Tea Party group pays out $8 million for Dick Armey to leave

[lastlib]

Source: San Jose Mercury News

WASHINGTON (AP) — Eased out with an $8 million payout provided by an influential GOP fundraiser, former Republican House Majority Leader Dick Armey says he has left a conservative Tea Party group, FreedomWorks, because of an internal split over the group’s future direction.
A confidential contract obtained by The Associated Press shows that Armey agreed in September to resign from his role as chairman of Washington-based FreedomWorks in exchange for $8 million in consulting fees paid in annual $400,000 installments. Dated Sept. 24, the contract specifies that Armey would resign his position at both FreedomWorks and its sister organization, the FreedomWorks Foundation, by the end of November.
According to the contract, Armey’s consulting fees will be paid by Richard J. Stephenson, a prominent fundraiser and founder and chairman of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, a national cancer treatment network. Stephenson is on the board of directors of FreedomWorks.
Armey’s departure comes as a new sign of acrimony in conservative and Republican ranks as the party’s bruised leadership struggles with its November electoral losses and uncertainty over how to recast its principles and issues to compete with an ascendant Democratic party.


Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/politics-national/?third_party=tea-party-group-pays-out-8-million-to-departing-leader-ex-rep-dick-armey

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Good riddance to bad rubbish. Hate to see Armey get rich this way, but at least it's $$ they won't be spending against us.

[struggle4progress]

1. Note to self: (1) start wacko wingnut group; (2) raise wacko wingnut $$$ for group;

(3) throw wacko wingnut hissy fit until wacko wingnut group is willing to pay millions of $$$ for exit; (4) leave graciously with millions of $$$ from wacko wingnut group

[kelliekat44]

34. And they worry about how the government spends their money? nt

[bemildred]

2. Nice parachute: $400,000 for twenty years. nt

[JHB]

4. To mere mortals, that's known as "set for life"

[bemildred]

6. One year of that would fix me up. nt

[sarcasmo]

29. +1

[sulphurdunn]

16. He's 72.

Rumor has had it for many years that he's pickled most of the time. I don't think he'll be around to collect all or even most of it.

[Dokkie]

32. My guess is that

he will be calling JG Wenthworth for a cash settlement instead of waiting 20yrs

[KamaAina]

3. A buyout. Like a crappy football coach.

[TheCowsCameHome]

5. Too bad it wasn't $800 mil.

Enough to bankrupt that lousy bunch of teabaggers until eternity.

[Moonwalk]

7. Next Time Tea Baggers complain about those who take "handouts"....

[libodem]

9. yep

[Berlum]

26. Tinkly Winkly Teabagger Socialism (R). As usual.

[Dokkie]

33. Its govt handout

its govt handout that they are against.

[cosmicone]

8. I'd refuse to join for a 10th of that .. any takers? n/t

[julian09]

10. Hope it didn't come out of cancer treatment center fund.

Same purpose I guess, could have.

[Spirochete]

11. He's even too much

of a scumbag for the tea party? I guess that doesn't surprise me. He is definitely a POS.

[jmowreader]

22. That scumbag started the tea party, and don't you forget it

What I think's happening here is the conservative high-ups that actually run the tea party promised those guys they'd have a majority in the Senate, a strengthened majority in the House and Rubber Stamp Romney to sign off on any damn thing the teabaggers wanted. (Basically, all that shit Ted Nugent talked about in his latest foaming-at-the-mouth screed, and more.) They didn't get it at all--they've got a House majority so tenuous it's possible they'll lose it next election, a strengthened Democratic majority in the Senate, and the guy they were formed to hate still in the White House. So they're pissed and they're taking it out on their founders. In the South they say ya dance with the one what brung ya; apparently the South has drained completely out of the 'baggers because Armey and Rove are the ones that brung 'em...Rove has been PNG'd off Fox and Armey PNG'd out of FreedomWorks.

(PNG is a diplomatic term that means 'persona non grata.' It's the term used when a country throws a foreign nation's ambassador out.)

[OriginalGeek]

12. double poop

was beat to the punch. I Should read all the replies first. lol

[marble falls]

13. Cha-ching! I love politics!

[Hassin Bin Sober]

14. Tea party got tea-bagged. Again.

[tanyev]

15. Tea Party 'grassroots' group fleeced by leader?

Priceless.

[mzteaze]

17. Can

someone explain how a "grassroots" org has the funds to pay out $8Million.

can we say astroturfing?

[underpants]

18. So you can pay to get rid of cancer?

sounds like that is what Stephenson is doing

[Kolesar]

28. I want you to prepare me a very dry joke

With a metaphorical garnish!

[NICO9000]

19. These people sure know how to feather their nests, don't they?

[LaPera]

20. So much fun....to watch republicans still wasting millions of dollars and it won't stop LOL!

[Rain Mcloud]

21. Paid by Cancer Patients

via Richard J Stevenson founder and chairman of Cancer Treatment Centers of America.
Now We know where all that money comes from to support this undeniably AstroTurf Organization.
We need to lean on the DOJ for an investigation.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

31. Is that the outfit that advertises on TV all the time?

I was wondering why I was seeing those ads.

http://www.cancercenter.com/

[TomCADem]

23. Right Wing Grassroots Sure Is Lucrative!

[Historic NY]

24. In other words they bought him off.....

teabaggers fleeced again by the rich.

[Ganja Ninja]

25. So the Dick Army loses it's head and it's only going to cost them $8 million.

[Blandocyte]

27. The vested interest for the tea party group would be profit$ from health care?

Assuming that from the name of the fundraiser's for-profit healthcare biz. There must be an enormous amt of money to be made for the biz guy donors/fundraisers to be willing to throw millions at buying politicians to support favorable positions on issues.

[blueclown]

30. If you have a choice, never go to Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

The Mayo Clinic and Sloan-Kettering are better choices.

[ThoughtCriminal]

35. Wow, that's more than it cost Auburn to get rid of Gene Chizik

I could give bad advice for less than a million.