Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus are the last people who should be complaining about rhetoric. Recent example: Maxine Waters calls Cantor and Boehner “demons.”
(The Hill) — The co-chairmen of the Congressional Progressive Caucus called comments made by Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) reminiscent of McCarthyism.
West said Tuesday he heard a rumor that about 80 Democratic members of Congress were in the Communist Party. West declined to give names.
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) compared West’s comment to Sen. Joe McCarthy (R-Wis.) who in 1950 said he had a list of communists in government.
“Calling fellow Members of Congress ‘communists’ is reminiscent of the days when Joe McCarthy divided Americans with name-calling and modern-day witch hunts that don’t advance policies to benefit people’s lives,” the co-chairs wrote in the statement on Wednesday.
“We hope the people of Florida’s 22nd Congressional District will note that he repeatedly polarizes the American people instead of focusing on their interests,” the co-chairs added.
The co-chairs called West’s comment “childish.”