Bill Moyers: Tea Party Organizer Is Epitome Of Privilege (VIDEO)

This exclusive clip is from the latest episode of "Bill Moyers Journal," which airs tonight. In the episode, Moyers goes after FreedomWorks Chairman Dick Armey -- one of the key figures using large industry donations to fund "Tea Party" rallies around the country, such as the the 9/12 march in Washington DC last week.

"Here's the catch," Moyers says after showing video clips with protesters decrying "the lies" coming from the Obama administration. "Something these marchers who came to Washington at Armey's urging could hardly be expected to know. For most of his adult life, their leader has benefited from just the kind of government tax-supported health care he's fighting to keep them from having too."

It's a fascinating run down of Armey's adult life working in universities and for the government, made comfortable and secure by state-funded health care -- "the Cadillac of coverage."

"Dick Armey is the epitome of those people with power and privilege who are insured against the vicissitudes of life and want no government assistance for any suffering except their own," Moyers says.

Comments

[ThePantaloon]

02:53 PM on 09/21/2009

Adult Screen Actors Guild Protests Republican Teabaggers

http://www.thepantaloon.com/

[Wuud52]

01:49 PM on 09/21/2009

How to fix health care-

1. Float a few diverse options from all sides.
2. Take out the options most loved by Insurance Companies
3. Take out the options most loved by the Drug Companies
4. Take out the options most loved by politicians that make more than 30% of their campaign donations from drug and insurance companies.
5. Write up everything that is left into a bill, sign and deliver.

[profitforless]

01:16 PM on 09/21/2009

I will watch * sets TIVO *

[mrcontinental]

12:56 PM on 09/21/2009

As always Bill Moyer does an excellent job. He is perhaps the only true "journalist" that we have left and the true no spin zone.

[Matrsnot]

10:17 PM on 09/26/2009

No spin? More like a tornado.

[jsijason]

12:43 PM on 09/21/2009

This is one of the people who believes the end justify the means when it comes to lying to the public and fueling the hysteria some of these protesters believe in.

[chrisreadabook]

12:28 PM on 09/21/2009

What minute fraction of the teabaggers who watch Glenn Beck will EVER see Mr. Moyers' report?

[gottagonow]

11:37 AM on 09/21/2009

What's wrong with privilege?

[ebanks84]

10:52 AM on 09/21/2009

Dick Armey is a neocon elite, one of the Bush boys and will always speak for "money" not for "we, the people".

His hands are all in the medical conglomerates and I'm sure he's making a mint to keep things as they are. And all those ill-informed teabaggers are only helping him to keep his own stuff. They are too ignorant to even realize that what they're doing is stabbing themselves in the back instead.

They were too ignorant to even get the message from the supposedly "rich group" across the street who were egging them on to keep protecting their money.

I truly believe ignorance has overwhelmed America. Our common sense has taken a hike and our knowledge of health care period is outrageously stupid. I have no idea what kids are learning in college these days or what their parents are teaching them about the world. Whatever it is, we are making dumber people every year.

It's a "no wonder" they hate Obama so much. They are too stupid to even realize he is trying to help them. What a mess we're in.

[PanBaccha]

10:49 AM on 09/21/2009

Bill Moyers ... one of America's last remaining journalists!

[ebanks84]

10:54 AM on 09/21/2009

The ONLY remaining journalist if you ask me. I don't even know anyone else close to his expertise and truthfulness.

[jsijason]

12:41 PM on 09/21/2009

Absolutely.

[2sunny]

09:58 AM on 09/21/2009

My Hero citizen & fact check reporter = Bill Moyers = once again, on target !

[henrymiller212]

07:17 AM on 09/21/2009

okay here is the deal. all the people that have come out against healthcare, already have healthcare.
where are the tens of millions of people that do not have healthcare? in prison? no, they have healthcare of sorts. maybe a rally of these folks can be arranged somehow. and then fox news can not cover the story and maybe blame acorn. mr. moyers you hit it out of the park with your piece on dick armey.

[punkindmb]

09:15 AM on 09/21/2009

I think the millions of uninsured can't afford to take off a full day. Most have, "don't work, don't get paid" type jobs. I'm sure the money behind the protests are providing free travel to and from, but not a days pay.

[figneutron]

05:38 AM on 09/21/2009

The Tea Party crowd seems to be mostly elderly poorly educated lower-class parochial tradition-bound white people who are in a panic about too rapid and too extensive cultural, social, and economic change. They are correct when they cry that their America is being dismantled to be replaced by something boundless, inchoate, and alien ("un-American," "socialist," etc.)! But who gave them ownership of this society? Simply put, the right-wing position is a lost cause. Nothing can stop the relentless global tidal wave of change produced by such agents as changing demographics, the liberation of women, the empowerment through industrialization of heretofore agricultural and commodity economies, and the acceleration of both the pace and expansion of technological progress. Yes, we're on a runaway train, but where are we going?

[ebanks84]

10:57 AM on 09/21/2009

And what country do they want back. The country that Bush tried to annihilate? Is that what they want? Those people are so brainwashed that they can't even see straight. All they see is a supposed foreigner has taken over their country and trying to turn them into hitlerites or whatever. It's so stupid what they believe. It's like they've lost all reality of what American is truly supposed to be. I'm appalled at their ignorance.

[PhilipTaylor]

03:21 AM on 09/21/2009

Republicans have it RIGHT! We need Health Care Competition with Internet Exchange so 100% of Americans can compare 1,300 Insurers on Total Cost, deductibles, coverage, co-pays, etc.

Democrats have it RIGHT! We need a STRONG Medicare Public Option as part of that Internet Exchange!

Baucus has it WRONG! Isolates 180 Million people from having a CHOICE of employer Coverage or buying through the Internet Exchange!

If 0BAMA agrees with Baucus then 0BAMA is also WRONG!

If Medicare is ranked with the 1,300 Insurers by ANNUAL COST then Medicare will more frequently than NOT be the Best Plan (Top in the Sorted List) so competition will be the key to having a market!
_______________

COMPETITION with Private & Public Options = Lower COST Health Care for ALL

Insurers will have to lower prices and increase coverage to compete! That will be the best way to insure Innovation and lower costs!

NO Rejections of any kind by Insurers!

[ProudMilVet]

01:04 AM on 09/21/2009

I have seen Dick Armey being interviewed on various news outlets. He is absolutely cold hearted. I also remember reading an interview he gave i believe in 1994 when the Republicans had their "Contract with America." He said the first thing he does when he gets up in the morning is think of how to make Life miserable for Democrats. How Sad ! He also had some political debate on Cnn with Joan Walsh of Salon Magazine i believe. She was being very respectful in her disagreements with him but he apparently does not like differences of opinion. He finally told her "Boy i'm glad your not my wife, where i would have to listen to your Prattle all day." Yeah, Classy Guy !

[Philclock]

03:09 AM on 09/21/2009

So what's new? Nancy "Cry me a River" Pelosi and the Democrats, doing everything in their power to make life miserable for the un-anointed (ie, Not Democrats)?

I watched the entire interview on Youtube. Both Ms. Walsh and Mr. Armey were expressing their opinions, so what's the problemt? If Mr. Armey was making a snide comment about Ms. Walsh's delivery, Ms. Walsh made snide comments about Mr. Armey, his presumed association with the Republican Party, and their presumed association with Rush Limbaugh.

Chris Matthews asked them for comments on Rush Limbaugh's radio show where Rush opined that the main stream media wants us all to "grab our ankles and help Obama succeed, because he's the first black president". Joan then says "Did one person, one Republican apologize to Obama for that disgusting comment", without mentioning that Rush is NOT a spokesman for the Rebublican party, then continues with "President Obama has a mandate for change, your (Armey's, I suppose) people are standing in his way..." and "Rush Limbaugh is making ridiculous statements, and Republicans are crawling to him and groveling, and that's the state of our economyn and the world right now, Representative Armey, and it's sad." Whereupon Mr. Armey retorted, "I am sure damn glad that you don't have to be my wife, because I sure wouldn't want to listen to that prattle from you every day."

Ms. Walsh sounds as opinionated and cold hearted as Mr. Armey.

[viewfromuphere]

08:56 AM on 09/21/2009

and absolutely nothing in the above post addresses the basic premise of Moyer's clip
that this man has benefited from govenment programs most of his adult life but can't see why someone like yourself ought to get the "priviledge" too.

[donniebnyc]

09:01 AM on 09/21/2009

How odd that the repubs always say rush is "NOT" the leader of their party, but every time one of them speaks out against him within 24 hours they are grabbing their ankles and begging forgiveness.

Rush is your leader and main spokesman. Just admit it and admit how low your party has sunk.

[PamperedHousecat]

12:48 AM on 09/21/2009

Did LBJ keep appeasing the democrats and republicans who opposed the Great Society, Medicare, Medicaid, the Civil Rights Bill, the Voting Rights Bill??
NO,NO,NO,NO,NO,NO,NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He believed that this was the time public support was on his side, and he didn't care if the opposition, supported these bills or not.
The main thing that kept Lyndon Baines Johnson from being regarded as a one of our great presidents was the Vietnam War. But his domestic policy ROCKED!!!!!!!!!!!!

BARACK!!!!!! READ YOUR "BIBLICAL" HISTORY! STOP TRYING TO MELT PHAROAH'S HEART (aka the Republican Party). IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!!!!!!

DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO, AND WITH GOD'S HELP IT WILL SUCCEED!

[ebanks84]

11:02 AM on 09/21/2009

Ain't that the truth. Just do it! The people will realized AFTER it's done the benefits of WHAT was done. Right now, stupidity abounds among us!