Allen West Is Leaving Florida for Texas-Based National Center for Policy Analysis

Florida's favorite Tea Party congressman, Allen West, is taking his talents out of Florida and heading to Texas, where he's landed a new gig as head of a Dallas-based think tank. West, who repped the 22nd District in Broward and Palm Beach and made headlines with his outspoken manner such...

By Chris Joseph

November 7, 2014

[
        {
          "name": "GPT - Billboard - Slot Inline - Content - Labeled - No Desktop",
          "component": "16971022",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "15769925",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Rectangle 2x - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782206",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Leaderboard to Tower - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782207",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Florida's favorite Tea Party congressman, Allen West, is taking his talents out of Florida and heading to Texas, where he's landed a new gig as head of a Dallas-based think tank.

West, who repped the 22nd District in Broward and Palm Beach and made headlines with his outspoken manner such as calling the Democratic Party a plantation and saying woman have neutered American men, has been named CEO of the Dallas-based National Center for Policy Analysis, a company that promotes "private, free-market alternatives to reforming everything from healthcare to pensions to education."

"I have the honor of being named the CEO of the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA), a free-market/free-enterprise policy think tank headquartered in Dallas, Texas," West wrote on his website. "This position will afford me the opportunity to have an impact on the development of policy positions, which will advance economic growth, individual opportunity and restore the promise of America for current and future generations."

West -- who once said that President Obama was feeding the nation a crap sandwich and that people with "Coexist" bumper stickers on their cars want to "give away our country" -- says he wants NCPA to become the "preeminent Constitutional Conservative policy analysis entity" that promotes "the principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, individual sovereignty, free market economy, and strong national defense."

He also made a living of calling Obama a communist.

Basically, everything West stands for, melded into one Founding Father quote-loving think tank.

West, who was forced to retire from the Army after firing a gun near the head of an Iraqi suspect during an interrogation gone wrong, was elected to represent the 22nd in 2010. That followed a career in which Allen was a Fox News walking sound bite. The 22nd was then redistricted, and West eventually lost his reelection bid to Democrat Patrick Murphy. Following a recount, West eventually conceded, but not before accusing Murphy of somehow cheating.

This followed a brief stint as a Fox News correspondent.

Send your story tips to the author, Chris Joseph. Follow Chris Joseph on Twitter

Follow @NewTimesBroward

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of South Florida, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.