Dick Armey Fighting Obama On Health Care Reform

Roughly 15 years after he helped lead the charge against Hillary Clinton's attempt to revamp the health care system, former Majority Leader Dick Armey finds himself once again in fierce opposition to a White House's reform effort.

On Wednesday, the group FreedomWorks, which Armey chairs, launched a major campaign against what it deemed to be the "secret socialized medicine provision" in President Barack Obama's budget.

Pointing to the hundreds of billions in funds allotted for a "down payment" on health care reform, FreedomWorks warned that: "this money would no doubt be used to centralize health care decisions with bureaucrats in Washington and expand bankrupt entitlements programs."

"Knowing that it will be hard to socialize medicine, Congress is seeking to avoid a debate by inserting language in the budget bill to circumvent traditional debating procedures in order to sneak government-run healthcare through Congress."

It is a different type of opposition effort from the one Armey helped spearhead from inside government -- in which he famously deployed confusing, Byzantine-like charts to underscore the bureaucratic growth inherent in Clinton's plan. Nevertheless, there is historical symmetry.

FreedomWorks will be robocalling its member list, as well as launching a lobbying campaign to fight the inclusion of the health care reserve fund in the budget and the use of reconciliation to pass reform.

The targets included Blue Dog Democrats in the House and moderates in the Senate. Names listed include Democratic Sens. Jeff Bingaman (NM), Byron Dorgan (ND), Kent Conrad (ND), Tim Johnson (SD), Ben Nelson (NE), Claire McCaskill (MO), Blanche Lincoln (AR), Mark Pryor (AR), and Jim Webb (VA).

Comments

[PhilipTaylor]

Dick Armey Lobbying Connections: $Millions in Funding from Healthcare, Big Pharma, and Insurance

Armey’s FreedomWorks is actively organizing against health care reform. Armey’s lobbying firm represents pharmaceutical companies, such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, that oppose comparative effectiveness research in the health reform plan because such a program may cut into revenue for branded drugs.

Armey’s lobbying firm represents the trade group for the insurance industry.
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/14/lobbying-clients-teaparties/

Slate Magazine reports, Citizens for a Sound Economy boasted a long history of "Astroturf" lobbying mostly an "extension of Armey's lobbying work."

Quinn Gillespie $18 Million Lobbyist, a onetime aide to Republican House Dick Armey.

John Merrigan, DLA Piper, with $46 million in annual lobbying revenues and some 40 active lobbyists boasting former House leader Dick Armey.

[Hope Lives]

We absolutely have to get other people elected to these Senate and House seats as they come up.. Every republican will have to face a well funded Democrat and thousands upon thousands of people ready to call any state they need to in order to unseat a blue dog or a republican. I think they think that we don't know who they are. They block healthcare and think that we will blame it on President Obama. Do they not realize how much we are in touch with each other anymore? This is one, untied nation and we are not united behind the truly bizarre republicans, who seem to have a collective mental illness. I think a lot of people learned this time why, to get anything done, you have to have a Democratic President and a real Democratic Congress (blue dogs are just republicans who are big losers like Evan Bayh and Joe Lieberman). I mean I laughed out loud... if you want to signal to the nation that you are a heavyweight what you do is convince Lieberman to be on your team....

[stevi]

This is just one more millionaire with disdain for those of us who aren't. Another repub who wants to keep that poverty stricken lower class of workers who will stay down and allow the righteous rich to continue their reign of terror over the rest of us. We, the masses, who want education, health care, housing, good jobs, a better life for our children are, as I assume he sees it, not entitled, and never going to be.

I do believe it's over for these hypocrite philistines, but their screaming continues. I expect that as the end draws nearer the screaming will get louder.

[Beka13]

He can try but the MAJORITY of the American people have spoken....­WE WANT HEALTHCARE AND A GOVERNMENT THAT DOESNT ALLOW US TO SINK.

[Hope Lives]

Unfortunately, it could work one more year. In 2010 there won't be enough republicans or blue dog (fake) democrats left to vote what they get for lunch. We must have Obama and he must have a Democratic Congress so that we can get all of the things we need.

[goodog]

Unfortunately, a lot of departing Republicans are being replaced by blue dog Democrats.

We see them already opposing re-regulation and any kind of remedy for healthcare.

[iamvalid]

When will Texas ever run out of Dicks?

[lunchlady]

I bet this guy is getting some $$$$$ from the big players in medicine-f­or-profit. The health care system produces wealth for lots of people and they are going to fight to keep the system as profitable for them as it has been, or even more. The insurance companies also don't want things to change if it means any lost revenue for them. And the drug companies.

[Dystopic]

the hospitals are all for national healthcare - more patients.

[HST]

He certainly lives up to his first name.

[LynnW49]

"secret socialized medicine provision"

Once again, false witness, hypocrisy, lies.

[mmgbizgirl]

Won't happen.

[TrooAmerican]

Isnt DickArmey the new name for the GOP?

[zola77]

LOL!

My tea is splattered all over my keyboard now. Please warn me next time...

[Beka13]

AWESOME!

[TheBaffler]

He doesn't have to worry, Mr. Change is as committed to health care reform as he is the to the reform of our financial institutions.

[Tommygun264]

So when health care reform passes, you'll be on here apologizing, right? Or will you just open a new account under yet another Profile ID and act as though you never made this statement.

By the way, it's President Obama - derisive names like "Mr. Change" just make you look petty and sad.

[TheBaffler]

I will enthusiastically apologize if significant reform is passed. Will you do the same when it doesn't? If they pass anything, it'll be the kind "reform" Bubba gave to welfare, the kind Mr. Change has given to the financial sector.

[OurKoan]

Can we trade Puerto Rico for Texas?

[SamEllison]

I'll take a place to be named later!
Besides we already have Puerto Rico.

[Dystopic]

screw you.

[lj9283]

Heres what the Chamber of Commerce, AARP, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, America’s Health Insurance Plans, and about 13 other groups (along with some Blue Dog democrats) have come up with oposing the Obama discussion:

http://www.advamed.org/NR/rdonlyres/42134469-D897-4AE8-B48E-DBB46B84255F/0/HRDCommonGroundFINALEMBARGOED32709.pdf

They are looking to kick the Obama dialogue off the tracks.

[SurrealPumpkin]

Yay! more vouchers. Is it going to be like school vouchers where money goes to schools that can expel kids putting them back into a public system that is short the voucher dollars?

The April Fools Budget certainly reads as though that's what they plan.

Don't they ever give up?

[SurrealPumpkin]

AARP needs to remember who it represents.

I pull my membership except I did that during the Medicare Part D fiasco and never bothered to renew. Rats!

[Tommygun264]

AARP is an insurance company, nothing more - they just have a more successful ad campaign. Like all insurance companies, AARP represents their bottom line first.

[kustom]

AARP is a joke I dropped my membership at the same time and throw all there mail in the trash.

[alguien]

because everything works so well now when our healthcare decisions are in the hands of bureaucrats in insurance companies, right?

[mad1nola]

The main argument against gov't run health care is that health care will be rationed. Well, for those who don't have any coverage, rationing is a pretty good alternative!

[SurrealPumpkin]

It's already rationed. My brother is refusing to go to the Doctor, even though he knows he's sick, because he can't afford the co-pay for all the tests.

Rationing.

[Dystopic]

Death by Spreadsheet.

HMOs are by definition rationers of health care