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Joe Walsh, GOP Congressman, Quiet While Constituent Calls Obama A Socialist, Nazi, Communist

The Huffington Post  |  By Posted:

Joe Walsh

Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) held another lively town hall meeting this weekend, playing host to a constituent who accused President Barack Obama of "sedition" because he had allegedly lied to voters about his true political allegiances to "socialism, communism and Nazism."

In a discussion about health care reform, a woman told Walsh that she believed the United States was losing its freedom because of elected officials who were falsifying their ideologies to get elected.

“It is sedition. I mean, they did it underground. If they are honest brokers and they believe in what they’re saying and where they want this country to go, like Obama, then you’re right. He should have said it before he was elected, and said 'I’m a socialist, I believe in socialism, in communism, Nazism,' whatever, and say 'this is where I want to lead the country' -- not do it underhandedly,” she said.

Walsh followed up on the constituent's claim without challenging it.

“However you want to label or define it, don’t you think after three and a half years as a country now we have a really good idea where this president wants to go?” he said. "There are people in this audience -- it's fine -- who believe in this America we're living under right now. That's fine, that's a legitimate viewpoint. I will fight to my last breath against it, but I wish politicians on the other side would be honest about how they feel."

Walsh has displayed penchant for creating controversy at town halls in the past. Late last month, he told a gathering that Obama had gotten elected in 2008 because he was black.

"He was a historic figure. He’s our first African-American president. The country voted for him because of that. It made us feel good about [ourselves]." Walsh said. "I’ve said it before, it helped that John McCain was about 142 years old. It helped that the economy was tanking. A lot of these things helped. But he never would have gotten there without his historic nature."

WATCH a clip of the recent town hall exchange via Mediaite:

Also on HuffPost:

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Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) held another lively town hall meeting this weekend, playing host to a constituent who accused President Barack Obama of "sedition" because he had allegedly lied to voters about...
Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) held another lively town hall meeting this weekend, playing host to a constituent who accused President Barack Obama of "sedition" because he had allegedly lied to voters about...
 
 
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
MiMi LLawsonn
Just my opinion****
07:18 AM on 05/26/2012
Is this the man, Joe Walsh who has not paid child support? Could this possible be?

Washington has someone like this making decisions for our country.....when he does not
support his children?????????

GOD help our country.....GOD provide us with answers.....
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Cogs
04:31 PM on 05/22/2012
Tammy Duckworth should be able to throttle this goofball but her inability to articulate how she is the best choice to represent the district is a problem.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
jimboy71
Hen Diapheron Heautoi
03:18 PM on 05/22/2012
I don't know what is worse. That people in this country are so uneducated that they think you can just string together vili//fied political philosophies (even opposing ones) to make up wild accusations against the sitting President, or that a congressman would sit silently by and not correct the hideous error.

The woman who made this comment is clearly afraid. Terribly mistaken, but clearly afraid. What did her elected official do to calm her? Nothing, because he knows scared, uneducated people will continue to vote for him in droves.

This is exactly what a democracy is NOT supposed to be.
This comment has been removed.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
DynamicInfo
11:09 AM on 05/22/2012
Walsh's constituent has a point. And why should Walsch say anything...more and more people are agreeing w/this.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
catbyte
Anishinaabe in MI
01:56 PM on 05/22/2012
Sorry, "Dynamicinfo" (lol on the ironic screen name, BTW) but the only point that constituent has is on the top of her head, much like yourself.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
DynamicInfo
06:15 PM on 05/22/2012
And your name is what ...intelligent...sophjisticated...let me guess 3rd grader?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
jimboy71
Hen Diapheron Heautoi
03:18 PM on 05/22/2012
Really?

Please, please log back on and illuminate the "point" she was trying to make. I cannot WAIT for the hilarity your apologism will provide.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
DynamicInfo
06:14 PM on 05/22/2012
8th grade?
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Zachary Barnett
"He thinks the system works and the people don't"
10:23 AM on 05/22/2012
McCarthyism is incredibly dangerous, and will have violent outcomes. I hope these people will answer for their hate.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Christian Cantwell
creating a smile one post at a time
10:13 AM on 05/22/2012
Wow!!! The Neocon groupies call on man who cries about debt reduction and the extreme the elimination of social service programs. But, Joe why dont you first lower that 100,000 dollars or more of Child Support that you owe your children. How can you help a nation when you cant even help your kids. You accuse President Obama of increasing the nations debt, but do you accuse your children of increasing yours? And now these Neocons may not be in love with a stripper, but they have a fondness for a contortionist, in Mitt Romney...
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09:50 AM on 05/22/2012
They call our President a muslim, socialist, commie, nazi because they can't use the word they really want.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
catbyte
Anishinaabe in MI
01:57 PM on 05/22/2012
Bingo, Sauce. F/f.
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MsMoonpieJD
What fresh Hell is this?
02:00 PM on 05/22/2012
Sauce, you nailed it!
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
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09:49 AM on 05/22/2012
Joe Walsh is a coward and a deadbeat dad. I'm not surprised he refused to stand up to his mentally ill constituent.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
josie klapper
Who can I piss-off today?
09:20 AM on 05/23/2012
Didn't even need to stand up to her, merely figure out what she was trying to accuse the President of would probably have been enough.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
DickClark
09:45 AM on 05/22/2012
.............................sounds like "the cheese fell off of his cracker"........................................
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
DickClark
09:44 AM on 05/22/2012
..............................................................more projection.............................................................
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
09:38 AM on 05/22/2012
How can some one be a fascist, socialist and a communist all at the same time. Don't these ideologies contradict each other in some way?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
jimboy71
Hen Diapheron Heautoi
03:20 PM on 05/22/2012
I think you figured it out.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Kiffanik
04:17 PM on 05/22/2012
Isn't it sad they don't know that and doesn't it make you scared they can vote?
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04:56 PM on 05/22/2012
Yes!
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Waveskiboy
09:30 AM on 05/22/2012
Lunatics attract other lunatics. It's that simple.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
sharin
severely liberal and proud of it
09:26 AM on 05/22/2012
I beg to differ with Walsh. If president Obama was white his margin of victory would have been even wider and that would be one less tool for the GOP to use in painting the president as "other"
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Robin Terrace
daughter of a Union Ironworker
09:14 AM on 05/22/2012
Typical Walsh constituent. No surprise here and no surprise he did not correct the error and show respect for the POTUS. Talk about sedition!
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jat49
Could never be a righty
08:38 AM on 05/22/2012
This guy has several scr ews lose. He a magnet for this type of character.