Do you remember the book by Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People? Neither does Rep. Allen West.

West called out not just President Obama, but Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and fellow Floridian Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.

“Take your message of equality of achievement, take your message of economic dependency, and take your message of enslaving the entrepreneurial will and spirit of the American people somewhere else. You can take it to Europe, you can take it to the bottom of the sea, you can take it to the North Pole, but get the hell out of the United States of America.”

He pledged that he will do everything in his power to stop President Obama from “destroy[ing]” the country.

I've got nothing to say to this hyperbolic absurdity except to note that it is only those least-versed in American history who can make such un-American statements. That he feels comfortable saying such things without fear of the House leadership condemning him (can you imagine the outrage if some Democrat said that about George W. Bush during his term? Quelle horreur!) shows how far down the dialogue has degenerated in the Republican Party. Nonetheless, West is becoming such an embarrassment to the Republican establishment that they are taking pains to redistrict West out of existence.

The teahadists eat that sort of thing up with a spoon, naturally. But the Florida GOP, which has a supermajority in the state legislature and is headed up by GOP Governor Rick “Voldemort” Scott, has undertaken a project to redraw the state’s districts—after being compelled to do so by votes on a ballot initiative in 2010. And it looks like Mr. West might be headed south.

Who would rob the nation of such a fiery demagogue? Wingnuts can’t pin this one on the Dems, who are pretty much powerless in Florida. But Colonel Mustard has a clue:

One of the rising stars of the Tea Party is about to be sacrificed by the Republican establishment in Florida, led by someone spinning for Mitt Romney.

Don’t say you weren’t warned.

It was Will Weatherford in the Conservatory with a wrench! Well, the truth is, West was in some trouble with voters anyway. I don’t live in his district, but from what I understand, voting in a certified loon like West was something of an aberration for that area, and it’s possible they find West’s constant grandstanding a bit embarrassing.

Extreme right-wing Florida Congressman Allen West, who recently declined to run for United States senate, said in his weekly address that the Arab Spring of democratization in the Middle East and surrounding areas is really about Muslims trying to re-establish the historical caliphate:

This so-called “Arab Spring” is less about a democratic movement, than it is about the early phase of the restoration of an Islamic Caliphate, the last being the Ottoman Empire.

We are witnessing secular Muslim leaders being deposed in very volatile and unstable nations. This growing Islamic Totalitarianism manifested in militant Islam has had a modus operand [sic] of capitalizing on unstable political situations (Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia).

Now we see these same types of instances occurring in Egypt, Libya, and Syria and the rose-colored glasses of some seek to portray this as a great awakening of liberty. History does not support this in the Middle East.

We must evaluate these occurrences through the prism of keen strategic and operational insight which looks out 10, 20, or 30 years.

If we had done so during the deposing of the Shah of Iran, we might have been able to prevent what arose. The Iran with which we must contend today is the major exporter of Islamic totalitarianism and state sponsored terrorism.

In the rest of the essay, he goes on to condemn Barack Obama, Palestine and the United Nations, while calling for militant support for Israel and its current borders.

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DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz told Wolf Blitzer on CNN that Rep. Allen West had not apologized for his outrageous behavior, which he sealed in a letter.

BLITZER: Now there's reports out there as of this moment that he called you and apologized.

SCHULTZ: That is absolutely untrue. I have not received an apology. I haven't received a phone call. I know he has my e-mail, I haven't got an apology on my e-mail nor on my fax machine in my district office or my congressional office in the Capitol or at the Democratic National Committee.

BLITZER: He's quoted in this Roll Call as having told a "Huffington Post" reporter, 'I just apologized.'

SCHULTZ: That's simply not true.

A Huff Post reporter asked West about his sexist and sophomoric attack against Rep. Schultz, and he claimed that he did apologize.

Following Rep. Allen West’s (R-FL) tirade yesterday against Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), the Tea Party Republican told the Huffington Post that he had “just apologized” to his fellow Floridian this afternoon. Wasserman Schultz told CNN this afternoon, however, that reports of West apologizing to her were “absolutely untrue.”

Allen West never did formally apologize to her. Let's face it, he would never have behaved like this to another man in Congress. Roll Call breaks it down: The Allen West Apology Mystery

Did he or didn’t he?

Shortly after Roll Call reported Wednesday afternoon that Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) said that he had apologized to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) for calling her “vile, unprofessional and despicable” in an email, the phones started ringing off the hook.

Wasserman Schultz aides said there had been no apology, and West’s office adamantly denied the report and demanded a retraction.

So, what exactly happened?

West said, “I just apologized,” when asked by a Huffington Post reporter about the situation in the Speaker’s Lobby before votes Wednesday afternoon, according to a tape of the conversation.

The Huffington Post reporter repeated the question later, asking about it in the context of a group of female lawmakers preparing to hold a news conference to condemn him. The Members planned to call on the leadership of both parties to rebuke West. In response to the question, West reiterated that he had apologized before walking into the House chamber.

But West spokeswoman Angela Sachitano doubled down, saying it was Wasserman Schultz who should do the apologizing. Sachitano strenuously denied that West had apologized to Wasserman Schultz and even denied what he’d told Huffington Post...read on

His people even lie about what West said to the Huffington Post.

CNN Transcript via The Situation Room below the fold:

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Think Progress:

Rep. Allen West (R-FL) is no stranger to controversy and seems to relish in making outrageous statements just to provoke a reaction. But the freshman congressman may have outdone himself with a rambling, far-ranging post on the site “Red Country” in which he calls supporters of President Obama “a threat to the gene pool”:

I believe we are headed towards the ultimate ideological clash in America. There is a widening chasm which has developed between those who believe in principled fiscal policies and those desiring the socialist bureaucratic nanny-state. [...]

And all we hear from the President is talk about “shared sacrifice,” “tax the rich,” and “increase revenues by tax hikes.” It was just December 2010 that President Obama and the Democrats extended the Bush era tax rates for two years…now less than a year later they are FLIP-FLOPPING! [...]

I must confess, when I see anyone with an Obama 2012 bumper sticker, I recognize them as a threat to the gene pool.

So this is where our politics stand. Wingnuts claiming those with different opinions have defective genes? I could debunk his claims which are factually incorrect as to the allegation of 'flip-flopping', but what's the point? I have defective genes, after all.

Here's a piece of lore handed down from my mother to me and from me to my kids: When you descend into personal attacks, you lose the argument entirely. Evidently that, too, is something people with defective genes believe.

Meanwhile, here's my response to Rep. West: I might have defective genes, but at least I'm not smoking some kind of exotic hate crack.

Allen West, as Susie suggests, has a bit of a problem. For as much as he likes to appear on Fox News and talk about what a good guy he is, he's really just a shyster pulling the wool over his constituents' eyes.

The so-called town halls he's holding? They're on private property rather than public property (churches, specifically), and all the questions are pre-screened in advance, despite his protestations to the contrary.

Watch the video above, where West's chief of staff says the index cards with questions are given to a "3rd party" (that would be church staff), who then sorts the questions before they are asked.

Nothing random there, nor is there any sincere effort to answer real questions from real constituents. It's sort of like a Fox News interview. It gives the appearance of sincerity, but it's just more scripted nonsense.

Here it is in action, at the town hall where Nicole Sandler was tossed out:

After Sandler was tossed into jail, she was held for 17 hours and says she was maced while there.

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Radio personality and C&L friend Nicole Sandler attended Allen West's town hall today and was led away in handcuffs.

Palm Beach Post:

Inside the meeting, West was less than a minute into his remarks tonight when two or three men began shouting from the audience.

"How about our Medicare that you're stealing?" shouted one.

"How about allowing questions from the audience?" shouted another man, apparently dissatisfied with West's decision to answer written questions submitted by audience members before the meeting.

At West's previous town halls, members of the public lined up to ask him questions in person, sometimes waiting 30 minutes or more to do so.

"What you have seen happen previously is you get such a line of people and a lot of folks want to come up and proseletyze for six or seven minutes and you're really not getting to the questions that people want to have answered," West said after the meeting.

West, who has gone back and forth with critics at his previous meetings, said the written format was not an effort to avoid tough questions.

"I don't duck," West said.

During the meeting, West had responded to a question about Medicare when Nicole Sandler of Coral Springs, a former radio host on the liberal Air America network, began shouting from the audience.

Other audience members began shouting at her and a police officer led her out.

"This is supposed to be a town hall meeting. That means back-and-forth," Sandler said as she exited.

Sandler argued with a Fort Lauderdale police officer in the lobby who told her to leave the building. After she yelled at the officer for placing his hand on her, she was arrested for "trespassing after warning" and led away in handcuffs.

Funny. I don't recall the 2009 town hall meetings as having the heavy police presence at every single one, or people being arrested for asking questions. And I certainly don't view Nicole Sandler as someone who is threatening in the least, but evidently those policemen did.

Nicole Sandler lives in Allen West's district. She is entitled to receive answers to her questions even if he doesn't like her politics. She is entitled to attend town hall meetings and ask those questions. She's even entitled to record those meetings.

Having her arrested for insisting on answers to her questions is just another indication of the totalitarian state people like Allen West, wingnut loony man, think of when they think of "liberty."

(ps - If you want a taste of what conservatives in Sandler's district want our country to look like, read the comments on that Palm Beach Post article)

Here's the video of her being ejected:

UPDATE: John Amato

I just spoke to a source close to the situation and $25.00 was already posted for her bail. She's not out yet. Since the town hall was on private property, the police were allowed to arrest her on a trumped up charge. She was pushed by the cop to get out of the building while she was trying to leave. He arrested her for daring to ask a question from the audience. If it had been in a public building there would have been no grounds to ask her to leave. West only answered pre-approved questions. What a cowardly move by Rep. Allen West's people.

Karoli wonders...

The "private property" Nicole was ejected from was Calvary Chapel's theater. Calvary Chapel is a tax-exempt organization. It seems to me that they should not be playing partisan politics, screening questions and supporting West's narrative without being accountable for that.

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Fox News was just jam-packed with fail yesterday, but here's one for the record book. Wingnut Allen West using the most vitriolic language ever while slamming the President's speech last week. To quote John Cole, it sounds like someone got his little fee-fees hurt.

Allen West's meteoric rise in a predominantly Democratic district is one of those things that disturbs me on a near-daily basis. His military background, his insanity, and the amazing amount of money put into his campaign makes it feel like a steal, not a win. Is it just me, or is it bizarro to slam another's 'statesmanship' while calling them pinko commie bastids?

Watch Greta try and rehabilitate some of the worst of what he said:

VAN SUSTEREN: Did you hear what Congressman Allen West said? Well, hold onto your seat. He compared President Obama to a dictator. The Congressman made those remarks during a recent appearance on the Laura Ingraham Show. And to be specific, Congressman West said President Obama showed "third-world dictator-like arrogance" during his budget speech. So, what did he mean? Let's ask him. Congressman Allen West of Florida joins us. Good evening Congressman, those are pretty tough words for the president. I know you have a lot of passion about your views, but the words. Any - uh - You want to do a do-over on that or you stand by those words?

WEST: Oh, good evening and Happy Easter, Greta. And I do stand by those words. Perhaps one of the things that many people need to understand is that the truth needs to be said. When I go around and I talk to people down near my district and we get phone calls -- That speech that was given Wednesday was absolutely beneath the statesmanship or the atmosphere or the aura or the personality that the president should show.

I am sick and tired of this class warfare, this Marxist demagogue-ic rhetoric that is coming from the President of the United States of America. It is not helpful for this country and it's not going to move the ball forward as far as rectifying the economic situation in our country. And I'm not going to back away from telling what the truth is.

Let's just stop right there. Is there some exemption that says members of the United States Congress have the absolute right to sling around meaningless loaded slanderous terms with abandon while setting a different standard for the President?

While I'm at it, I'd like to add that Allen West's authoritarian military "listen to me and STFU" attitude does nothing to make him look even a little bit authoritative. He just looks like a swaggering bully with a very small man-part that he's compensating for.

Picking it up, Greta is desperately working the rehabilitation angle. (Not really, but it provides contrast, I suppose)

VAN SUSTEREN: I understand your passion, I understand your politics. You've certainly -- you've been a passionate --

WEST: Greta, it's not about passion. But it's not about passion. It's about time people stop--

[crosstalk]

-- playing the games.

VAN SUSTEREN: And I'm in total agreement. I'm just curious as to whether calling him a 'low-level socialist agitator' or to compare him -- to use a reference to Reverend Jeremiah Wright that the 'chickens are coming home to roost' -- if that really is helpful to advance your, your -- the great depth of your conviction.

WEST: There's a great depth to my conviction. Part of my conviction is telling the truth. I don't think it's very presidential when Barack Hussein Obama refers to my colleague Paul Ryan as a simple little accountant either.

Breaking in here to point out the use of the President's full name with emphasis on the middle name while using Ryan's first and last names only. More "statesmanship"? Back to the action...

WEST: So I think that when you look what at a community organizer is turning out to be it does seem to be like a low-level socialist agitator. When you look at the economic situation that we have to have a gentleman in the White House who never has really run any type of business or organization -- I myself as a company commander, as a battalion executive officer and as a battalion commander have many time [sic] had to balance budgets and uh, take care of units and operate a budget. So I think it does come back to experience.

And when I talk about the chickens coming home to roost, when we continue to play this election cycle American Idol in the United States of America this is what we end up with -- with someone who is really not in tune with the American people.

Look, Greta, the bottom line is this. The people of North Carolina who have suffered all of these tornadoes are suffering. This President is out campaigning and raising money out there in California. This is not how we're going to turn the ship around in our country.

VAN SUSTEREN: And you know, I think those are fair, uh, fair criticisms of the President vis a vis North Carolina. And also whether he has the experience, you know, you make the lemonade stand reference, whether he has the experience to run. I think that's fair. It was the more sort of ratcheted-up rhetoric...

It goes on about Jeremiah Wright and lemonade stands, but you get the flavor from this.

There is something really cynical about Republicans using Allen West to flog the president. The message is "See, we're not racists. Even black guys criticize him. It really IS about policy."

To which I will leave the retorts in the hands of my African-American friends out there.

After this small dose of Allen West, I'm inclined to agree with those who think the wingnut bubble may be about to burst.

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It was already pretty weird when newly elected Tea Partier Allen West engaged in a brief and bizarre mini-drama when he announced he was hiring hate-radio talker Joyce Kaufman to be his new chief of staff. Today he let her walk away after a furor erupted over the hire.

The whole story took an even more bizarre twist yesterday when one of Kaufman's fans, apparently angry after watching a Rachel Maddow segment on the West/Kaufman saga, phoned in a threat to commit violence against schools and post offices, prompting a lockdown of schools in Broward County, Florida:

WSVN-TV has the report:

Thousands of students spent hours locked inside their classrooms Wednesday after a South Florida radio station received a threatening e-mail.

City of Pembroke Pines Police Capt. Dan Rakofsky said authorities lifted the lockdowns after further investigation into a threat sent to a radio station mentioning a mass shooting. "Based on information from the original phone threat this morning, we are confident that that threat has diminished to the point that we can step down the security around the schools somewhat, and the school board has decided to lift the lock down," said Rakofsky.

Rakofsky would not elaborate beyond his statement, only to say police had questioned and released several individuals but are still searching for the person that originally placed the phone call to WFTL 850 AM.

According to Rakofsky, further investigation revealed the same station received an email echoing those same sentiments, much earlier in the morning. Pembroke Pines Police did release a portion of that email, which stated: "I'm planning something big around the government building here in Broward County, maybe a post office, maybe even a school."

The writer said Joyce Kaufman, who is a host at the radio station, inspired the threat. Kaufman happens to have recently been announced as the Chief of Staff to recently elected Florida Rep. Alan West.

Words that Kaufman uttered during a July 4th rally in Fort Lauderdale may have come back to haunt her. "If ballots don't work, bullets will," Kaufman is heard saying.

Those are the words that sources said may have motivated a South Florida man to make threats of unthinkable violence. Seven News was told the man was watching MSNBC Tuesday night when a clip from the rally was shown. Sources believe Kaufman's words motivated him to write a threatening Email, which was sent to a radio station.

Part of the e-mail read: "Something big will happen. "The man's wife then called WFTL with her fears.

The combination set off a chain reaction of a lockdown on all of Broward County schools for most of the day.

We already knew that Allen West had a predilection for condoning and encouraging violent thuggery, but this is well beyond befriending bikers.

Incidentally, here is that Maddow video that made the would-be shooter so angry:

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This week's head-stomping of a liberal protester by a Rand Paul campaign official in Kentucky, as we noted at the time, really brought into sharp focus a gathering trend toward violence, threats and intimidation by right-wing activists toward their opponents that we've seen reach new depths these past few weeks:

-- Mentally unstable nutcases threatening liberal campaigners in Washington state, Illinois and Vermont.

-- A swastika-laden white-powder-terrorism attack on a Democratic congressman's offices.

-- Thugs hired by the Republican candidate in Alaska roughing up and handcuffing a reporter for asking questions at a public event.

-- Violent gunmen targeting liberal organizations after being inspired by right-wing talk-show hosts.

-- Republican congressional candidates who insist that a violent overthrow of the government is "on the table" if the 2010 Election fails to produce the desired right-wing takeover of Congress.

But of course, these are all "isolated incidents" that have nothing to do with each other, right?

Adam H. Shah at Media Matters compiled an even more exhaustive list from the past couple of years (though even it omits some incidents). Likewise, here's a helpful-if-not-100%-complete Google map of right-wing violent incidents of the past six months.

Amanda Terkel has noticed, too:

"It's been quite amazing over the last couple months, but really over the last two years," said Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups and extremism. "I'd date this, in many ways, to the rise to power of Obama. Many people we saw coming with AR-15s to town halls and so on, and all of that. But I do think that it's gotten even hotter out there. I think the reaction to the stomping of that woman's head has been quite amazing. The idea that the guy could say that he needed an apology and that he's not being condemned by the political class from sea to shining sea is astounding."

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In an election season that appears more like a three ring circus than an exercise in democracy, Republican tea party candidate Allen West of Florida has flown under the radar of most, overshadowed by his flashier teabagging compatriots, like Christine O'Donnell, Sharron Angle and Marco Rubio. Even his nuttier statements (like having a higher security clearance than the President of the United States) seem more sadly self-deluded than loony. But Allen West may be one of the more dangerous candidates out there:

NBC News’ Lisa Myers reports that Allen West (FL-22) has ties to an infamous motorcycle gang, the Outlaws. [..]

The Justice Department has said that the Outlaws produce and distribute methamphetamine, and engage in other criminal activities including arson, homicide, and prostitution. [Justice Department, National Gang Threat Assessment 2009, Published January 2009, accessed 9/13/10]

This past Monday, Republican Leader John Boehner was raising money for Allen West in Florida. This past Tuesday, NRCC Executive Director Guy Harrison touted West’s candidacy. Republican leaders, including Eric Cantor and Sarah Palin, support Allen West.

Motorcycle gangs? Drug production and distribution? Arson? Homicide? Oy.

Strictly anecdotal, but friends I have in Florida's 22nd District have told me that West's signs are all over the country and Democratic rival Ron Klein's are few and far between. Of course the NRCC is putting their money and backing behind the campaign. Will they continue to support West with these kind of ties?

You can call the NRCC and ask them if they want to keep giving donations to Allen West at (202) 479-7000.