The Tea Party's grassroots methods have proven effective in this year's elections, for better or worse. And now that the conservatives have a strong foothold, it seems the same bottom-up mechanism is beginning to churn out a new message: Allen West 4 Prez.
Congressman-elect West already has the trump card of all conservative endorsements -- Sarah Palin. And if West is doing anything, he's going rogue with his polarizing beliefs ("This is not a perversion. They are doing exactly what this book says."). But what if Palin runs for president too? Could this end up as a Palin/West or West/Palin ticket? OK, OK we're getting ahead of ourselves.
There is already a Facebook page, Allen West for President, and it is populated by more than 1,500 people, many of whom fanatically worship this man. Even the British press is weighing in on West's possible presidential run. And the conservative bloggers who make up his fan base are already a dime a dozen.
Plus, West is an African-American Republican, which could be a viable combination with liberal minority votes from the multitudes disenchanted with the status quo, plus the obvious conservative votes.
West is a convincing speaker, and he's smart and thorough -- he talks like a human history book. Yet the implications of his eloquent arguments are questionable. Here are a few things we would like West to answer to ease (and hopefully not multiply) our anxiety-ridden curiosity -- especially before this presidency rumor spreads even wider.
What would "trend analysis," AKA racial profiling, look like in action?
What would tighter border control look like? Would it apply to Canada too -- or only Mexico?
Will the way West took war interrogation tactics into his own hands translate to the way he operates as a political leader?
