Closing out the three-day CPAC conference Saturday evening, Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) didn't employ much of the heated rhetoric that he became known for in his congressional campaigns. But using forceful language, the tea-party freshman laid out his own policy-heavy vision for the conservative movement, including cutting spending, maintaining a robust military and touting an aggressive foreign policy against terrorism.
Beginning by thanking attendees for their hard work they'd done to make the 2010 elections a success for the GOP - his close defeat of incumbent Democrat Ron Klein included--West relished the fact that he'd been the subject of attacks from the "liberal progressive agenda" and from the "liberal media."
And as for the tea party movement, which has faced criticism that they are not diverse enough, West jabbed, "For those who call you racist, perhaps they should see who's standing here as your keynote speaker."
Ticking off Democratic attacks that that had worked to tie him to a controversial motorcycle gang during his campaign, and a furor that emerged after he initially tapped controversial talk radio host Joyce Kaufman as his chief of staff, West said those only made him more resolved to fight back. West said he'd been named Keith Olbermann's "Worst Person In the World" five times, "and he got fired for it," as loud cheers erupted over the liberal MSNBC host's departure last month.
He laughed off handicappers that had already placed his race among the most vulnerable of 2012, saying to applause that, "Standing out here in front of each one of you, I don't feel so vulnerable." West drew often quotes from historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, and even former Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y) and Martin Luther King, Jr., to lay out his three "pillars of conservatism which will lead us to the new dawn of a new America": an effective constitutional government , peace through vigilance, and "never abandoning our values." "Liberal progressivism evolved after our constitution," said West. "It has been tried, and it has repeatedly failed all over the world, so why do we think it could be successful here?" West said that people should not be "whetted to government" and called for more innovation from the private sector and less investment in the public sector. To a crescendo of applause, he slammed the health care reform law, called for an end to Environmental Protection Agency, eliminating the caps and gains tax, and capping federal spending at 18 to 20 percent. West pointed often to his lengthy career in the military, even bringing out an Iraq veteran now guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery at the beginning of his speech. And while he didn't directly address a controversial 2003 incident where he'd fired his weapon near the head of an Iraqi prisoner, West made clear in brash terms that the military should not be subject to "political correctness," and that attacks on American soldiers should not be treated as "workplace violence." "I do have a problem with granting American prisoners constitutional rights while we attempt to have imprison our own warriors for killing terrorists," said West. In a departure from most of this year's CPAC speeches, West talked for several minutes on Egypt, but did place the blame on the Obama administration for not doing enough in the Middle East, particularly in dealing with Iran. "Many cheered the departure of [Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak]--I would have much rather seen the departure of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad," said West. To loud cheers, he said that the guiding principle in Middle East foreign policy should be, above all, a concern for Israel. "We can never, never allow anyone to believe that our greatest ally in the Middle East - Israel--will not have this nation ready to stand with her," said West. "I shall never let Israel die." West has been accused in recent days of disparaging remarks against one of his Muslim House colleagues, but while he didn't address Islam directly, West talked of bringing the country back to its Judeo-Christian values, saying "This is not about the separation of church and state -- it is about making sure we do not separate faith from the American individual." "We welcome the beliefs of others," said West, but "when tolerance becomes a one way street, it leads to cultural suicide." "I believe that we should celebrate the diversity of America, but never allow multiculturalism to grow on steroids," West continued. "Yes, there is a definitive American culture."
http://www.nationaljournal.com/blogs/hotlineoncall/2011/02/west-offers-vigorous-defense-of-conservatism-12
And as for the tea party movement, which has faced criticism that they are not diverse enough, West jabbed, "For those who call you racist, perhaps they should see who's standing here as your keynote speaker."
Ticking off Democratic attacks that that had worked to tie him to a controversial motorcycle gang during his campaign, and a furor that emerged after he initially tapped controversial talk radio host Joyce Kaufman as his chief of staff, West said those only made him more resolved to fight back. West said he'd been named Keith Olbermann's "Worst Person In the World" five times, "and he got fired for it," as loud cheers erupted over the liberal MSNBC host's departure last month.
He laughed off handicappers that had already placed his race among the most vulnerable of 2012, saying to applause that, "Standing out here in front of each one of you, I don't feel so vulnerable." West drew often quotes from historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, and even former Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y) and Martin Luther King, Jr., to lay out his three "pillars of conservatism which will lead us to the new dawn of a new America": an effective constitutional government , peace through vigilance, and "never abandoning our values." "Liberal progressivism evolved after our constitution," said West. "It has been tried, and it has repeatedly failed all over the world, so why do we think it could be successful here?" West said that people should not be "whetted to government" and called for more innovation from the private sector and less investment in the public sector. To a crescendo of applause, he slammed the health care reform law, called for an end to Environmental Protection Agency, eliminating the caps and gains tax, and capping federal spending at 18 to 20 percent. West pointed often to his lengthy career in the military, even bringing out an Iraq veteran now guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery at the beginning of his speech. And while he didn't directly address a controversial 2003 incident where he'd fired his weapon near the head of an Iraqi prisoner, West made clear in brash terms that the military should not be subject to "political correctness," and that attacks on American soldiers should not be treated as "workplace violence." "I do have a problem with granting American prisoners constitutional rights while we attempt to have imprison our own warriors for killing terrorists," said West. In a departure from most of this year's CPAC speeches, West talked for several minutes on Egypt, but did place the blame on the Obama administration for not doing enough in the Middle East, particularly in dealing with Iran. "Many cheered the departure of [Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak]--I would have much rather seen the departure of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad," said West. To loud cheers, he said that the guiding principle in Middle East foreign policy should be, above all, a concern for Israel. "We can never, never allow anyone to believe that our greatest ally in the Middle East - Israel--will not have this nation ready to stand with her," said West. "I shall never let Israel die." West has been accused in recent days of disparaging remarks against one of his Muslim House colleagues, but while he didn't address Islam directly, West talked of bringing the country back to its Judeo-Christian values, saying "This is not about the separation of church and state -- it is about making sure we do not separate faith from the American individual." "We welcome the beliefs of others," said West, but "when tolerance becomes a one way street, it leads to cultural suicide." "I believe that we should celebrate the diversity of America, but never allow multiculturalism to grow on steroids," West continued. "Yes, there is a definitive American culture."
http://www.nationaljournal.com/blogs/hotlineoncall/2011/02/west-offers-vigorous-defense-of-conservatism-12