CNN, National Journal and The Hill.