Former tea party leader blames GOP for setbacks

December 10, 2012 @ 6:32 am

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Republican Party and stupid statements by some candidates are to blame for GOP losses in last month's congressional elections, the former leader of a tea party group said Monday.

Dick Armey, who until recently led the conservative group FreedomWorks, said some GOP candidates said "stupid things" that party leaders should have taught them to avoid saying. He said Republicans had a lot of candidates who did "dumb things" during their campaigns.

Armey, a former Republican House majority leader from Texas, did not specifically mention controversial comments about rape by GOP Senate candidates in Indiana and Missouri that contributed to their defeats in November. Republicans had been hoping to win control of the Senate but ended up losing seats instead, and they lost strength in the House as well.

Armey said it is the party's job to support and train candidates.

He left FreedomWorks after an internal dispute about the group's direction.

Armey made his remarks on "This Morning" on CBS.


(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Comments (13)


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  • CH wrote...
    * Former tea party leader blames GOP for setbacks . . . .
    December 10, 2012 5:13 am
    now that there is funny. Setbacks?
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  • It's me! Ha ha! wrote...
    "Dumb thing"?
    December 10, 2012 6:43 am
    Yea some people said some things that were not very intelligent and that may have helped the Useful Idiots in this nation re immac their Dear Leader Obama. At least we Americans do have some say in our party and what they say and do. Not always but most of the time.

    I will say this, we may have had some stupid statements, recordings made when nobody should have been recording and out of context quotes and Liberal lies but the most stupid of things that anyone did was done by you Useful Idiots and re immac your Dear Leader Obama. That was truly the Dumbest thing that was done in the history of our nation. this totally trumps the first dynasty of the Dear Leaders first four years of immaculation.

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  • forbes wrote...
    Dumb thing
    December 10, 2012 4:40 pm
    Sometimes brevity can be your friend as is spell check.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CldWtrSrf wrote...
    Hey It's me!
    December 12, 2012 7:13 am
    The Republican Party or the Democrat Party aren't "our party" as you assert. That is unless you are indeed a FASCIST and a Totalitarian as I've thought before. Both the Republican and the Democrat Parties are the SAME Party, the Party of Bankers and Wall Street, Fascists Corporations and Police State. Wake up buddy!!
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  • longwayhome wrote...
    Motto for republicans in 2012
    December 10, 2012 8:09 pm
    Dumb things! I like it! And they continue to stumble and stammer and step on their neckties to try and explain WHY they lost so badly all across the board in 2012. It's because they are a step behind everything that goes on in this country. This isn't the '60s anymore.
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  • wsualumn wrote...
    Thanks To Ha Ha
    December 10, 2012 10:15 pm
    For being on The GOP side of things. Guys like you make me proud not to be voting with you and your rhetoric. I wish that Fox News would hire you as one of their spokesman.
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  • Forrest wrote...
    "some GOP candidates said "stupid things" that party leaders should have taught them to avoid saying"
    December 11, 2012 8:05 am
    The GOP candidates were just saying what they (and the GOP party leaders) truly believe. That's why they were rejected by thinking people.
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  • FormerMarineSgt wrote...
    It's funny how the Tea Party folks are blaming everyone except themselves....
    December 11, 2012 10:44 am
    The Tea Party folks think that for some reason the American people are or will be overwhelmingly on thier side, but the politicians are getting in the way of thier message.... That in the face of poll after poll after poll that shows that the Tea Party extremism and absolutism is absolutely not what the majority in America want. Yes, the majority in America wants to cut the deficit, reduce spending and so on, but they also want it done in a balanced manner WHILE protecting certain programs. The tea party wants 'do have it done the tea party way only' and rejects everything that isn't 'of the tea party'. These leaders really need to look at what people want and stop this blind allegiance to thier own rhetoric. I am all for cutting spending and reducing the deficit in reasonable ways. I'd like to see the deficit reach ZERO. But I'm not going to demand that the only way that I can be done is 'MY' way.
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  • CupofJoe wrote...
    well Big Sarge it sounds to me like anyone who does not...
    December 11, 2012 10:37 pm
    agree with your ideology is an extremist; yet another overly misused and cliched term by those on the left. The GOP and the Tea Party need to learn that you aren't going to win an election by addressing real issues head on. The voting public in general cannot stomach the truth of our economic situation and what has to be done. You have to promise everything to everyone and entertain in the process. It doesn't hurt if you have every media outlet minus one and Hollywood in your pocket. That's not going to happen if you're a conservative, so might as well accept that fact...OK, let's start by taxing the rich at let's say xx%, now what? It's not enough to solve the our budget woes. Where do we start cutting or overhauling? What is reasonable? I'll make the first suggestion. We all know somebody that is taking advantage of welfare, food stamp, or unemployment benefits. No dummy, not that disabled, elderly, or other wise needy person that it was intended for. I'm talking about that sorry sack of entitled suds sitting around, beating the next level of Call of Duty, getting drunk, thinking of a good excuse to get his/her green card. That person has no business being on the rolls...(to be cont.)
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  • CldWtrSrf wrote...
    Former Marine Sgt....
    December 12, 2012 7:17 am
    You act as if the Tea Party hasn't been completely co-opted by the Republican Party, therefore it has been co-opted by the very same people/corporations/banks that run both the Democratic AND Republican Parties. Just in case you haven't realized this yet, both Parties are run by the very same Masters.
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  • It's me! Ha ha! wrote...
    Poser and the rest of you Parrots.
    December 11, 2012 12:54 pm
    Blame us Americans for what? It is you Useful Idiots who did exactly what you were programmed to do and re immac your Dear Leader. We wanted to change all of this but could not!

    You mindless fools have condemned the rest of us to four more years of your Obama Utopian regime.

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  • wsualumn wrote...
    You Love to Say "Us Americans."
    December 11, 2012 7:12 pm
    Great grammar. You also said that "we Americans" will see the end of Obama in 2012. Wrong! You seem to feel as though you speak for the masses, but the masses spoke out against you and your rhetoric. It was done overwhelmingly. Obama had 232 electoral votes and 52% of the votes, which according to Fox News would have been a landslide for Romney with 310 electoral votes. They now seem to feel that Obama didn't win by a landslide. And where do you get your rhetoric?
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  • longwayhome wrote...
    Go back in your basement room
    December 11, 2012 7:11 pm
    With a needle and a spoon, come back in four more years and see history repeat itself. I can tell its the idiot is slowing down, maybe its the energy drinks that make him hyper, and then we don't hear from him for awhile. Up and down, up and down, sort of wears on a guy. Try meditation, deep breathing, take a walk somewhere, but get over your big bad self. You guys LOST. It's OVER! You can go home now.
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