Hat Tip to Radiowalla at Alegre’s Corner for finding this little gem of an exchange between Dick Armey (his name conjures up so many amusing images) and Joan Walsh.
They were discussing Rush Limbaugh’s control over GOP members of Congress when Dick (so appropriate) starts talking over Walsh and finally tells her, “I’m so damn glad you could never be my wife”. I’m guessing that Walsh was equally relieved.
Note that Dick talks over Walsh, snickers and laughs at her comments and is generally dismissive of what she has to say. This is not unusual behavior for men in the workplace but this clip is one of the best examples of the behavior of the species that has been caught on tape.
Yep, guys, we put up with this crap every single day.
Filed under: General | Tagged: Chris Matthews, Dick Armey, Joan Walsh, Rush Limbaugh |
The Confluence 
Those of us who recognize what a disgusting, dismissive, sexist remark he made, are in the minority. Sadly, it’s likely that very few viewers even saw it as such. If he made a similar remark disparaging any minority or ethnic group there would be an outcry. This is the kind of thing we need to call people out for. Thanks for posting it, RD. I’m going to find Dick Armey’s e-mail and let him know what I think.
Good Lord! I wonder who this Republican woman Senator is who supposedly redistributed the Bush tax cuts? And if politics is so “silly” and “innane,” why are these people allowed to control our economic lives?
Fortunately Dick Armey is no longer in Congress. But I found this link.
http://www.freedomworks.org/armey/
Dick Armey was the majority leader of the House in the 1990s. We had to listen to that every day.
Brought from downstairs – now with more graphics
http://edgeoforever.wordpress.com/2009/01/29/and-still-he-didnt-outdo-clinton/
The man is a dinosaur while at the same time being a toad. He actually embarrassed his wife without knowing it. I bet he does that a lot.
His specialty is putting everyone down.
I’ve never forgotten this Dick Armey quote, said to the House Dems about Bill Clinton:
“Your president just isn’t that important to us.”
Boy, Ms. Walsh sure did herself proud. I would have been hard pressed to call him ‘sir’ after that comment. I am sorry that the clip ended there, did Matthews make any acknowledgment of the comment?
Dick Armey, a politician, advises us to not take politicians seriously. Amen to not taking him seriously.
As far as “the wife” comment goes, it shows how he limits women. He sees all women as potential wives. Shudder.
Quote from Wiki:
“In 1998, during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, a reporter asked him what he would do if he were in President Bill Clinton’s position. He replied “If I were in the President’s place I would not have gotten a chance to resign. I would be lying in a pool of my own blood, hearing Mrs. Armey standing over me saying, ‘How do I reload this damn thing?’
Appears Armey is on a short leash.
This is the same shit that the Clintons, especially Hillary, had to tolerate during his term. This mindset was co-opted by TPM and Hardball last year. Now the choose to point something out like this as if they never participated in the same crap.
That clip is super bad & shows what kind of person Dick Armey is — I’m actually glad he actually said it, because about 5 minutes before that (I saw a longer clip on youtube) Walsh says something & Dick just ignores it, urns to Chris and says “Chris, you know . . .” totally dismissing Walsh. I have had that exact same thing happen to me in numerous meetings — I speak, the male opposing counsel ignores what I just says, turns to my male co-counsel and says “Come on Tom . . .” That right there is totally sexist by itself & tells you all you need to know about the guy. However, if Armey hadn’t taken it further with his “wife/prattle” comment none of the Obots would have believed our complaints. Not, I suspect, will they believe us now.
Walsh is/was such a competent journalist, but she never EVER stopped carrying Koolaid for Obama and his lemmings. What she did at Salon was disgraceful; it became a king of thinkers’ DKos.
sorry -KIND of”, not “king”.
I clicked on the link in possibly related… and they show the tape a bit further. Matthews does say “that’s not brattle” , but doesn’t tell Armey that he is a sexist pig.
Honora: ” ………but doesn’t tell Armey that he is a sexist pig.”
Just avoiding a pot/kettle situation.
I just went to Drudge and they have a headline “Breaking: Time Magazine does not have Obama on cover this week. Developing” Too funny.
RD: “Note that Dick talks over Walsh, snickers and laughs at her comments and is generally dismissive of what she has to say. This is not unusual behavior for men in the workplace but this clip is one of the best examples of the behavior of the species that has been caught on tape.”
You’ve got that right! I’m so glad I don’t have to deal with that kind of crap at present. But it’s certainly quite familiar to me. When I saw the photos of those Pharma execs a couple days ago, with the arrogance just dripping off them; I felt so much empathy for you as a serious scientist having to put up this this kind of macho garbage. I can’t find the exact photo, but here’s one:
http://www.courant.com/business/hc-pfizer127.artjan27,0,6447882.story
Army, along with most politicians, is so seriously lacking in appeal on so many levels it is difficult to count. He is so damn full of himself, he thinks that would be the greatest insult he could deliver to a woman….that she couldn’t be his wife!!
As for being on a short lease, purplefinn, I’m thinking he describes his wife’s love and adoration for him based on his own self-image. He probably threatens her constantly with finding someone younger and prettier and smarter, and that’s where the anger in her would be coming from. That ANYONE would marry him is amazing to me.
And furthermore, I saw similar–though not quite as dramatic–behavior by Obama in his debates with Hillary during the primaries.
So a Republican woman Senator is responsible for the economy? Dick is a windbag that likes to hear the sound of his own voice. More troubling is how more and more people believe it is acceptable to behave in a sexist manner. For those who believe that all of the criticism of Clinton and Palin had nothing to do with sexism and misogyny, this is proof that it did. Since the left participated in it and condoned it (including Obama), sexism and misogyny has become the status quo. This is a direct result of those dehumanizing cricticisms of women (in particular Clinton and Palin). This is the result of treating women as objects instead of human beings. Until the dehumanization of women stops, this kind of behavior will continue and grow.
For all of you Obama supporters, thanks for making it harder for women to get ahead. Were those T-shirts saying “Br*s before H*s and Sarah Palin is a c**t” worth it?
Wow! Just wow!
How come Joan always have to take this type of abuse on Hardballs? I think the last interaction I remember was with Chris Hitchens, where that talking ashtray kept condescending on her.
At least she’s quick on her feet and knows how to respond on the spot.
PS1: Speaking of Armies of Dickless, what is his wife like and what does he usually from her?
PS2: Angie, why are you up so early? You’re usually among the last people on when I long into The Confluence at 9 am here.
i wish they’d leave conversations about economics to economists and stop dragging in political journalists and hack politicians. If you’re going to let them opine about that, you might as well use them as ‘experts’ on Teddy Kennedy’s brain cancer also. Forget Dr. Gupta explaining the neurology of brain cancer, let’s here these pundits talk about it like they’re in the know and put it in bipartisan political la la land.
Armey is a jerk. He just talked and talked and talked and said nothing of substance. He just opened his mouth and proved he’s a complete know-nothing. It’s sad when people can get put on News Shows and given air time when they’re this empty-headed.
Here’s the shorter version of Armey’s comment: “I hate women with an intellect and the courage to use it”.
What a POS Dickless Armey is!
OT – I am so angry this morning I can spit! Those jerks went and did it -they actually gave him everything he asked for.
Murphy is asking that we all contact our elected officials and let them know how we feel about it. I took some of her suggestions and some of my own thoughts and sent the following email to my representatives – you might consider doing the same:
dak, I’m afraid Armey was an econ professor before he ran for Congress. That’s my memory, anyway.
The above letter went to my elected officials after having sent them a letter asking that they take time to review O’s proposed “plan” and telling them that I didn’t think it would do the job and that there was too much PORK in it.
I feel very little sympathy for Joan after she turned Salon into a vipers nest. I was actually more heartbroken over what happened to Salon (which was my homepage since The Florida threads at Table Talk & I actually paid for a subscription) than I was over what happened at DailyKos (where I always had to watch my tongue)
Sure, Armey is a creep. But, so is Joan.
MaBlu – it’s probably “always Joan” because she is so quick on her feet and can hold her own in those conversations.
Katiebird,
I paid for a subscription to Salon for years too. No longer.
katiebird and BB, did you get an email from Salon asking why you cancelled? I did because I think I was one of their oldest (as in time not my actual age) subscribers. I told them I do not pay for propagada. I do not miss it either.
Isolde, I don’t remember. I canceled my subscription a year ago, I think it was before Super Tuesday even.
Katiebird:
Ditto – Joan Walsh became a passive Villager who let the sexism slide during the primaries, unfortunately, she got some of what she was enabling at Salon from DIck.
What did Chris Matthews get out of this. His immediate reaction ,if you saw it live, was disbelief. I guess he thought he was looking in a mirror first and then thought it was funny.
I’m with Kathiebird and BB. I have a difficult time picking winners amongst a pageant of losers. Armey is a dinosaur who should have been carbon emissions years ago, Joan Walsh is a cobra trainer who uses BZero pompoms to work her charms on vipers and Tweety is a spattering nabob who wouldn’t even be a good tapas for a PUMA. It is amazing that Hardball has become famous for men who think about who their next ex-wife might be.
Salon used to be one of few “liberal” sites which offered a haven from the relentless Bush worship in the mainstream media. I used to enjoy reading Conasson and Walsh – till the primaries began. And the magazine who had always stood by the Clinton’s mysteriously began to change its tone. Walsh has written her share of unfair and unflattering articles on Hillary.I have no sympathy for her even if she handled herself well in this instance. I believe it all started with Kos and Huffington poisoning the well in liberal blogostan with their personal hatred of the Bill and Hillary and their efforts to spread it as much as they could.
Clowns, man. Clowns!
ps: perhaps he prefers women who say “ugh” after every word…
It must come in very handy in politics to never actually make a point!
I ugh, think, well, ugh, you know, ugh, well in matters like, ugh, this, ugh, we should just, ugh, well, you know, ugh, call a clown, ugh, a clown when ugh we ugh, realize ugh, that, ummm, ugh, clowns are ugh, you know, clowns.
Hope Salon does a follow up?
They should….
Clowns.
what was DICK implying he would do to his wife to make her STFU?
Ugh. Yes, this is familiar behavior. For all women, but especially for smart women, and women who just won’t shut the hell up.
If you’re tempted to bite into that extra donut this morning, read this and have your appetite removed:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/nyregion/28daba.html?_r=1
I’m not trying to hijack the thread. I bring this up as an example of young women who play into the stereotype that enable coelocanths like Armey.
ps: did he say “prattle” — I was pretty sure I heard that….
I think Dick was implying that he is such a fabulous catch, that any woman in the world would be thrilled to be his spouse. He was implying that his questionner was unworthy of being Mrs. Armey.
Not to defend his boorish behavior, but some men like Armey are secretly scared that (because Armey is so desirable and all) women seek to marry him to use him up in some way. Financially, socially, sexually, etc. Statements like “my next ex-wife” are a tell. Like men who reflexively cover their balls with their hands when they interview Hillary Clinton.
Democrats are talking about reinstating the Fairness Doctrine, a federal regulation that required equal time for the expression of different political views on the public airwaves.
Critics of the move, including many Republicans, say Democrats want to re-impose the Fairness Doctrine to force an end to conservative talk radio.
I will listen to Rush no matter how anyone tries to silence him. The same goes for Laura Ingram and Sean Hannity. I have heard the liberal press gush over Obama far too long.
Like Mr. Afrocity said when our family attacked us for going GOP yet again “Leave us alone. When the right wing looked crazy during the 1980’s we were DEMS. Now the left looks insane, busting into churches, booing presidents and harbors vermin that we would not let our dog eat off the same plate with. This past election was the last straw. We are truly embarrassed that we ever backed this party and sent money to them. The only thing that kept us there was our stance as pro choice. Too bad DNC we won’t be beholden to you on a singular issue anymore”
Arabella
Bingo! That was the thing that struck me in his statement too! “lucky me I wasn’t ensnared by you”.
Michelle Obama is having lunch with Lilly Ledbetter.
Yeh, That’s Favreau’s Daddy in all his splendor!!!
Oh Arabella. My, my.
Let’s see — at 27, the parents are? The Leary Kool Aid Acid Test group?
There is something missing in the “there, there.”
The men are in better shape emotionally than these chicks.
Wow.
Wonder what meds they are on? Plenty, I bet.
How utterly sad. How utterly empty their world is. And, they all look identical! Hmmm… how strange.
Reminds me of an episode when I was teaching a class for adult learners. I had sessions for technique practice with the equipment. I got this gem from a man who kept needing corrections: “My ex-wife was like you.”
WTF? This is a professional situation. Just because the guy apparently can’t handle hearing he’s not doing it right he brings up something from his personal life to try and insult me?
I told him to keep his personal life to himself; no one else was interested in it.
I saw this last night. My husband was flipping between Fox and MSNBC, even though I have banned MSNBC in my house while I am in my house. This was on when I got home from work. This came on and it actually caught my attention b/c they were showing how some Repub was begging for Rush Limbaugh’s forgiveness. I watched it, turned to my husband, and said, “that’s what being a woman in corporate america is like, now turn the effing channel.”
MO and Lilly Ledbetter doing lunch? Poor Lilly.
Obama during speech signing the Ledbetter law: “This is for my daughters”
Gimme a break, your daughters will most likely get $$$ and all sorts of things that they don’t have to work hard for. It turns my stomach that he is grinning like a Cheshire Cat because he is now Mr. Woman’s rights after stepping on women to get where he is today.
Didn’t Hillary work hard to get the Ledbetter act passed? Any chance she was invited to the signing ceremony?
afrocity – I think Obama’s daughters would rather have the pet dog he promised them.
Plural: She re-entered it for a vote not too long ago.
Maybe even this go-round.
Carol Maloney, NY rep, also worked hard on the Lilly Ledbetter Act.
Can we get Carol a Senate seat please?
Off to class. See ya’ll later.
Arabella Trefoil—read that article in the Times, and what shallowness! One woman/girl says “this is not what I signed up for”….maybe we need more marriage ceremonies that say “for better of for worse.”
I’m old enough to remember the women’s consciousness raising groups back in the 70’s. We talked of women’s issues, supported and encouraged each other, grew stronger and more aware. We didn’t dress up and meet in upscale bars…we met I places like church basements, or houses (with minimal refreshments if any.) The important thing was we were doing this together…it was “US” not “ME.” There was no self pity, just hope that we could find ways to change things.
I read about these women, listen to fools like Dick Armey (bleecccchhhh) and I wonder what we really accomplished…..
We must be aware and speak out–and not just on blogs like this. Thanks RD.
That makes two of us Sir, and that was really an outstanding comment.”
BWAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!
What a complete jerk. Typical blowhard, bullying Bush acolyte.
B-bye–don’t let the door hit ya on the way out DICK.
bostonboomer, on January 29th, 2009 at 9:18 am Said:
And furthermore, I saw similar–though not quite as dramatic–behavior by Obama in his debates with Hillary during the primaries.
Very true bb. It used to drive me crazy the way he would hold his finger up and interrupt up repeatedly when she was talking, if she challenged him. Of course Hillary plowed right on, making him look like a spoiled brat.
Robert-
I don’t think anyone here is expressing outrage over Mr. Armey’s disagreement with Ms. Walsh’s point of view. I believe the way he handled it was highly inappropriate and disrespectful, however. He could have simply said, “Joan, you have made your point, and merely repeating it will not make me agree with you.” Instead, he chose to announce that she does not meet his personal standards for a marital partner. It was a personal attack and brought into question her attractiveness as a mate. I believe it was indefensible.
If she has shot back that she couldn’t hear him because everything out of his mouth sounds like a belch to her, that would have been comparable. It was a disrespectful personal attack designed to shut her down. That he used a personal assessment as to her ability to attract a mate is what made it sexist.
Well I have to say liberal women who supported Obama are reaping what they helped sow. They allowed the media and democrat party to do this sort of sexist diversion to Hillary and Palin during the election and now it apparently considered acceptable behavior.
Here is another issue….what does it mean when a butt ugly old man shouts “you could never be MY WIFE” as an insult? What woman would want to be his wife? So obviously there is a cultural problem on the East Coast with female sexuality being seen as coming from male approval or male sexuality. NO . Women own their sexuality with out the approval of any man. This is an important point. These delusional old east coast men need to be neutralized.
Have you east coast women never heard of hunting “accidents” or gun cleaning “accidents”? Some men are too far gone to be rehabbed.
Dick Armey has a long history of being a POS.
“Dick Armey’s “documented conduct along the lines of the President’s” was reported in the May 4, 1995, Dallas Observer. Three women who had been students when Armey was a professor at North Texas State University went on the record to document Armey’s “inappropriate” behavior. Susan Aileen White (who earned a master’s in economics from the institution), Anna Weniger (who subsequently acted as an economist for the New Mexico legislature) and Anne Marie Best (a future economics professor at Lamar University) all took offense at Armey’s inappropriate behavior toward female students. Weniger left the university for several months, partly because of Armey’s actions.
Not all the women at North Texas State were offended by the professor’s advances. Armey’s current (and second) wife had been one of his students.”
http://www.tylwythteg.com/enemies/armey.html
Armey is such a repulsive man, and as noted, so many of his ilk do like to use that “wife” thing to put fellow professionals down — along with :”dear,” “honey,” and pretending they haven’t heard what a woman said, or turning to the man next to them and asking, “did you understand what she said?” Obama, of course, just picked up where some of the older guys left off with his own petty putdowns, including “sweetie” and finger pointing. (I say it all is a sign of weakness.)
Spirit of 76 — We were working together, as you stated so well, to achieve equality. I remember some great seminars for women in the mode of “how can we overcome these problems?” Change our demeanor? Change our language? Change the cadence we use when we speak? Or, was it our soft (or harsh, or whatever) voices? Too feminine? Too masculine? We also addressed the matter of power and how it was used by both males and females to demean someone.
Sadly, although we achieved a few major successes in the legal realm in the 70s, most of the pesky daily obstacles remained. More painfully, this past year has shown us that the path has been going downhill over craggy rocks (sigh).
Actually for those of you who did not see the whole Hardball show after this outburst by Armey they go to break and when they come back to the next segment there is a journalist who is a black man (didn’t notice his name but I have seen him before and he is well spoken) who says “before we go on I want to say that was a shameful sexist outburst and you owe Ms. Walsh and your viewers an apology.” Then he launches into his comments and Matthews looks sheepish.
Alwaysthinking: But it is actually good that the downhill slide is out in the open now. Women need to take back their sexuality not wait for men to bestow it on us. We have let men define sex and they defined our sexuality as serving their needs and developed pornography and then they bombard our young with this nonsense. We need to drown them out. First of all this Playboy mantra that women are not visually inspired sexually is bull shit. Women also need to welcome their own fantasies not have their sexual fantasies restricted to how they can best fit into male sexual fantasies. We do not need to buy product to gain our sexuality. We do not need male approval to gain our sexuality. And we can celebrate the frightening taboo part of our sexuality which is the half where we sit on our average sweatpanted bums and check out hot men who are showing off for us. The concept of some ugly old fart saying something like Armey said to Ms Walsh which he intended to withdraw her sexuality from her is laughable. Controlling and defining sex and our sexuality is a feminist issue.
I’m afraid it means Dick Armey is subconsciously attracted to Ms. Walsh.
Not her fault, of course.
djmm
commenter at Huffpo {shudder} had this to add:
“If you watched the whole broadcast it was clear that the gutless, misogynist Matthews LOVED it until
class act NY Times’ Bob Herbert took him to the woodshed for not excercisesing due diligence by condemning Armey’s comments. He then crawled into the next segament, offered a tepid scolding that couldn’t be more disengenuous. It is clear that women of a certain age need not apply on MSNBC–not as journalists, pumdits,or ESPECIALLY as politicians. The boys’ club is alive and well folks, “change” notwithstanding.”
I am still looking for video of Bob Herbert and Matthews’ “apology.”
That pig Matthews sat there in oblivion. He should be calling this out also.