Dick Armey: Obama will hype up ‘outbreak of swine flu’ to get ‘bed-wetters’ to support [HC] reform"

[TomCADem]

In August 2009, Dick Armey was actively trying to spread the right wing talking point that swine flu was over-hyped, which was followed by Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh encouraring their listerners to ignore the government's warnings. Now, this same media is now attacking the President for not doing enough PR to counter the misinformation that was spread. Amazing.

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/08/18/armey-flu-bed-wetters/

###

Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, who is currently one of the leading opponents of health care reform as the head of FreedomWorks, is not above telling lies in his quest to derail President Obama’s reform efforts. In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Armey went further than usual, positing a paranoid conspiracy theory about how Obama will push reform through Congress:

Mr Armey, 69, predicted that the “grassroots” backlash against what he called Mr Obama’s “hostile government takeover of a sixth of the US economy” would cause the reform to fail spectacularly. But he predicted that supporters of reform would attempt to win over the “bed-wetters caucus” – a group of wavering lawmakers who spanned both parties, he said – with a fear campaign in the autumn.

“In September or October there will be a hyped up outbreak of the swine flu which they’ll say is as bad as the bubonic plague to scare the bed-wetters to vote for healthcare reform,” said Mr Armey. “That is the only way they can push something on to the American people that the American people don’t want.”

Armey also told the FT that FreedomWorks does not “recommend” that conservatives disrupt town halls, but the organization’s president has encouraged activists to be “aggressive” while their vice president has refused to try to “calm down” the angry protesters.

###

[Cha]

1. This is just one kind of shit that President

Obama has to deal with.

[butterfly77]

17. And then they pretend that he..

is ignoring one thing or the other when they are trying to slow walk everything until 2010.

[Raster]

2. I know there is no god. However, I would be willing to worship said unrealistic deity forever...

...if he/she/it would only force dickless armey to choke on his own fat tongue.

[pinto]

3. WTF?

Go figure. No wonder his party shuffles toward political oblivion.

[DJ13]

4. So he thinks Obama will copy Bush's non-stop cries of terrorism to get what he wanted?

[AspenRose]

6. Republicans are masters of projection.

[vaberella]

5. Wow, just wow. n/t

[old mark]

7. Whenever I think I have seen the ultimate Republican asshole,

another one comes along who is even worse.
This fucking trash used to be the US House Majority Leader!!!!
I realy believe in the overall stupidity of the American people, but sometimed even I am amazed at it.

mark

[bigdarryl]

8. FAT FUCK!!!

[Arkana]

9. "Dick Armey waved from the back of his limo as his wife, Vagina Coast Guard,

sat by his side."

[uponit7771]

11. Don't foget; Penis Navy, Weiner Airforce

[uponit7771]

10. What a horrible asshole

[Proud Liberal Dem]

12. I actually haven't ever heard President Obama articulate this anywhere

Seems like if he really wanted to, he would've stuck it in his September address but I don't remember him doing it then or at any other time. However, it seemed to take the swine flu epidemic starting at the end of last Spring for the Repubs to stop playing games with the health of our nation and to drop their objections to Kathleen Sebelius being confirmed, which is just nuts but then, well......you know. :eyes: I do think Dick has President Obama confused with other Presidents whom have trumped up imminent threats of doom to get lawmakers and the public to go along with something they wanted done. A certain recent former President comes to mind............

[Arkana]

13. They're saying he's going to do it because it's what they'd have done.

Obama's never attempted to "hype up" the threat of swine flu. For fuck's sake--it's KILLED people!

[Proud Liberal Dem]

16. Of course

They are the grandmasters of projection. Everything that they say Democrats are doing (or plan on doing) is something that THEY are doing or plan on doing----IN SPADES!!!!! In effect, pretty much everytime they accuse Democrats of something, they are giving themselves away.

[grasswire]

14. armey is a plague on humanity

How does he face himself in the mirror each day?

[zulchzulu]

15. Dick Armey is one f*cked up asshat...

[SKKY]

18. And if it brings a solid, robust public option, I'm fine with that.

[SKKY]

19. Dupe Post.

[Brother Buzz]

20. I do believe he's calling republicans ‘bed-wetters’

What a dunderhead!

:rofl:

[burning rain]

21. Primitive, but predictable.

Looks like Armey's trying to neutralize H1N1 as an influence on policy decisions, by portraying it as just demagogy on the part of Obama. Well, as some die, and more incur medical bills they can't afford, I think Armey will come up short. H1N1 also points up the need for paid sick leave nationwide, as many low-income workers simply can't afford to take time off, even when they're very ill, and that poses a public health risk, particularly when--as often they do--the workers in question toil in restaurants.