Allen West the Subject of a House Resolution Over His Nazi Propaganda Comments

The Library of Congress will forever hold on to a copy of a House Resolution condemning Rep. Allen West's "repugnant" conduct for comparing Democrats to Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels.

The resolution lived for a total of 26 minutes and 13 seconds yesterday afternoon, before most House Republicans voted to table the resolution, effectively killing it.

This resolution came in response to West's comments on Friday, which -- as with many things that West says -- caused drama.

"If Joseph Goebbels was around, he'd be very proud of the Democrat Party, because they have an incredible propaganda machine," West told reporters. "Let's be honest, you know, some of the people in the media are complicit with this and enabling them to get that type of message out."

West then immediately responded to those comments by saying "you guys will take whatever I say, and you will spin it to try to demonize me and demagogue me" -- also known as repeating what he said.

At 3:25 p.m. yesterday, according to the House Clerk, Democratic Rep. Donna Edwards of Maryland raised the issue to have her resolution immediately heard.

A Republican made a motion to table the measure seven seconds after 3:30 p.m., and it was dead by a vote of 231-188, with all 231 favoring to table the resolution being Republicans, whereas only 3 of the 188 in dissent were Republicans.

Here's what the resolution said, in part:

Whereas the American Jewish Committee issued a December 15, 2011, statement saying 'To make a linkage between any mainstream political party in the United States and the heinous atrocities committed by the Third Reich should be simply beyond the pale, whatever political differences may arise in a heated electoral season . . . By invoking the image of Joseph Goebbels and the Gestapo, Representative West has displayed a complete lack of understanding of the worst genocidal era in human history. Moreover, he has diminished and trivialized the unique evil perpetrated by the Third Reich through his unfortunate use of language';

Whereas the Anti-Defamation League said in a December 16, 2011, letter to the Representative from Florida, Mr. West, `We were deeply dismayed by Rep. West's remark comparing the Democratic Party's attempts to articulate views to the American people through the media to the efforts of the Nazi propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels . . . Such outrageous Holocaust analogies have no place in our political dialogue. They are offensive, they trivialize real historical events, and they diminish the memory of the six million Jews and millions of others who perished in the Holocaust';

Whereas the Representative from Michigan, Mr. Conyers, wrote in a letter to the Representative from Florida, Mr. West, that the Representative from Florida should `help raise the level of congressional discourse in a vigorous debate';

Whereas the Representative from Florida, Mr. West, responded back in a letter to the Representative from Michigan, Mr. Conyers, that `The Democrat Party does indeed have a vicious propaganda machine, it espouses lies and deceit and the Master of deceptive information would be truly proud';

Whereas in the repetition of this abhorrent and outrageous sentiment to the Representative from Michigan, Mr. Conyers, the Representative from Florida, Mr. West, demonstrates not only the willful and malicious misapplication of history, but also his disdain for the decorum of the Congress; and

Whereas the conduct of the Representative from Florida was repugnant: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives disapproves of the behavior of the Representative from Florida, Mr. West, for bringing discredit to the House by offending the memory of those who died during the Holocaust.