Hotline: Go West, CPAC

There were plenty of House challengers milling around CPAC this weekend, but only Allen West (R) — an African-American ret. Colonel running an underdog campaign in S. FL — was given the honor of speaking to attendees.

West, who held Rep. Ron Klein (D-FL) to 55% in ’08, has been named to the NRCC’s “Young Guns” program, and has already raised $1.2M for a re-match this year. But while West is a solid challenger, Klein will be a tough out. He was caught a bit off guard in ’08, and West won’t get that benefit this year. Pres. Obama took the CD with 52%, meaning this isn’t the most fertile territory.

But West has an interesting story to tell, and his profile means his bid will get plenty of media attention.

In his CPAC address on Saturday, West recounted his upbringing in GA, and the conservative values that his parents instilled in him.

He also told of attending services every Sunday at the local Methodist church, and appeared to compare his experience there to Pres. Obama’s. West, on his pastors: “I don’t recall a single time when they cursed our country.”

But he added that the dreams of his parents “are being challenged” by the “collective ideology of the liberal progressives.”

“When you understand their dream, it’s more of a nightmare because it’s the antithesis of who we are as Americans,” said West. “They are bringing forth the nightmare of Marx, of Engels, of Chairman Mao, of Fidel Castro, of Che Guevara, of Hugo Chavez. … They are bringing a dream that is enslaving the American people.”

To sustained applause, West ended his speech by asking the crowd to “join me in a new dream … to take our country back.”

With a continued strong fundraising effort, and a bit of luck, that effort could start by taking a Dem-leaning S. FL House seat back.