Rep. Allen West's (R-Fla.) letter to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
(D-Fla.) is haunting his campaign for reelection, cropping up in a new TV ad
released by his Democratic opponent.
West told Fox News on Monday that the ad, which puts West's own words
in the mouths of children, illustrates that "when you are inept and
you are incompetent, you are going to go out and exploit our
children."
West went on to argue that children should not repeat his comments
because he is "a grown man."
West sent the Democratic National Committee chairwoman a letter last
July in which he called her "the most vile, unprofessional and
despicable member of the U.S. House of Representatives" and "not a
lady."
West's words are repeated in a TV ad now airing in Florida that was
produced by Patrick Murphy, West's Democratic opponent in the Florida
House race. Children repeat some of the outspoken West's more
memorable moments, including the letter to Wasserman Schultz, his
accusing the Progressive Caucus of being members of the Communist
Party, his calling President Obama's supporters a "threat to the gene
pool" and his telling Democrats to "get the hell out of the United
States."
"Allen West said all these things and worse. But bullying and
name-calling have no place on the playground, or in Congress," Murphy
says in the ad.
“I don’t think my opponent cares about the future of America or the
future of those kids that he just used horribly in a campaign ad to
attack me," West told Fox News, arguing that the real concern should
be over the debt the children are inheriting due to Democratic
policies.
Murphy spokesman Erin Moffet told The Daily Caller last week, “It’s
remarkable that Allen West thinks the things he says as a congressman
are so inappropriate that children can’t even say them.”
West responded to Moffet on Fox.
“I’m an adult — I’m a grown man — and I don’t think we want to have
children going out and getting into the realm of politics,” West said.
West has stood behind most of the comments repeated in the ad,
although he clarified he was talking about the ideology of communism
in his remarks about the Progressive Caucus, and was referring to
Democratic policies rather than Democratic politicians when he said
they need to get out of the country.
According to a press release from Murphy's campaign, the ad is "backed
by a significant buy on network TV in the West Palm Beach-Treasure
Coast market."
West has plenty of firepower to counter Murphy's attacks. The Tea
Party favorite has raised around $10 million so far for his own
reelection campaign, a huge number for a House candidate.
