Tea party darling Rep. Allen West (R-FL) on Tuesday warned that as many as 80 Democratic lawmakers are members of the Communist Party.

Speaking to about 100 supporters and 15 protesters in Jensen Beach, the freshman congressman refused to name names after saying that that he had “heard” that 80 Democrats serving in the House of Representatives were secretly Communist Party members, according to the The Palm Beach Post News.

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West also took the opportunity to blast President Barack Obama, who had spoken in Boca Raton earlier in the day about fairness in the tax code and policies to ensure millionaires paid as much in taxes as their secretaries.

“I really wish that, standing here before you, was Allen West and President Obama,” West told the crowd. “We could have a simple discussion. But that ain’t ever gonna happen.”

“Why not?” a member of the audience shouted.

“Cuz he was too scared!” West replied.

Last week, failed GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin first floated West’s name at a possible “rogue” pick for 2012. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R), an early supporter of Mitt Romney, agreed that West would be “good” in the VP slot.

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West said on Friday that he would accept the Republican vice presidential nomination if it was the “right fit.”

West told CNN’s Kyra Phillips that he had “never been out on a dinner date” with Romney, but he’d be willing to join the ticket.

“Yeah, well, right now, you know, the focus is, of course, being a good Congressional representative,” West explained. “But if someone were to make that call to me, which I really doubt is ever going to happen, you would have to make sure that it is something that God would ordain for you, and you’d have to talk to your wife, my wife and my two daughters about. But we have always stepped up to the plate to serve our country. And if it’s the right fit, then I will do so.”

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Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has also called West an “excellent choice” for the GOP ticket.

Watch this video, uploaded to YouTube April 11, 2012.

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Photo: Flickr/Gage Skidmore

(H/T: The Huffington Post)