Allen West calls for Republican unity
Former U.S. rep addresses bickering Broward group
Bitter political enemies warily eyed one another. Broward Republicans raised some cash for their depleted bank account. And therewas some unity— around a denunciation of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
For Broward Republican Chairman Bob Sutton who is presiding over a county party organization convulsed with infighting, that made Saturday night a success.
Still, conversations among many of the 200 people who gathered for a county Republican dinner were less about what unites them and more about the party’s civilwar.
Sutton is attempting to push out party Secretary Rupert Tarsey, who beat a young woman with a hammer in 2007 in California. Tarsey and congressional candidate Joe Kaufman are pushing to have Sutton removed fromhis job, claiming poor leadership.
The infighting is so bad that the keynote speaker, former U.S. Rep. Allen West, said it needs to stop.
“I’m not here to talk about squabbles. I’m not here to talk about a circular firing
squad, because in a circular firing squad, everyone gets killed,” West said. “Stop with the bickering. Stop with the infighting.”
West, who nowlives in Texas, said if it continues, he’ll hop on a flight from Dallas to Fort Lauderdale and “I will put my foot square up your butt.”
In a 26-minute speech delivered without notes, West said it is critical for Republicans to unite behind what he called “constitutional conservatism.” He said that does not mean going along with what establishment Republican Party leaders want.
In an interview, West expressed dissatisfaction with theway Republicans are governing. He said he would give President Donald Trump a “C” for his first eight months in office.
Congress gets “an ‘F.’ There’s no doubt about it. I mean the American people were told that if you give us the White House, the House and the Senate, these are the things that will get done. And it’s not that hard.”
West challenged the audience to bring an ideological message to others, not about Republicanism, but about liberty, freedom and the tyranny of big government.
He said liberty means everyone has “an equality of opportunity,” not equal outcomes. He contrasted the “pursuit of happiness as opposed to someone who believes they can guarantee your happiness.” Suggestions that people have the “right” to owna home, free health care or free college tuition erode liberty “because that is someone else determining what they can do for us.”
A prime example of government tyranny to West: the Affordable Care Act, knownas Obamacare.
Public unhappiness over passage of Obamacare helped propel West to victory in the tea party wave of 2010. He represented parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties for a single term, losing his 2012 bid for a second term when he ran in a different district that took in northern Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties.
The crowd applauded when former SheriffAl Lamberti, who led the Pledge of Allegiance, echoed President Donald Trump’s condemnation of professional football players who don’t stand during the national anthem, something started last year by Kaepernick, then with the San Francisco 49ers.
“We’re blessed to be in the United States of America,” Lamberti said. “Aswe say the Pledge of Allegiance, Iwant you to say it so loud that Colin Kaepernick , wherever he is, can hear you.”
West is a retired Army lieutenant colonel with many family members who have served, said the national anthem kneeling by Kaepernick and others is deeply offensive. He said TV ratings and attendance declines are the result.
But, West didn’t endorse the president’s call for owners to fire players who kneel during the national anthem and for spectators to leave in protest.
“You know there’s so much more important stuff to be worried about,” West said in an interview, citing health care, tax reform and North Korea. “The most important thing for the president is to lead and govern the country,” West said.