Is Romney's Florida Spokesman redistricting Allen West out of Existence?

If this is true, the Tea Party may have an issue to take national. Florida state representative Tim Weatherford (R) is a Florida spokesman for the Romney campaign. According to the Shark Tank, he has confirmed that Rep. Allen West (R) may be a victim of redistricting.

One of Governor Mitt Romney’s spokesmen was Florida Representative Will Weatherford, and during the course of his remarks in the “Spin Room”, he shed a very dim light on the ongoing redistricting process in the Florida Legislature. Over the past several weeks, many Republicans have voiced their disappointment towards the Republican legislature after the release of the preliminary redistricting maps. Much of the ire concerns the proposed boundaries of Congressman Allen West’s 22nd Congressional District that would be redrawn to include far more registered Democrats.

William Jacobson at Legal Insurrection seems to think this is a foregone conclusion:

A website, SaveAllenWest, had been set up, but it appears to be too late.

One of the rising stars of the Tea Party is about to be sacrificed by the Republican establishment in Florida, led by someone spinning for Mitt Romney.

Don’t say you weren’t warned.

Folks, this is establishment level arrogance on display. The Tea Party is being slapped in the face because one of its members - West - isn't towing the establishment line. There is a way for the Tea Party to have the last laugh, however.

Though West hasn't officially endorsed Gingrich, he has been defending the former Speaker against establishment attacks recently. Gingrich has also said he would consider West when selecting a running mate. West hinted that he would be interested.

If a scenario plays out where Lt. Col. Allen West is redistricted out of a job, it might be the perfect opportunity for Newt to launch a counter-attack by naming the Tea Party favorite as his running mate.

One of the downsides to a presidential candidate selecting a running mate from Congress is that, well, you lose that candidate's vote in Congress. That's one of the best arguments against the eventual nominee selecting Florida Senator Marco Rubio. If Gingrich overcomes the odds and wins the nomination, West could be much more appealing in terms of him being out of a job anyway. The payback factor would be nice too.

Having someone as Vice President with West's military background could be a perfect fit.

Anyway, here is video of Weatherford.

Video: Why this is the Sleaziest ad from Romney Campaign

It is politics so the notion that the Romney campaign could be found guilty of defamation or slander for this ad is indeed laughable but that doesn't make it any less defamatory. The ad features a January 21, 1997 news report from NBC's Tom Brokaw in which the anchor reports on a bipartisan Congress voting to find then-Speaker Newt Gingrich guilty of ethics violations, with a harrowing music bed.

First, watch the ad and I'll illustrate exactly why it's so despicable.



What Romney - whose voice approval you heard at the end of that ad - ignores is the fact that in 1999, Gingrich was fully and completely vindicated. I've posted this before but in the context of that Romney ad, it's even more relevant.

Here is a CNN news report from 1999 in which Brooks Jackson reported that Gingrich had been fully exonerated of all the charges that Romney is attempting to pin on the former Speaker.



Romney's ad incorporates the dishonest tactics of the left and wasn't it Romney who in a recent debate said that if the tactics of the left are used, they will be turned back on those who use them?

h/t Hapblog

Occupy Oakland Flares up again; 300 Arrested

If there is one city in America that has been home to the Occupy movement's most petulant miscreants, it's Oakland. Again, former Obama green jobs czar and Occupy organizer Van Jones is from Oakland. He has a rather cozy relationship with Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), whose district includes Oakland; Lee has a rather cozy relationship with Valerie Jarrett, Obama's closest adviser. Until Americans begin to connect these dots, little to no accountability will take place. The liberal media certainly isn't doing the job.

Nonetheless, Occupy Oakland has just flared up again and has given the movement something to cheer about. With 300 arrests in Oakland all on the same day, the Occupy movement is now officially well over 6000 arrests nationwide.

Guess what?

They're so proud of it that they're tracking it.

ABC News reports that three officers were injured:

Police spokesman Jeff Thomason says most of the arrests came around 8 p.m. That's when police took about 100 protesters into custody as they marched through the city's downtown, with some entering a YMCA building.

About 20 demonstrators were arrested earlier in the afternoon, after police say they threw rocks, bottles and other objects at officers and tore down fencing.

Police say three officers were injured. Officers used tear gas and "flash" grenades on the protesters after they refused to leave.

Authorities were still tabulating the exact number of arrests late Saturday.

Again, these whackos like to portray themselves as victims. Do victims seek to add to their arrest totals while injuring police?

Here's a video of Oakland on January 28th via Breitbart:



h/t Weasel Zippers