BET Wire: What's the Deal With Obamaphobia?

Plus, Allen West is back and on fire!

In Case You Missed It - Republicans leave President Obama scratching his head; Ben Carson kind of blames the spread of measles on immigrants; one lawmaker thinks it's OK if your food service worker doesn't wash his hands after a bathroom break — and more. — Joyce Jones (@BETpolitichick)

1 / 16

In Case You Missed It - Former congressman Allen West strikes out at President Obama, Bill Cosby, women in the military and sexual misconduct; NSA leaker prefers Hong Kong justice over American – and more. – Joyce Jones

/content/dam/betcom/images/2013/03/Politics/031413-politics-cpac-day-one-allen-west.jpg

2 / 16

Take That, Obama! - Former congressman Allen West has finished his first memoir. In a non-tribute to Obama, he's thinking of calling it Dreams From My American Father.  (Photo: Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times /Landov)

West vs. Cosby - West slammed Bill Cosby in a June 11 tweet after the actor/educator praised Black Muslims for being strong parents in an op-ed. "2day in NY Post, Bill Cosby said we should b more like Muslims. U mean honor killings, beheadings, suicide bombings? Hope ur kidding sir," West tweeted.  (Photos from left: REUTERS/Doug Murray, Michael Buckner/Getty Images for BHH)

3 / 16

West vs. Cosby - West slammed Bill Cosby in a June 11 tweet after the actor/educator praised Black Muslims for being strong parents in an op-ed. "2day in NY Post, Bill Cosby said we should b more like Muslims. U mean honor killings, beheadings, suicide bombings? Hope ur kidding sir," West tweeted. (Photos from left: REUTERS/Doug Murray, Michael Buckner/Getty Images for BHH)

Unsafe - West put Obama on blast for his handling of national security. The ex-lawmaker in an email to supporters said the U.S. is "sacrificing our liberty in the name of safety" and said the nation has been less safe under Obama than former President George W. Bush.  (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

4 / 16

Unsafe - West put Obama on blast for his handling of national security. The ex-lawmaker in an email to supporters said the U.S. is "sacrificing our liberty in the name of safety" and said the nation has been less safe under Obama than former President George W. Bush. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

/content/dam/betcom/images/2012/041/Politics/041912-politics-ptsd-female-soldiers.jpg

5 / 16

The Trouble With G.I. Jane - West is blaming the controversy over sexual assaults in the military in part on women in combat units. They're where they don't belong, he said on the radio show Savage Nation, so that liberals "can meet some sort of socially engineering goal or egalitarian goal."  (Photo: Tim Bieber/Getty Images)

ADVERTISEMENT
Moral Mondays - Hundreds of people risked their freedom in 2013 to protest policies by North Carolina's Republican-led state legislature, which they decried as discriminatory.   (Photo: AP Photo/The News & Observer, Travis Long)

6 / 16

Down With His People - North Carolina Rep. G.K. Butterfield participated in this week's Moral Monday rally. “I want the American people to watch the conservative playbook unfold in North Carolina,” Butterfield said during Monday's rally. “It’s mean-spirited, and it’s wrong.” (Photo: AP Photo/The News & Observer, Travis Long)

Rep. Mike Hill - Florida state Rep. Walter Bryan "Mike" Hill serves in the Florida House of Representatives. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and achieved the rank of captain while serving in the Air Force.  (Photo: Courtesy of Mike Hill)

7 / 16

Hill Is in the House - Tea party leader Mike Hill is now a member the Florida state legislature and its only African-American. He won a special election to replace the late Rep. Clay Ford on June 11. Hill is founder and president of the Northwest Florida Tea Party.(Photo: Courtesy of Mike Hill)

/content/dam/betcom/images/2013/06/National-06-01-06-15/061213-national-meet-aja-brown-compton-mayor.jpg

8 / 16

In With the New - Aja Brown, 31, a political newcomer, handily defeated veteran politician Omar Bradley in the Compton, California, mayoral race. Brown won 4,143 votes, compared to Bradley's 2,360. (Photo: Courtesy .VISION for Compton Campaign)

Obamaphobic - In response to Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) allegations that Obama is standing in the way of immigration reform, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey) coined a new play on the president's name. “I think he has Obamaphobia," he said on MSNBC's Jansing & Co.  (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

9 / 16

Obamaphobic - In response to Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) allegations that Obama is standing in the way of immigration reform, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey) coined a new play on the president's name. “I think he has Obamaphobia," he said on MSNBC's Jansing & Co. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

/content/dam/betcom/images/2013/06/Politics/061213-politics-wire-b-todd-jones.jpg

10 / 16

Ouch! - B. Todd Jones, Obama's nominee to head the ATF, was grilled by lawmakers during his confirmation hearing on his record and management style. “This is like a courtroom,” he said during the Senate Judiciary Committee. “I feel like a defendant.” (Photo: Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call)

ADVERTISEMENT
Arizona Rep. Trent Franks - "The incidence of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low.” (Photo: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)

11 / 16

When Will They Learn? - Rep. Trent Franks (R-Arizona), in an argument against an abortion bill amendment calling for exceptions in the case of incest or rape, went where other Republicans have dared to go and regretted. "The incidences of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low," he said, "astonishing" Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-California). (Photo: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images

I Spy - In an interview with the U.K.'s Guardian newspaper, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden said that agency employees like to pass around naked pictures of attractive people that they just happen to "stumble upon" during the course of their work. "These are seen as sort of the fringe benefits of a surveillance position," he said.   (Photo: AP Photo/The Guardian)

12 / 16

I Am an American - Edward Snowden, the man responsible for leaking classified NSA surveillance information, is saying he is “neither a traitor nor hero. I’m an American.” The former government contractor also has decided to leave his legal fate to the Chinese. "I would rather stay and fight the United States government in the courts, because I have faith in Hong Kong’s rule of law,” he added. (Photo: AP Photo/The Guardian)

So In Denial - It can't be easy for Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Arizona) to have a son like Tanner. The 15-year-old's Facebook game name is "[n-word]killer," he uses the f-word when referring to gays and pretty much every other offensive term imaginable. Flake says his son has "a language problem" and uses words that are "unacceptable." That's probably what a lot of people think about the father's explanation. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

13 / 16

So In Denial - It can't be easy for Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Arizona) to have a son like Tanner. The 15-year-old's Facebook game name is "[n-word]killer," he uses the f-word when referring to gays and pretty much every other offensive term imaginable. Flake says his son has "a language problem" and uses words that are "unacceptable." That's probably what a lot of people think about the father's explanation. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

John Lewis: Civil Rights Legend, Graphic Novelist - Georgia Rep. John Lewis has penned a graphic novel trilogy, titled March, based on his experiences in the civil rights movement. The first book will be on bookshelves in August. According to publisher Top Shelf Productions, it's “the first graphic novel from a sitting member of Congress.”    (Photo: Top Shelf Productions)

14 / 16

John Lewis: Civil Rights Legend, Graphic Novelist - Georgia Rep. John Lewis has penned a graphic novel trilogy, titled March, based on his experiences in the civil rights movement. The first book will be on bookshelves in August. According to publisher Top Shelf Productions, it's “the first graphic novel from a sitting member of Congress.”  (Photo: Top Shelf Productions)

Jim Crow's Not Dead - Myrlie Evers-Williams, widow of civil rights leader Medgar Evers, who was slain 50 years ago, believes segregation is still a problem in America. “Jim Crow is alive, and it’s dressed in a Brooks Brothers suit, my friend, instead of a white robe,” she said June 12 on MSNBC's PoliticsNation.  (Photo: MSNBC)

15 / 16

Jim Crow's Not Dead - Myrlie Evers-Williams, widow of civil rights leader Medgar Evers, who was slain 50 years ago, believes segregation is still a problem in America. “Jim Crow is alive, and it’s dressed in a Brooks Brothers suit, my friend, instead of a white robe,” she said June 12 on MSNBC's PoliticsNation. (Photo: MSNBC)

Throwing Shade? - The NRA has a new ad targeting West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin's support for gun control. The ad also features Obama in a way that may remind some of the Time magazine ad of a darkened O.J. Simpson. That's exactly what sprang into the mind of former GOP congressman Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC's Morning Joe. "Do you remember when O.J. — when Time magazine shaded O.J. in that mug shot?” he said.   (Photo: NRA)

16 / 16

Throwing Shade? - The NRA has a new ad targeting West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin's support for gun control. The ad also features Obama in a way that may remind some of the Time magazine ad of a darkened O.J. Simpson. That's exactly what sprang into the mind of former GOP congressman Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC's Morning Joe. "Do you remember when O.J. — when Time magazine shaded O.J. in that mug shot?” he said. (Photo: NRA)