West: Muslim Represents Antithesis of US Principles

Well, this will make the next Congressional Black Caucus meeting more fun.

Rep. Allen 'Wild Wild' West told the Shalom Show that Keith Ellison, the first Muslim ever elected to Congress, 'really does represent the antithesis of the principles upon which this country was established.'

This is offensive beyond words, but at this point is no surprise. West, who is insane on most issues, has utterly bigoted views about any member of the Islam faith. The man has derided "Coexist" bumper stickers, called Islam a "fifth column" infiltrating our universities and believes Arabs have been damned by God for being descendants of Ishmael.

All this from a man who cries racism whenever he is politically criticized but who has declared that institutional racism is dead.

But the real irony to me is that Ellison, most famous for his religion, is deeply involved in efforts to improve civility in politics. He is a long-opponent of negative advertising, which he says does more to diminish voter participation than improve a candidate's chances of winning, and he has a history of sincere bipartisanship.

So if fighting low voter turnout and working with leaders of all political ilk are the antithesis of America's founding principles, then I guess West has a point.