The Political Freakshow

Rep. Allen West (Yes, That Rep. Allen West) Condemns Romney's 47% Remarks

You know it’s bad when even Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) is calling you out for your poor choice of words.

West, who is notorious for landing in hot water for his colorful comments, said Tuesday that Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney could have done a better job at explaining that 47 percent of the country isn’t going to vote for him because they are mooching off the government.

“I think he was a little clumsy in doing this,” West said during a “Fox and Friends” interview. “Mitt Romney probably could have better explained himself.”

The Tea Party-backed lawmaker tried to clarify that Romney’s point was that more people rely on government aid than before President Barack Obama came into office.

“More Americans [are] in poverty over the last three and a half years thanks to the Obama administration,” West said. “The unemployment that is probably actually closer to 14.7 percent with the computation.”

West has stirred plenty of controversy with his own past comments. He compared himself to a “modern-day Harriet Tubman,” he compared being gay to liking chocolate chip ice cream, and called Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) “vile” and “not a lady” in a vitriolic email.