FreedomWorks Staffers Follow Armey Out
It seems that FreedomWorks is imploding in the wake of Dick Armey's sudden resignation.
It seems that FreedomWorks is imploding in the wake of Dick Armey’s sudden resignation.
Roll Call (“Top FreedomWorks Staffers Depart in Wake of Armey’s Resignation“):
Several top FreedomWorks staffers are leaving the conservative advocacy group in the wake of former House Majority Leader Dick Armey’s resignation, the organization confirmed Tuesday.
Max Pappas, the group’s former vice president for public policy and government affairs, has left the organization, and Brendan Steinhauser, director of campaigns, will depart on Friday. Two of his staffers, Amanda Shell and David Spielman, have also resigned.
Armey, who served as FreedomWorks’ co-chairman since 2003, cut ties with the group in a tersely-worded email dated Nov. 30. But The Associated Press reported Tuesday morning that the terms of his resignation were set in September under a confidential contract that would compensate him with $8 million in consulting fees, paid in annual $400,000 installments.
Adam Brandon, FreedomWorks executive vice president, said the group was not party to any such agreement and he said the money was not coming from any of the organization’s legal entities, including its super PAC or nonprofits. The contract was negotiated by FreedomWorks board member Richard J. Stephenson, the founder and chairman of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, according to The Associated Press.
I haven’t the foggiest what’s behind this but would be dollars to doughnuts that loyalty to Armey isn’t the driver here. That is: Whatever drove Armey out, not Armey’s leaving itself, has destroyed FreedomWorks,
Yes, it is hard to imagine the creature so degraded as to feel loyalty to Dick Armey.
Not surprising. At the risk of beating a dead elephant, when conservative WASPs come to loggerheads they almost instinctively split apart into smaller groups. Hell, I’d bet dollars to donuts that in Armey’s home town in Texas you’d find at least 3-4 Presbyterian churches within a few square miles of each other. And not because they each have too many parishioners.
How does one get on the Wingnut Welfare Gravy Train? Hell I would be willing to resign from Freedom Works for a hell of a lot less than that.
Proof positive that these Masters of the Universe are a whole lot stupider than they look.
@michael reynolds: I don’t know, his recruiting pitch is pretty hard to resist:
“Join the Dick Army…er, Armey!”
Seriously, though, I can’t wait to learn WTF all this is about.
So the conservatives are beginning to split up and eat their own. Great. Usually it’s the liberals who do the circular firing squad routine. Go, splitters!
I’m wondering if it’s tied up in the organizations intentions to continue challenging incumbent Republicans in primaries. Freedomworks was one of the primary outside forces behind Richard Mourdock, and look how that turned out.
They can take our policy papers! But they shall never have our freeeeeedom!
For some reason or other I have visions of rats and sinking ships. Don’t know why that would be.
@OzarkHillbilly:
My goodness, that is one heck of a golden parachute.
@Doug Mataconis:
I’d bet this was the impetus. It’s interesting to speculate whether Armey was proposing more of the same – i.e., continuing to primary “RINOs” from the right, or if he was in the camp of trying to dial that back because of the failures of Akin, Mourdock, Angle, and what’s her name – the “I am not a witch” person.
@de stijl:
O’Donnell
While wingnuts do well in gerrymandered districts, they obviously don’t do so well in state-wide elections…Democrats can only hope that Republicans continue to insist on purity in their senatorial candidates…this will ensure a Democratic majority in the Senate for some time…
Man I hope these folks can find another wingnut welfare organization to offer them a job. Jobs like that are so hard to find.
Having conned the teaparty rubes with his astroturf organisation Armey now departs with $8 million laughing all way to the bank……never give a sucker an even break