# There Are 80 Communists in Congress--says GOP Rep **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 12, 2012, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512 "2012-04-12T00:00:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512/1 "2012-04-12T00:00:28Z")
> [@](#): > > “I believe there’s about 78 to 81 members of the democratic party that are members of the communist party,” –Rep. Allen West (R-FL) [http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/\_news/2012/04/11/11144072-congressman-says-80-fellow-lawmakers-are-communists?lite](http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/11/11144072-congressman-says-80-fellow-lawmakers-are-communists?lite) Whee. This isn’t even original. I wonder if he has a laundry list. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512/2 "2012-04-12T00:02:31Z")
He could be doing this ironically; but, I doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512/3 "2012-04-12T00:03:52Z")
And his pedophile sex scandal starts in 5…4…3… ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512/4 "2012-04-12T00:07:08Z")
Has anybody ever seen Michele Bachmann and Allen West in the same place at the same time? I’m wondering if we’re dealing with some kind of insane Shakespearean plot twist here. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512/5 "2012-04-12T00:11:24Z")
Meh, the quote was out of context. The full statement: > [@](#): > > The unedited video shows West’s declaration at a town hall event. “I believe there are about 78 or 81 members of the Democrat Party that are members of the Communist Party,” he said, followed by a long, dramatic pause, during which there were assorted moans and whispers in the audience. > > After about 30 seconds, West unfurled his deadpan punchline: “The answer to that: It’s called the Congressional Progressive Caucus.” Still pretty douche, but its pretty clear he’s not straying into McCarthyism. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512/6 "2012-04-12T00:52:29Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Still pretty douche, but its pretty clear he’s not straying into McCarthyism. Call me crazy, but I think he’s still calling them Communists. He’s just not waving around his grocery list and threatening to name names - he **did it**. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512/7 "2012-04-12T01:05:13Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Call me crazy, but I think he’s still calling them Communists. He’s just not waving around his grocery list and threatening to name names - he **did it**. Well, he sort of named names. Because he’s a Republican Congresscritter and his lips are moving, his numbers of course don’t add up, there are 76 people in the Progressive Caucus. But the statement as originally quoted made it sound like he was claiming Congress had people that were members of the literal Communist Party. In context its clear that “Communist Party” is what he calls the Progressive Caucus. As I said, still pretty douchey, but less so then first reported. The second part substantially changes his meaning and should’ve been part of the original report. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512/8 "2012-04-12T01:10:45Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > But the statement as originally quoted made it sound like he was claiming Congress had people that were members of the literal Communist Party. He was. > [@MSNBC](#): > > [West] was responding to a question by a participant who asked, “what percentage of the American legislature do you think are card carrying Marxists?” He wasn’t saying he calls the Progressive Caucus Communists. He said the Progressive Caucus are members of the Communist Party. This is not complicated or coded or shaded. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512/9 "2012-04-12T01:12:46Z")
So, can we call the Tea Party Caucus the Fascist Party, and therefore claim there are 62 Fascists in the Congress? Or can you only call people names in one direction? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512/10 "2012-04-12T01:18:14Z")
I wish. Actual communists would move the overton window to the left and make progressives into the ‘centrist democrats’ rather than the far left that they are now. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512/11 "2012-04-12T01:23:58Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > He wasn’t saying he calls the Progressive Caucus Communists. He said the Progressive Caucus are members of the Communist Party. This is not complicated or coded or shaded. Plus his advisor later stated outright that the Communist Party specifically claims the members of the Progressive Caucus as its allies. So even if he’s not specifically stating “these people are totally official Commies,” he’s saying they support that party. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512/12 "2012-04-12T01:30:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Plus his advisor later stated outright that the Communist Party specifically claims the members of the Progressive Caucus as its allies. Which is probably true, but completely irrelevant. We see this every election: The American Communist Party officially endorses the Democrats, and the American Nazi Party officially endorses the Republicans, and nobody pays any attention to either of them. What would be newsworthy would be a member of the Democratic or Republican party endorsing the Nazis or Communists. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512/13 "2012-04-12T01:38:15Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Well, he sort of named names. Because he’s a Republican Congresscritter and his lips are moving, his numbers of course don’t add up, there are 76 people in the Progressive Caucus. > > But the statement as originally quoted made it sound like he was claiming Congress had people that were members of the literal Communist Party. In context its clear that “Communist Party” is what he calls the Progressive Caucus. > > As I said, still pretty douchey, but less so then first reported. The second part substantially changes his meaning and should’ve been part of the original report. I’m not seeing any significant distinction. It’s the same as if a Democrat had proclaimed, “I believe there are about 64 members of the Republican Party that are members of the Ku Klux Klan…It’s called the Tea Party Caucus.” ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512/14 "2012-04-12T04:29:09Z")
Well, if true, they are, like, the most ineffectual Communists ever. West ought to be happy they’re there. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512/15 "2012-04-12T04:36:20Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Well, if true, they are, like, the most ineffectual Communists ever. West ought to be happy they’re there. That’s what they **want** you to think! If it weren’t for Rep West and his eagle eye, the day would come when they would have nuzzled up to those bars, bent 'em apart with their beaks, and VOOM! ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512/16 "2012-04-12T05:17:50Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Call me crazy, but I think he’s still calling them Communists. He’s just not waving around his grocery list and threatening to name names - he **did it**. So do I. I also think there are plenty of people that will believe he is speaking the truth. Is there no legal recourse Democrats can seek for this sort of thing? It doesn’t seem right that a senior politician can make up derogatory nonsense about his opponents and get away with it. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512/17 "2012-04-12T12:01:57Z")
Response: Communist Party USA rips on West and calls him [absurd](http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0412/75037.html). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512/18 "2012-04-12T12:10:58Z")
> [@Imasquare](#): > > Is there no legal recourse Democrats can seek for this sort of thing? It doesn’t seem right that a senior politician can make up derogatory nonsense about his opponents and get away with it. This thread is the appropriate response. West’s statement should be subjected to public derision. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512/19 "2012-04-12T12:17:38Z")
I had to check the date on the OP to make sure this wasn’t a zombie thread from 1950. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512/20 "2012-04-12T19:11:21Z")
Someone should ask him what this mythical “Democrat Party” is [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-80-communists-in-congress-says-gop-rep/618512.md?page=2)