Written by Diana Robinson-Bardyn   

“I’m no lady; I’m a member of Congress, and I’ll proceed on that basis.” - Mary Teresa Norton, 1925, 12-term Congresswoman from New Jersey

In a Statement for the Congressional Record of April 2011, Rep Allen West noted, “Winston Churchill, who saw the dark clouds approaching, was looked upon as an alarmist at the time, even though he saw the true danger. Churchill stated: ‘An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.’” Unfortunately, the freshman Congressman from Florida’s District 22 is less known for quoting Winston Churchill than for his foul sexist rants. In the latest of these he attacks Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, calling her the “most vile, unprofessional, and despicable” member of the House of Representatives.

He further noted that she has “proven repeatedly” that she is “not a Lady.”

This attack is not a singular example of Allen West’s sexist rhetoric. As a freshman Congressman he has lifted himself from anonymity and gained media attention by his verbal attacks on women. In April 2011, he even claimed that liberal women are somehow responsible for causing our debt to grow.

These women, he said, "have been neutering American men and bringing us to the point of this incredible weakness - to let them know that we are not going to have our men become subservient. That’s what we need you to do. Because if you don’t, then the debt will continue to grow."

A retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, West dresses like a gentleman, and even the most demanding drill sergeant would approve his impeccable grooming and the mirror-like shine of his shoes. But his polished appearance only serves to contrast the inelegance of his rhetorical style. Richard Allen Smith, Vice-Chairman of VoteVets.org noted in ‘No, Rep. West, That’s Not How We Speak in the Military’ that,

“There is not one officer worth his or her salt that would refer to a peer as vile, unprofessional, and despicable. Soldiers are Soldiers, and the same is true of members of Congress.”

While sexist insults should be viewed as inappropriate and having no place in a civil society, Allen West has shown us something even more reprehensible, something dark and truly frightening, in his recent comments.

"I must confess, when I see anyone with an Obama 2012 bumper sticker, I recognize them as a threat to the gene pool."

Such comments are uncomfortably reminiscent of a not too distant time in our history that was marked by a nation led by destructive ideologues, who also saw ‘threats to the gene pool’, ideas that led to the Holocaust and the extermination of six million people in the name of genetic purity. This was the “dark cloud’ of dangerous ideologues – crocodiles – that alarmed and would not be appeased by Winston Churchill.

Our democracy requires that the women and men who represent us in our government value compromise above ideology, and civility above insolence. When civility is replaced by crudeness, our democracy is diminished. When diversity of opinion is viewed as something ‘dangerous to the gene pool’, rather than inherent to democratic process, our democracy is threatened.

The comments of a freshman in Congress are cause for reflection and concern. They are also a reminder that an opportunity for action is coming in 2012 when the name of Allen West will again be on the ballot. Let us hope that the voters of District 22 will remember to hold their elected officials to the same high standard of civility and respect that we expect of our own children.