Joyce Kaufman Out as Chief of Staff

Joyce Kaufman will not be Allen West's chief of staff. What bothers me about Kaufman is she uses incendiary language and then claims she doesn't mean it.

In the clip featured by liberal political commentator Maddow, Kaufman says: "I am convinced the most important thing the Founding Fathers did to ensure me my First Amendment rights was they gave me a Second Amendment. And if ballots don't work, bullets will."

Kaufman said in an interview this week she wasn't advocating violence, and said "bullets" would only be an option "if they take away your ballots."

Bullshit.

Kaufman was attracted to West's candidacy because he uses the same kind of violent rhetoric. West was forced to retire from the military because of his actions towards an Iraqi detainee. West saw Kaufman as a kindred spirit in hate.

West didn't pick Kaufman to be his chief of staff because she was qualified. Kaufman had no qualifications to run a congressional office. She makes her living talking into a microphone. As someone who has been on community radio, I can tell you talking into a microphone is not the most intellectually taxing thing in the world.

What made Kaufman quit was being spotlighted on Rachel Maddow's show and a threat Broward County schools. People like Kaufman love talking about violence against government until some nutcase actually decides to act on it. Kaufman then goes into retreat mode. For a woman who frequently talks about armed revolution she is acting cowardly when her views are scrutinized.