Allen West prepares to face primary challenge in Flordia

August 13, 2012

Writer

Allen West is facing a primary challenge in Florida tomorrow, and Glenn invited him onto the program to discuss some of the attacks he has come under in recent weeks as well as his views on President Obama and Paul Ryan.

Transcript of interview below:

GLENN: Congressman Allen West is on the phone with us now. He's in a primary challenge. I don't know who runs against Allen West in a primary, but somebody is and Allen West is asking for your vote tomorrow. I think this guy is one of the few truth tellers in Washington DC and a guy who will not flinch in the face of real, real trouble, and I appreciate the work that he's done in Washington. Allen West, welcome to the program. How are you, sir?

WEST: I'm doing very well, Glenn, and I can tell you the type of guy that runs in the primary against me is a liberal who's running as a Republican. So, that's typical. I mean, we saw it back in 2010 when we were a candidate and they tried to slip a gentleman in and he, you know　-- as soon as he lost the primary, we never heard from him again. I don't think he lives in south that Florida. So, this is the nature of politics now and　-- to try to get you to waste resources and get you off track, get you off message and we're not going to allow that to happen.

GLENN: There is a　-- the NAACP says that they don't have a problem with an ad showing you punching a white woman. They say that's not racist at all.

WEST: Well, you've just got to understand that, you know, Executive Director Hillary Shelton and really the leadership of the NAACP, they're nothing more than errand boys for the Democratic party and they're going to do anything to make sure that they have a voting electorate block that continues to follow along in lockstep like mindless lemons for the liberal progressive policies and to include Barack Obama, even though you have over 14% unemployment in the black community, black teenage employment over 40%. My wife Angela and I only represent 28% in the black community now where children have mother and father in the homes, but -- and failing schools, let's talk about the failing schools in many of these urban environments, but that's not their issue. They would rather just go lockstep with this march to destruction for the community.

GLENN: Well, but that comes from a racist that would send Chick-fil-A to the black congressional caucus.

WEST: Well, I was there. Okay? And let me tell you, there was not one single sandwich or a piece of chicken or a carousel left. So, obviously they withheld their angst well after their bellies were full six months ago. So, I found it very hilarious.

GLENN: Six months ago ahead and it comes out now.

WEST: Yeah. That's absolutely asinine, but, you know, when it's coming the Huffington Post, they don't have, you know, anything between their ears. So, they've got to look for something to write about.

GLENN: You have been very outspoken on everything that has been going on with the Muslim Brotherhood in our government. I am extraordinarily concerned about this. We're doing another documentary on this at GBTV. It's really disturbing what's happening.

WEST: Yeah. You have to be absolutely right and anyone can go back and read the 1991 exploratory memorandum that was uncovered in a basement in a house in northern Virginia after an FBI raid and it lays down the Muslim Brotherhood's, you know, objective for the United States of America and we have many an umbrella organizations　-- I mean subsidiary organizations that the Muslim Brotherhood is the umbrella for and you have to really be concerned about what you just saw happen in Egypt here in the last 24 hours, where President Morsi has, you know, fired the two cop generals, replaced the head of the military, and has suspended the Constitutional amendment that the supreme military council put in place before his inauguration. So, again, we see that also happening in Turkey where President Erdogan went after the military and its leadership and Comal added Turkey and put the military in charge of making sure that Turkey stayed a secular state. So, you see this movement all across the Middle East toward radical Islamism and a sad thing that we have it happening right here in the United States of America and we have a President, we have an administration that does not want to admit up to it. As a matter of fact, they're forcing the FBI and the military to whitewash terrorist training materials and we still have not seen Major Nidal Hasan brought to trial and I think we're going on close to three years.

GLENN: How much trouble are we in if Barack Obama is reelected?

WEST: I think the country that we know as the United States of America will be on to a decline and I believe that it is the intention of the left to see a decline of the United States global influence and power and just try to manage that decline. When you look at the fact　-- we have $16　trillion in debt. I think the debt is going to continue to grow. This talk about raising taxes on just the top two tax brackets, you already look across the ocean to France and you see a declared socialist President Hollande who is forcing people to leave and this thing called liberal progressive socialism, we've had this discussion before, it's never worked anywhere in the world and why would anyone think it's going to work here in the United States of America? So, this is a turning point for our country. It's a decisive point. The election of November the 6th, and that's why I've got to tell you, I'm really happy that Paul Ryan was picked because it's substance over style and he will force the debate to be about policy and issues which is something the Obama administration does not want.

GLENN: Well, that's what I wanted to ask you about, because about　-- I'll bet you at least a quarter, maybe half of this audience would have liked to have seen you be the pick.

WEST: Look. I've only been in this thing called politics or whatever for, you know, 19 months of my wife.

GLENN: That's a good thing. But what I want to ask you is: What are your thoughts on Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney and try to　-- try to be as little of a politician as you possibly can.

WEST: Of course. You know me.

GLENN: Yeah.

WEST: Well, Paul Ryan is, without a doubt, the intellectual epicenter of the GOP right now. There is no one that can debate him about the budget, about economic solutions to get our country on the way as far as lowering our deficit, lowering our debt, and I think that it speaks volumes that Mitt Romney would pick Paul Ryan because he is truly a problem solver. He is going to really get us back to fiscal conservatism which my biggest concern, without a doubt, was, you know, the Republicans had the White House, they had the House, and they had the Senate but we did not act as conservatives. So, I think that Paul Ryan will force that hand with Governor Romney and hopefully now that when the Romney/Ryan team is successful, you will see a cabinet that the team players around those two that will continue to fight for conservatism as far as our economic standing, energy security, also our foreign policy and national security. So, we need to be able to put together that triumphant.

STU: And just real quick, to see how far we've moved with the Tea Party, I mean, back when Paul Ryan first proposed this sort of proposal, he got 8 Republicans to go along with him on it. It's because people like Allen West have come in to Congress since then that this thing has been taken seriously. It was brushed off by the people who had been in Washington for a million years.

GLENN: I think Paul Ryan is a Tea Party success. I think he can be counted at another　-- would you agree with that?

WEST: Yeah, I would. Absolutely so. I mean, you know, he's the Budget Committee chairman. So, you know, maybe he has to be a little bit careful about, you know, his leans or associations. I don't know, but when you look a his principles, he's clearly in line with fiscal conservatism, fiscal responsibility, limited government, individual sovereignty, and we're going to get him going on the right track as far as understanding foreign policy and national security. I am a willing and helpful resource to them however I can be, but I think we're going to do very well and it's going to be important that we also win the Senate, too.

GLENN: Would you consider a defense department post?

WEST: I've got to tell you, Glenn, for me as a 22-year military veteran, that's the only job worth having in Washington DC for me, to be entrusted with the security of your country, to be entrusted with taking care of the men and women in uniform who many are my friends and still few of my relatives, it would be a　-- that would be a true honor and it would be something that, you know, I unequivocally I would say　"yes" to.

GLENN: Let me　-- you would be Donald Rumsfield in a good way. Everything good about Donald Rumsfield, just shooting straight and saying, Shut up and sit down, it would be fantastic, you in a press conference. How much trouble is the United States in　-- you know, there's this story going around now that Benjamin Netanyahu made his decision on Iran. If Benjamin Netanyahu moves on Iran, what does that mean for us geopolitically? What does that mean for us for the election?

WEST: Well, it says everything about us as a nation if we don't give them our full and whole hearted support because it is not about Israel being able to take that action. They can do that. They're a sovereign nation, but it's about the day after because you have to consider what happens when the Muslim Brotherhood control Egypt now, Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran, and then, of course, everything that's going on in Syria. They'll stop killing each other and they'll focus on Israel. So, all of the sudden Israel will be in a multi-front co-integration. They've got to know that they can look back west across the Mediterranean, they can see the gray hulls flying stars and stripes to come to their aid and to their rescue if needed.

GLENN: Which makes me　-- which makes me wonder why Netanyahu would make a decision to move before the election, because are you convinced　--

WEST: I have no idea. I think that, you know, he has to be concerned about the safety and security of Israel, not about the American political scene and the election. So, he knows that there is a clock that is ticking and we cannot afford to play a Sir Neville Chamberlain moment because there is a saying over with your adversaries in that part of the world that Americans have watches but we have the time and so we have to be very leery about each and every day that we give to them. That means they fortify the positions with these underground nuclear facilities because they know the capabilities of our　-- even our upgraded bunker buster munitions and they have the support of Russia and they have the support of China and now they have a local　-- hegemonic dominance with Iraq because, let's face it, Maliki is nothing more than a puppet for Ahmadinejad and the Ayatollahs there. So, time　-- as time ticks away, that brings us closer to a very decisive point for Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israel and look. Let's be very honest. The President has gone to speak in Turkey. He has gone to Saudi Arabia. He has gone to speak at University of Cairo. As President, he has never gone to Israel and that is our greatest ally and that's a true teller of where his allegiances lie.

GLENN: What do you think of Mitt Romney on the Middle East?

WEST: Mitt Romney and Israel?

GLENN: Yeah. And the Middle East.

WEST: Well, I think, you know, first of all, he's got to probably flesh some more things out as far as his foreign policy stance and I think that's why it's going to be so important for him to surround himself with, you know, really savvy people like a Bolton, maybe like a General Jack Keen.

GLENN: Can you imagine if he surrounds himself with John Bolton and you? I mean, that would be a dream come true, but, wow, would the press go after him?

WEST: Well, I mean, who cares what the press thinks?

GLENN: I love you. I love you

WEST: The press, you know, they would like to see our influence diminish whatsoever. Look, Americans don't like losers. Okay? And we just saw that in the Olympics. We saw, you know, a record number of gold medals. I think we got 104 medals overall. Americans like winners and I think Americans like winners when it comes to geopolitics, when it comes to our economy, when it comes to everything, and I think that, you know, Governor Mitt Romney has a great opportunity to put together a winning team to put American back on the top. Nobody wants to be the bottom of the barrel and that's what President Obama and the liberal progressives want. I think it really is a reflection of the fact that they don't like themselves, but if that be the case, just stay at home and not like yourself. Don't try to make, you know, this country a country full of losers.

GLENN: Well, I -- again, I don't know why anybody in Florida would be thinking about voting for anybody else, but there is a primary challenge tomorrow and, Florida, you've got to go in and vote and vote for Allen West. He is a guy　-- you know a guy is effective when he is under fire as much as Allen West is and this guy doesn't blink. You want a real fighter and somebody who can actually move things forward and articulate your point of view? It's Allen West and, Allen, it's great to have you on the program.

WEST: It's always a pleasure, Glenn, and thanks for you all you do and I join you, also, and maybe we need to have that national day of prayer and fasting as it says in the 2 Chronicles because we need to make sure we can heal this land.

GLENN: God bless you. Thank you very much.

WEST: Take care.

GLENN: Wow. Obviously somebody is listening to the program. Listen to last hour on that. Allen West, tomorrow, the primary, Florida, make sure you're there. It's one of things that you just feel like, oh, Allen will win. He wouldn't win if you didn't show up.

STU: Yeah. We can't lose Allen west.

GLENN: That would be really bad.

STU: I will veto it. I will veto all of your votes, Florida, if you don't make Allen West win.

GLENN: You know what? We'll go in and we'll just -- we'll punch chads but not all of the way through.

STU: No.

GLENN: We'll make you go through that again.

Inside President Trump's EXCLUSIVE inauguration balls

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Inauguration Monday was a busy day for President Trump, and it didn't stop after his inauguration address either. President Trump partied across D.C. long into the night.

Exclusive balls are a D.C. tradition on inauguration night, hosting many of the nation's most influential people. President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump appeared at three of the most prestigious balls: the Commander-in-Chief Ball, the Liberty Ball, and the Starlight Ball.

These parties had star-studded guest lists that included celebrities, musicians, politicians, and many more. Here is a peek into the exclusive inaugural balls:

Commander-in-Chief Ball

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Trump's first stop was at the Commander-in-Chief Ball, an event dedicated to the armed forces that defend our nation. The event included a dance where Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife Usha Vance joined the President and First Lady on stage and a performance from the country music band Rascal Flatts and country singer Parker McCollum. President Trump also spoke to U.S. service members stationed in South Korea on a video call and cut a cake shaped like Air Force One with a sword.

Several people of note were in attendance, including Trump's pick for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, and actor Jon Voight. Musician and avid Trump supporter Kid Rock was also in attendance along with country music star Billy Ray Cyrus.

Liberty Ball

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Trump's second stop of the night was at the Liberty Ball, an event thrown for all of Trump's loyal supporters. The event had a magnificent lineup of musicians, including country singer Jason Aldean and rapper Nelly. There was even a live performance of Trump's iconic campaign song, "YMCA" by Village People.

Also in attendance were President Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner, who appeared on stage with her father.

Starlight Ball

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Wrapping up his night of celebration, President Trump visited the Starlight Ball, which was full of major donors to his campaign.

Shortly after arriving, the presidential couple and the vice presidential couple shared a dance in front of a mock White House. Later the stage featured singer Gavin DeGraw for a memorable performance. Notably, renowned podcaster and comedian Theo Von was spotted entering the event. Von is known for hosting President Trump on his podcast for an in-depth interview during his campaign, which many credit boosting Trump's popularity with the younger generation.

Top five executive orders Trump plans to sign

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Donald J. Trump has officially been sworn back into office, and the restoration of America begins today!

Over the weekend, President Trump gave a sneak peek into the tidal wave of executive orders he has promised to sign on day one. Judging by the nature of these orders, it appears that Trump will hit the ground running, making massive strides toward his campaign promises mere hours after being sworn in. While the scope of the 200-plus orders is wide-reaching, there is a special focus on the southern border, the energy crisis, and purging DEI policies from the federal government.

Below we have compiled a list of the top FIVE executive orders that will be on Trump's desk today:

Declare a national emergency at the border

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The situation on the U.S.-Mexico border has been in a state of free fall for the past four years as millions of undocumented, illegal immigrants have flooded into our nation. By declaring this crisis a national emergency, Trump will bring the needed attention to the border, as well as free his hands to act decisively.

Designate cartels as terrorist organizations

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Drug cartels are responsible for many of the most heinous crimes committed across the border. These cartels are well-organized and run illicit operations including drug and weapon smuggling and human and sex trafficking. Over the past four years, the cartels have begun to establish themselves deeper and deeper in America, as in the case of an apartment complex reportedly being taken over by a Venezuelan cartel in Aurora, Colorado. By labeling these cartels as terrorist organizations, we can begin handling them with the necessary force required to relinquish their hold on American soil.

Resume construction on the border wall

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Shortly after taking office, President Biden halted the construction of the border wall, a project that was a staple of Trump's 2016 campaign. Over the past four years, no progress has been made on the mammoth structure designed to help secure our border—but that ends today.

Declare a national energy emergency

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During Trump's first term in the Oval Office, America was energy independent, a status quickly lost under Biden. By declaring an energy emergency, Trump plans to cut through miles of red tape and help America tap its bountiful natural energy sources, such as oil and gas. Under Trump, Keystone XL can resume, and new sources of oil and gas can be tapped for the first time, ending our reliance on foreign energy.

Force the federal government to recognize biological sex

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Flying in the face of the woke ideology that has been permeating the American government for years, Trump will sign an executive order that establishes a government-wide acknowledgment of the gender binary—that is, that there are only two genders, male and female. This will require all government identifications, such as passports and personnel records, to reflect biological reality and end the forced use of "preferred pronouns." It will also end taxpayer-funded transition procedures for members of the military and prisoners.

15 MLK quotes the far-left does NOT want you to read

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While members of the far-left often herald Martin Luther King Jr. as an emblem of their movement, it is ironic that many of MLK's core values and teachings are at odds with their values. On this day when we honor Martin Luther King Jr., one of America's most articulate and transformational leaders, it is important that we remember his teachings as they truly were, and not what the modern-left would like them to be. Here are 15 of MLK's most impactful quotes the far-left would like you to forget.

MLK was a firm believer in non-violent demonstration, unlike ANTIFA and many of the modern-left movements today. He also taught the motivation behind these non-violent movements should be love, not hate.

1. I have earnestly worked and preached against violent tension, but there is a type of constructive nonviolent tension that is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must see the need of having nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men to rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. So, the purpose of direct action is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation.—Letter from Birmingham Jail, 1963

2. After contemplation, I conclude that this award which I receive on behalf of that movement is a profound recognition that nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral question of our time – the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to violence and oppression. Civilization and violence are antithetical concepts.—Nobel Prize acceptance speech, 1964

3. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.—"I Have a Dream" speech, 1963

4. Sooner or later all the people of the world will have to discover a way to live together in peace, and thereby transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. If this is to be achieved, man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.—Nobel Prize acceptance speech, 1964

5. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant.—Nobel Prize acceptance speech, 1964

6. I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive good will proclaim the rule of the land. “And the lion and the lamb shall lie down together and every man shall sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid.”—Nobel Prize acceptance speech, 1964

MLK believed just laws are derived from God's law alone. He defined unjust laws as those that do not treat all men equally in dignity, as God's law requires. Civil disobedience is only justified when it involves breaking an unjust law in pursuit of moral law, he taught.

7. How does one determine when a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law, or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas, an unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal and natural law.—Letter from Birmingham Jail, 1963

8. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority. To use the words of Martin Buber, the great Jewish philosopher, segregation substitutes an "I - it" relationship for the "I - thou" relationship and ends up relegating persons to the status of things.—Letter from Birmingham Jail, 1963

9. We can never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was "illegal." It was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany. But I am sure that if I had lived in Germany during that time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers even though it was illegal. If I lived in a Communist country today where certain principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I believe I would openly advocate disobeying these anti-religious laws—Letter from Birmingham Jail, 1963

MLK did NOT hate America. On the contrary, he loved America's founding principles and fought for the equal application rights of principles and America's Judeo-Christian heritage. He was hopeful rather than hateful of the future of America and mankind.

10. So even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.—"I Have a Dream" speech, 1963

11. One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters they were in reality standing up for the best in the American dream and the most sacred values in our Judeo-Christian heritage.—Letter from Birmingham Jail, 1963

12. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men — yes, Black men as well as white men — would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.—"I Have a Dream" speech, 1963

13. I accept this award today with an abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future of mankind. I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that the “isness” of man’s present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal “oughtness” that forever confronts him.—Nobel Prize acceptance speech, 1964

Unlike Critical Race Theory and modern leftist movement, MLK fought against applying special privileges to a particular race. Instead, MLK dreamed of both black and white people living together in love and brotherhood as equals.

14. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.—"I Have a Dream" speech, 1963

15. When this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, Black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty, we are free at last.—"I Have a Dream" speech, 1963

Join Glenn at Donald Trump's inauguration livestream on BlazeTV

Join Glenn and Stu this Monday, January 20th, starting at 11 a.m. Eastern, for an unforgettable livestream of Donald Trump’s second inauguration. Broadcasting live from the heart of the nation’s capital, Glenn will bring you unparalleled coverage during the last hour of his radio program of this historic moment as the United States ushers in what Glenn describes as a "golden era" under Trump’s leadership. After his radio program, join Glenn for BlazeTV's live stream of the inauguration with special guests, live commentary, and the energy of being right on-site at this historic event for coverage you don’t want to miss.

Subscribe to BlazeTV+ today to be part of this historic event. Use the promo code Glenn47 to receive $47 off your annual subscription and gain access to this and more content from your favorite BlazeTV hosts. Don’t wait—this is your chance to witness history live with Glenn and the team as we look toward the future of America with BlazeTV!

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