The Hill News

Ousted Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.) says he wish he had more forcefully debunked conspiracy theories about President Obama when he was in the midst of a tough primary battle.

Inglis, who lost 71%-29% to a conservative challenger, told CNN he was too gentle in dealing with conservative activists who had over-the-top views of the president.

Here, for example, is what Inglis recalls hearing from some erstwhile supporters (as recounted in a Mother Jones article):

They s! ay, 'Bob, what don't you get? Barack Obama is a socialist, communist Marxist who wants to destroy the American economy so he can take over as dictator. Health care is part of that. And he wants to open up the Mexican border and turn [the US] into a Muslim nation.'" Inglis didn't know how to respond.

Inglis says he regrets not knocking those theories down.

"What I should have said was, 'Over my dead body that's gonna happen. I can guarantee it's not gonna happen,'" the South Carolina Republican told CNN's Rick Sanchez. "That would have been the better answer, wouldn't it? Rather than the one I gave, which is, 'Well it's not quite that bad, let's keep it within the realm of facts.'"