Dick Armey, the former Republican House majorty leader who's not currently making an ass out of himself on Dancing with the Stars, was in Palm Beach Gardens today speaking to teabaggers, um, Tea Party activists.
According to the Palm Beach Post, Armey told the crowd of conservative activists to keep up the fight against health care and then begin preparing for a showdown on cap-and-trade legislation. "We've got the bad guys on the run," Armey said. Yes, people who want to fix America's near-broken health-care system and save our environment are "bad guys."
Armey urged activists to pressure Democratic Florida Sen. Bill Nelson not to support the reconciliation approach. If he does, Armey said, "he's going to be in big trouble in the polls. It's not right."
He warned supporters the Democrats might use a process called "budget reconciliation" to pass the health-care legislation without the possibility of a filibuster.
The Palm Beach Post for some reason calls it "rare," but Republicans attempted it four times during George W. Bush's presidency -- three times to pass massive tax cuts for the wealthy (successfully), and a third to try to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling (unsuccessfully).
Armey is president of FreedomWorks, a conservative group that has been accused of encouraging protesters to act rowdy during health-care town halls. Until recently, Armey also worked as a lobbyist for DLA Piper, a firm that has represented businesses that wouldn't exactly benefit from health-care reform. He stepped down from the firm in August.
Armey will continue his tour of Florida by hitting up the Renaissance in Coral Gables tonight from 6 to 8.
