Tea Party Favorite Vows To Bring New Voice To Congressional Black Caucus

Incoming Republican representative Allen West told reporters Monday that he intends to bring an original voice to the Congressional Black Caucus.

“There has to be a new perspective,” West, who will be Florida’s first black Republican representative in over a century, said. “We cannot have this monolithic viewpoint of victimization and dependency.”

During his appearance before the Capitol press corps Monday, West also responded to talk that he would be the new “Alan Grayson,” a reference to an outgoing Florida Democrat prone to incendiary rhetoric.

“Calling me names doesn’t bother me,” West said.

West garnered media attention during his campaign for his assertion that he held a higher security clearance than the President and reports that he mistreated an Iraqi prisoner while serving in the military.