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There's been a remarkable amount of drama surrounding Dick Armey's departure from FreedomWorks, culminating Friday with a stunning report from Media Matters, who interviewed the former House Majority Leader directly. Armey had all kinds of interesting insights to share with the progressive group, including tidbits on pay-for-play agreements with Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, and the FreedomWorks' practice of charging activists to attend free events.
Though many of Armey's revelations should probably be taken with a grain of salt -- the former GOP leader seemed confused about some of the details he shared -- there was a larger question that puzzled nearly everyone: why in the world was Dick Armey dishing dirt to Media Matters?
The Daily Caller, a conservative outlet, tracked down the answer.
Dick Armey had no idea he was speaking to the left-wing Media Matters organization during an interview last week, he told The Daily Caller Tuesday. Instead, Armey thought he was chatting with the conservative Media Research Center. [...]
[I]n a Tuesday phone interview with TheDC, Armey insisted that even though [Media Matters blogger Joe Strupp] properly identified himself, it wasn't until "somebody busted my chops on Facebook" that he realized spoke to a left-wing group.... "That was a major, big screw up on my part. I thought they were somebody else."
As for who he thought he was speaking to, Armey asked the Daily Caller, "Who's the guy with the red beard that always does the show where he points out how biased the press is?" Told he seemed to be referring to the Media Research Center's Brent Bozell, who does a weekly "Media Mash" segment on Fox News, Armey said, "Yeah, I thought it was Brent Bozell."
He added that he was probably overly "chatty" with Media Matters.
I'm beginning to think Dick Armey's best days are behind him.
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Everyone should keep his wits about him, and remember there are a multitude of layers to every rotten onion!
Mr. Armey merely peeled back one layer! The "conservative" brand seems to be rotten to the core! -Kevo
The gratitude felt over the disposition of rotten onions provides traction and the relief of the eggs . Though only a shell of their former selves , maintaining their hegemony over the meanings of things since the demise of , Humpty . Never the less it could hardly escape the notice contained in the ominous issue of " Which is to be master , that is all" . It could be better known that the soul of Humpty is found in the unconquerable spirit of the legions IOKIYAR's . What would one pillage in a Tee Party Village ? What indeed .
The virtue of never having been wrong , the concise measure of the speech , recorded by Lewis Carroll's agent , Alice ,
"When I use a word," Humpty said , scornfully , "it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less."
One finds the essence of the rock ribbed and sautéed reasoning of the doughty IOKIYAR's in every deliberated word .
The proper word to describe the leader of the Dick Army is "senile."
More proof that today's tea party patriots are nothing more than re-branded GOP. Their "grass roots" rising and rebirth as fiscal conservatives continues to be a cynical attempt to pretend that the policies that led us to a recession belong to someone else.
The Tea Party is more like re-branded John Birch Society.
There's something precious about conservatives eating their own. Moments like these are to be savored like a fine wine. :)
I can enjoy this even with a really crappy wine. BTW I met someone who told me she worked for The Daily Caller. I guess I kind of screwed my face up in the few seconds that elapsed while trying to figure out how specious an organization that was because she mentioned kind of embarrassingly "they're Libertarian". It was good.
If things like this keep getting out the tea party and the GOP's "Best days" will be behind them (that is assuming they ever really had any).
This has never been more than a racket and a con for the upper echelons of the Tea Party. It was P.T. Barnum activism and now people are finding out that like the Fiji mermaid it was all just a "Genuine Fake".
The question is is any of it going to make it past the fact filter and actually get into the bubble? I doubt it and even if it did the fox news crowd wouldn't believe it.
These are the times when my fellow Americans must take their love of oxymorons , and the minor miracle of insane logic , which has built the industry of job creating "Genuine Fakes" in paean to heartfelt politics .
the tea party reminds me of the gary cooper movie meet john doe
Dick may be exactly what the right & their low information crowd need over and over if only to realize how they've been had! At worst it will awaken the sheeple to the fact that they've been bamboozled into supporting an ideology that doesn't include them; at best it will continue the fracture of the GOTP! I call it a win-win for democracy!
And that is the point, isn't it? As far as I can tell, those who watch Fox News don't have open minds, so it doesn't matter what they see anywhere else. They've been brainwashed into "knowing" that the truthful media is a bunch of left-wing commie liars.
In other words, they wouldn't know the truth if it bit them in the... well, you know.
I suspect Mr. Armey does not remember "Candid Camera."
It sounds like there's a lot of these things that escapes this guys memory.
"Who's that guy with the red beard..."
Shoot, one time he even forgot not to let a prostitute listen in on a call to the guy who's campaign for the presidency he was working on.
This guy's been a mess for a long time.
All that easy right wing money has been incredibly destructive to discipline on their side. Given that nothing other than ideological apostasy is punishable, you get more and more clownish incompetence from wingnut players. Armey has his golden parachute, so even this sort of bozo behavior isn't going to cost him any creature comforts.
Not to mention the acceptance of these same folks as the "Center" of America . The cascading hierarchy of transmutation that permits these heavy souled individuals to walk on water , shares an infallibility only as far as the cheques bounce .
"I'm beginning to think Dick Armey's best days are behind him."
He had best days?
You can't clean out the sewer until you crack open the lid...
I want to know more about the pay for play agreements with Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. It sounds like payola to me.
Duh.
Ron: It's kinda old news. Limbaugh and Hannity get daily talking points from Heritage, and Mark Levin gets his from Americans For Prosperity. Most National radio guys operate this way, and they run commercials for these organizations.
It's hilarious to me that he thought the root of the problem was that Media Matters was a left-wing website. How about considering the idea that one should be accountable for one's rhetoric, whether you're talking to progressive or conservative media?
I know he says now that he didn't know he was talking to a progressive media site, but I don't think Dick is that far gone. I suspect this is part of a pay back campaign for being ousted.
And then there's that.
It doesn't take more than a few uncomfortable minutes of televised exposure to judge this man for what he is: a misogynist, an elitist, and a hypocrite. And then there's his entire body of work to look at for confirmation.
IDK how people like him exist within their own skin. It defies reason.
95% of Americans want to vote and/are conservative. It's what happens when you grow up. Problem is the GOP are not conservative. They are a collection of hustle's and tricksters masquerading in ideology to forward an agenda for rich white men who don't care about anything other then getting theirs.
"It's what happens when you grow up?" WTF are you talking about?
It's what happens when you grow old and jaded, selfish, fearful and hateful. I considered myself conservative when I was young, and grew up Progressive. That's what happens when you become educated and tolerant.
When are you going to admit that the Republicans used you? And that your conservative ideology failed you because you were just as greedy as the GOP leadership is?
Nobody younger than 65 who isn't a flat out religious zealot considers themselves conservative or a Republican anymore unless they live in the bigoted South. And when the black guy in the White House leaves, even they will cease to vote Republican.
The Congressional Republicans are bat crazy anarchist and incompetent because you don't hold them accountable.
I don't know where you get your "data." Polling has shown that most Americans, while they don't call themselves liberal, agree with liberal positions on almost everything.
And I only wish 95% of Americans wanted to vote.
oops - that "like" was in error.
95% of people who cite 95% as a statistic have pulled it out of their butt.
Another temporary escapee from WackoWorld. Best get back home, fathead, your sheep miss you.
So I'm not the only one. I first registered Republican. Then I got out in the real world, met real hardworking Americans and got an education. I'm now what some would call a fascist lefty.
"the left-wing Media Matters"
And The Daily Bawler is run by Tucker Carlson who was fired from CNN and can't even hold a job on Faux News.
Are you kidding me? Carlson's so bad he's on double-secret probation at the Caller, and it's his own damn shop.
Did you see him make an ass of himself on Hardball last night? It is becoming clear why they got rid of him.
The entire GOP leadership is either in an advanced state of dementia or is frat boy drunk. There is nothing left to work with there. I assume Armey was booted out of Freedom Works by the Koch Brothers because even the Tea Party crazies could not depend on him to "show up" anymore.
Why should it matter who he is talking to? The truth is the truth.
Exactly. And just look at the actions of their last candidate to see how truth matters for them... oh, wait, make that the last 2.... no, 3 candidates... wait, I'm confused.
Don't think that he ever had any best days :-)
They are being more open, more frequently, more casually, more "chatty" because it's becoming more common. It's being normalized. Few strike back because it doesn't solve anything - it doesn't stop them; it solidifies to them their righteousness. They furrow their brows and blacklist you and your ideas, cutting off grounds for conversion, for you educating them. They've been coddled through this administration.
They're losing their shame. With this, they casually speak of horrible things and people seem to accept it.
It is fairly remarkable to see how many of the further Righties get so uncomfortable under the hot lights of media exposure. It really shows that they are only truly comfortable behind closed doors, with other mostly white, late middle aged men. Behind those doors, I am certain that they laugh, back slap each other, tell jokes about the poor and the brown, and think themselves in charge of everything. But as soon as the curtain is ripped down, the bright light of day reveals them for who they really are: overweight, ugly, sad little men that are afraid of change and the general public.
Best days behind him?! Nonsense. I assure you, gentle peoples, Dick Armey will forever be a fount of buffoonery...
Sincerely,
Former Texan
perefect
"Dick" Armey's best day will be the first snowfall on his grave.
Doesn't Dick Armey always look as if he's about to belch or fart?
Armey's explanation doesn't add up either If he thought he was speaking to Brent Bozell, then, why was he more intent on trashing FreedomWorks than the media. Are we to believe that this was supposed to be a fire side chat with an old friend? Okay, I can believe that, but not for very long. I guess now we know why FreedomWorks no longer desired his services.
Watching these idiots demonstrate in public what asses they are is fun. Piers Morgan had fun the other day with one of the gun nuts ranting about "another 1776." A fat moron who's had so many double cheeseburgers the cholesterol has replaced the blood in his brain.
Armey was a shaking, confused and disoriented nut case on Hardball last night. He didn't have one coherent thing to say but he sure talked alot. He probably wasn't sure who he was talking to at the time.