Open thread for night owls: Local NAACP cancels Allen West speech

Well, hooray. There's been at least one meager consequence from Allen West's McCarthyesque assertion that 80 or so members of Congress are members of the Communist Party:

[Local NAACP] leaders invited the Republican from Plantation to give the keynote speech at its annual fundraiser in Martin County, the Freedom Fund Banquet. The theme was "Still Standing For Freedom and Equality," and they wanted to hear West speak about his rise to fame.

Instead, the NAACP chapter pulled the plug on the event Tuesday ' four days before it was to be held at a Palm City country club.

The chapter president, Jerry Gore, specifically cited the "Communist" statement:

"That statement alone ... we do not represent that type of atmosphere," Gore told me Thursday.

The NAACP is a nonpartisan group. Hosting West after he tossed around such allegations would thrust the group into a very partisan realm, Gore said.

Meanwhile, West himself is continuing to make an ass of himself in other realms, thus continuing to assure his dominances as poster child for brick-stupid Millennial Republicanism:

Rep. Allen West warned Monday that reports of the FBI's training manual being edited to scrap portions considered offensive to the Muslim community signaled an increasingly 'one-way street' level of tolerance that could lead to 'cultural suicide.'

'We have to understand when tolerance becomes a one-way street, it will lead to cultural suicide and we should not allow the Muslim Brotherhood-associated groups to be influencing our national security strategy,' the Florida Republican said on 'Fox & Friends.'

Yes, because not being intentionally offensive to Muslim Americans is the same as destroying our way of life. Sure, whatever. I guess if your "culture" consists of treating all American Muslims like dirt, having the FBI revamp inappropriate materials does crimp your own style somewhat. Somehow. I think. No worries, I'm sure the brain trust at Fox & Friends ate it up.

What does Republicanism stand for these days? I have no idea. Bigotry seems to making a nice comeback, and fear of communists, union-members and hippies has really taken off. But it's the conspiracy theorizing coupled with the obvious, excruciating stupidity that makes people like Allen West the new face of the party. Put the economy in the hands of a guy who can't do math, like Paul Ryan. Put social conservatism in the hands of such obvious nuts as Peter King, Steve King, Michele Bachmann, and, sigh, Allen West. Whether Republicans are actively seeking out the dumb ones, or are they just purging all the smarter ones under the banner of that guy compromised that one time!, leaving only the do-nothings and know-nothings behind, I couldn't say.

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