Posted on 03/29/2010 11:44:50 AM PDT by AuntB
I have wonderful, grass-roots friends at Freedomworks.
Dick Armey is not one of them.
He’s a clueless promoter of bailout-happy, big government Republican Sen. John McCain. And Armey’s a blowhard-y Beltway dinosaur who can’t resist shooting off his mouth and alienating the Tea Party base while criticizing other conservatives of alienation. At the National Press Club to promote the D.C. protest against Demcare, Armey veered off into a liberal platitude-littered rant against conservatives who believe in strict enforcement of our immigration laws.
Armey singled out former Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo and bragged about censoring him while they served in the House together:
Former Republican House leader Dick Armey said staunch anti-immigration opponents such as Rep. Tom Tancredo are destructive to Republicans — and are alienating a “natural” constituency that could help the party win elections.
“Who in the Republican Party was the genius that said that now that we have identified the fastest-growing voting demographic in America, let’s go out and alienate them?” Armey said, referencing Hispanics, during a luncheon in Washington at the National Press Club.
“When I was the majority leader, I saw to it that Tom Tancredo did not get on the stage because I saw how destructive he was,” Armey said of the Colorado congressman and 2008 Republican presidential candidate known for his opposition to illegal immigration.
Armey said “this is a nation of immigrants” and “if you love America, love freedom” and if you will work and pay taxes, you should be welcome in the country.
The “nation of immigrants” mantra has been addressed many times on this blog — history lessons here and here. Just like all the other open-borders zealots who smear those of us who believe in strict immigration enforcement and control, Armey whitewashes the distinction between legal and illegal.
Since when are illegal Hispanic aliens the “natural” constituency of the Republican Party? See also: Debunking open-borders myths and Whither the Hispanic vote?
Tancredo was on the right side of the illegal alien shamnesty debate from day one — and as John Derbyshire noted in defense of Tancredo, “Tom stood up for our national sovereignty, for the integrity of our borders and the enforcement of our laws, when most Republican politicians were weaseling on those issues (as too many still are). I’ll honor him for that.”
NumbersUSA details Armey’s pro-amnesty record. It’s abysmal.
In boasting about exercising his Beltway power to keep folks like Tancredo off the stage, Armey embodies everything the Tea Party movement is supposed to stand against — top-down control, political hubris, silencing of dissent. With “friends” like Dick Armey, who needs enemies?
Caveat emptor.
***
The open-borders lobby will march on Washington this Sunday. Perhaps Armey can serve as an honorary grand marshal, with his good friends John McCain and Lindsey Graham leading the feckless GOP contingent.
***
Related reading from Tancredo: Republicans and the Hispanic Vote: Inconvenient Facts for Amnesty Proponents
More here: http://towncriernews.blogspot.com/search?q=dick+armey
I wanted to support Freedom Works in my search for at least one grassroots activist organization that is serious and effective. Now, I’ll have to give it second thoughts.
Seriously, can we keep this guy a million miles away from the Tea Party events? I don’t know when he became attached, but he’s always trying to look like the head of the movement...I can’t stand this bstrd and I am pretty sure I am not alone.
He has that first name for a reason........
Seeeezzh...It’s getting to be like which Republican do we hate today around here! Dick Armey was one of the leaders of the Contract With America for goodness sakes. Does anybody remember Reagan’s 11th Commandment? If there is one way to guarantee Obummer’s re-election it is with a divided Republican party!
Tancredo was and is correct. Armey is just an open borders RINO Quisling stooge.
Obviously, since Pubbies are now starting to eat each other, it must mean we’re in for a BIG win this Novemeber..they’re just trying to get to the front of the chow line..
Armey and Freedom Works owned the stage at the big 9-12 march in DC. That’s why while the marchers were loudly and clearly saying, en masse, “give us our country back!” the Republican message from the podium was “give us our power back.”
There really is a world of difference between those two messages.
NumbersUSA.com is a great site. I only joined 1 1/2 years ago, and whenever there is a need to write anyone in DC about any issue regarding illegals, your account makes it really easy. I expect this topic to be hot for the next 6 months (especially if they try another cram down)
I remember those days 1994 (16 years ago.) Armey was my #1 hero at the time, with Rush (too). Now he is a huge disappointment with this position. He doesnt have to love JD, but this amnesty stuff will make Obama's dream come true.
I had the misfortune of being sat next to Dick Armey on a flight from Dallas one time (he, of course, was placed into first class like some phony poobah, with airline “security” people coming on board and kissing his tail). He was extremely rude and one of the five biggest jerks I have ever met (I can’t remember the names of the other four).
Heard him a couple of times in the last week. Does he always sound like that now? Is he carrying a flask in his boot these days?
I think that Armey is a funny, genuinely good guy. BUT, he has a willful blindspot withe regards to illegal immigrants. They are an integral part of the Marxist plan to destoy the U.S. No Republican pandered to Hispanics more than Juan McCain, yet they chose to go with the Socialist who offered them one more dollar, by a margin of 2-1. Every immigrant group in every land leaves their own hell, only to vote to reimpose a NEW hell upon themselves in America. Bob
I think that Armey is a funny, genuinely good guy. BUT, he has a willful blindspot withe regards to illegal immigrants. They are an integral part of the Marxist plan to destoy the U.S. No Republican pandered to Hispanics more than Juan McCain, yet they chose to go with the Socialist who offered them one more dollar, by a margin of 2-1. Every immigrant group in every land leaves their own hell, only to vote to reimpose a NEW hell upon themselves in America. Bob
Armey’s sense of entitlement became very apparent when he tried to bequeath his congressional seat to his son. Didn’t work out so well.
“Seeeezzh...It’s getting to be like which Republican do we hate today around here! Dick Armey was one of the leaders of the Contract With America for goodness sakes. Does anybody remember Reagan’s 11th Commandment? If there is one way to guarantee Obummer’s re-election it is with a divided Republican party!”
Look, we were duped. Newt Gingrich was one of the leaders with the Contract with America too, and he’s worse for conservatives than Armey. And if you don’t know that...find out, it’s not difficult if you want the truth.
Shall we continue to support these clowns even when they are exposed????
We might as well be democrats then!
Stop with the 11th commandment crappola. Reagan also said BEWARE of moderates!
“We don’t intend to turn the Republican Party over to the traitors in the battle just ended. We will have no more of those candidates who are pledged to the same goals as our opposition and who seek our support. Turning the Party over to the so-called moderates wouldn’t make any sense at all.”” — President Ronald Reagan “
I guess Dick Armey must have forgotten the 11th Commandment because he sure doesn’t seem to follow it himself, does he?
As much as I admired Pres. Reagan, I don’t agree with everything he said. This “llth Commandment” being one of them.
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Thanks for posting this article, and the other info on Dick Armey.
Armey is one treasonous SOB....seems to be more on the side of the Mexican Drug Cartels than on the side of Americans
Dick Armey is an Anti-American Bigot....and the Tea Party needs to stay far away from him
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