U.S. Rep. Allen West (R-FL), said protesters who have camped out in lower Manhattan and other places in recent months are essentially espousing a communist philosophy of protection of the whole of society at the expense of the “American exceptionalism” that allows the individual to rise above his circumstances.
“America is about the individual and not about a collective,” West said in a note to constituents. “We are not like ‘The Borg’ of Star Trek. Liberal progressives do not want to unleash our individual strength, they prefer to foment collective divisiveness, which is exactly what this ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement is about.”
West, a Republican former military officer, also accused President Barack Obama of demonizing Wall Street.
“Never forget that every time in the history of the world that a national leader has demagogued and demonized a targeted segment of society, it has ended up horribly for that country,” West said in the same statement.
