PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Former U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., has found life after Congress, and will host a brand-new online news show starting next month.
"I'm Allen West and this is Next Generation," West says in a promotional video.
"We'll shine a spotlight on the challenges facing young Americans, whether it be out-of-control spending, crushing debt or unacceptable levels of unemployment. These issues threaten the opportunities of the next generation, and our nation's collective future. We don't want the American Dream to fall by the wayside. We want to leave things better for those that come after us. That's why we're standing up for the next generation."
West will be hosting the show, produced by PJ Media, from Washington, D.C., and will be joined by correspondents Michelle Fields, a former reporter for the Daily Caller who gained attention when she confronted actor Matt Damon about teacher tenure reform in a media interview, and John Phillips, host of his own talk-radio show on KABC in Los Angeles.
The outspoken West, a favorite of the tea party, had been targeted for defeat by Democrats in one of the most high-profile congressional races last November, losing to political newcomer Patrick Murphy.
The first episode of "Next Generation" is scheduled for broadcast Feb. 4.
West, a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Army, says he'll continue to be a voice advocating for principled, pragmatic solutions to the issues affecting our constitutional republic.
"I enjoyed my time serving as a member of the 112th Congress," he said. "However, those who think losing a congressional race defines me and ends my service to my country fail to realize what drives my patriotism and passion for America. True leaders do not need a title, just a conviction, a cause, and the character enabling them to make a stand.
"To have been the first black Republican member of Congress from Florida since Josiah T. Walls in the Reconstruction Era was just the dream that my parents sought and ... their goal was realized by their son. To have represented the highest-per-capita-income ZIP code in America, a place where when I was born in 1961 my parents could not have visited, truly epitomizes the essence of the 'fairness' of America. No matter where you are born, this country does not limit what you can achieve, and we do not have a system of class or caste."