In four short years in the U.S. House of Representatives, congressman Allen West has earned a reputation for making the most irresponsible statements which are clearly intended to attract media attention, spark debate, and fire up his most fervent right-wing supporters. West may be running in a new (more conservative) district this fall, but heâll still be running on his old record of divisiveness and discord. To refresh everyoneâs collective memory about who Allen West is, ThinkProgress has compiled a list of his most outrageous quotes (and itâs anything but pretty):
(1) âYOU ARE NOT A LADYâ: In July 2011, West responded to a perceived slight from Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (R-FL) with a fiery letter in which he threatened her and scolded, âYou have proven repeatedly that you are not a Lady, therefore, shall not be afforded due respect from me!â West later said he had apologized, but Wasserman-Schultz said she had not received one.
(2) JOSEPH GOEBBELS WOULD âBE VERY PROUDâ OF DEMOCRATS: In December, West told reporters, âIf Joseph Goebbels was around, heâd be very proud of the Democrat party, because they have an incredible propaganda machine.â The link to Goebbels, Adolf Hitlerâs Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 1945, drew criticism from several members of Congress, the Anti-Defamation League, and others.
(3) LIBERALS âGET THE HELL OUTâ: Speaking at the Palm Beach County GOPâs Lincoln Day Dinner in last month, West said of liberals, âTake your message of equality of achievement. ⌠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.â West later tried to walk back the statement, claiming he was only referring to âthe messageâ and not liberals themselves.
(4) âA THREAT TO THE GENE POOLâ: In a July 2011 post on the website Red Country, West wrote, âI must confess, when I see anyone with an Obama 2012 bumper sticker, I recognize them as a threat to the gene pool.â
(5) âIâM GOING TO KILL YOUâ: Before running for Congress, West had a 22-year career in the military, but left after he abused an Iraqi detainee: âThis is it. Iâm going to count to five again, and if you donât give me what I want, Iâm going to kill you.â He then fired a shot âa footâ over the detaineeâs head.
 (6) âNUTS!â: West has often clashed with opponents over the issue of Islam. In August 2011, a chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations asked West to sever ties with anti-Muslim activists. In response, West sent a letter which read only, âI am writing to you with regard [sic] your recent letter: NUTS!â Why West chose this response is a mystery, although he might have been quoting a World War II general who responded that way when the Nazis told him to surrender.
(7) âWE ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE OUR MEN BECOME SUBSERVIENTâ: In April 2011, West told a conservative womenâs conference that liberal women âhave been neutering American men and bringing us to the point of this incredible weakness â to let them know that we are not going to have our men become subservient. Thatâs what we need you to do. Because if you donât, then the debt will continue to growâŚdeficits will continue to grow.â
(8) âBLINDLY FOLLOWING A COMMANDER IN CHIEFâ: Talking with radio host Mark Levin last month, West said Generals âhave to be very careful about blindly following a commander in chief that really does not have the best intent for our military.â What West did not mention was that officers are constitutionally bound to follow the Presidentâs orders unless they are illegal.
(9) I AM âTHE MODERN-DAY HARRIET TUBMANâ: Speaking with OâReilly Factor guest host Laura Ingraham in August 2011, West said the Democratic party is a â21st-century plantation.â He added, âSo Iâm here as the modern-day Harriet Tubman, to kind of lead people on the Underground Railroad, away from that plantation into a sense of sensibility.â
(10) âLET THEM GET SHOT ATâ: In May 2011, the House narrowly defeated a proposal which would have required President Obama to submit a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan. Of those who voted for the bill, West said, âI would take these gentlemen over and let them get shot at a few times and maybe theyâd have a different opinion.â This was just months after the shooting of former Rep. Gabby Giffords.
(11) âWE ALSO SHOULD BE CENSORING THE AMERICAN NEWS AGENCIESâ: In response to the whistleblower website Wikileaks releasing thousands of pages of diplomatic cables, West declared: âAnd I think that we also should be censoring the American news agencies which enabled [Julian Assange] to do this and also supported him and applauding him for the efforts.â West laterclaimed he only called for âcensuringâ the media. Either way, it would be a First Amendment violation.
(12) âI DONâT KNOW IF IT WAS A KIDNAPPING ATTEMPTâ: When West first ran for Congress in 2008, the Arab news network Al Jazeera asked for an interview. West recalled, âBut my b.s. flag really went up when [Al Jazeera] said they wanted my address, to pick me up at night. They said they would send a car but wouldnât tell me where it was going. I donât know if it was a kidnapping attempt. But I am not going to entrust Al Jazeera with my life. I said, âCancel the interview!ââ
(13) RELIGIOUS COEXISTENCE âWOULD GIVE AWAY OUR COUNTRYâ: During a March 2011 town hall, West talked about the âCoexistâ movement, saying of their bumper stickers: âEvery time I see one of those bumper stickers, I look at the person inside that is driving. Because that person represents something that would give away our country. Would give away who we are, our rights and freedoms and liberties because they are afraid to stand up and confront that which is the antithesis, anathema of who we are.â
(14) âGEORGE BUSH GOT SNOOKEREDâ: During the same town hall, Westclaimed:Â âGeorge Bush got snookered into going into some mosque, taking his shoes off, and then saying that Islam was a religion of peace.â
(15) DEMOCRATS SUPPORT âMOST INSIDIOUS FORM OF SLAVERYâ: Just yesterday, West accused Democrats of supporting the worst form of slavery known today. âThe Democratic appetite for ever-increasing redistributionary handouts is in fact the most insidious form of slavery remaining in the world today,â West said.