It's beginning to look a lot like Dick Armey will not pursue re-election!

December 11, 2001 5:41 AM

It's beginning to look a lot like Dick Armey will not pursue re-election! In a potential shake-up to Texas and national politics, House Majority Leader Dick Armey is telling congressional colleagues that he doubts he will run for re-election, one of the Flower Mound Republican's closest confidants said Monday. Rumor has it he will make his announcement on C-SPAN's Washington Journal.
posted by Carol Anne (17 comments total)

From the story: One of Mr. Armey's five children, Scott Armey, is the Denton County judge and sure to be mentioned as a possible successor to his father in Congress.

I went to college at UNT at the same time as Scott Armey and got to know him after he wrote a letter to the school paper threatening to beat people up if they burned a flag in his presence.

He's not a bad guy, if you can get past the true-believer Southern conservatism (he and I butted heads in student government over a proposal to add "sexual orientation" to the school's anti-discrimination statement, and he compared it declaring UNT a school that welcomes child molesters).

I sat in the back of a Spanish class where he and another student, Kirk Wilson, talked about running for office in Denton County. It was very strange to hear people who might otherwise be planning keggers plot the takeover of government. They both won (and continue to win progressively higher offices).
posted by rcade at 6:02 AM on December 11, 2001

It will indeed be a sad loss to our nation if Dick decides not to run again.
posted by Postroad at 7:30 AM on December 11, 2001

MeFiers unfamiliar with him might peruse: The Two Faces of Dick Armey.
posted by Carol Anne at 8:00 AM on December 11, 2001

Delay has announced that he intends to run for the vacant position. Isn't Delay such an appropriate name for a congress critter? I, personally, will not miss Armey.
posted by nofundy at 8:26 AM on December 11, 2001

Postroad: You put a "not" in that sentence. Normally I don't point out grammatical errors, but this one was quite noticabe.
posted by phalkin at 8:47 AM on December 11, 2001

I went to college at UNT at the same time as Scott Armey and got to know him after he wrote a letter to the school paper threatening to beat people up if they burned a flag in his presence.

He's not a bad guy

No, you're right, he sounds neato. I wish he would beat me up some time.
posted by Skot at 8:54 AM on December 11, 2001

I'm absolutely no fan of Armey, but what a stupid article (see about two posts above) about his days at North Texas. From their own web site: Journalism alumni have earned seven Pulitzer Prizes, the profession’s top award. Would the author of the posted article have bitched about how they went to a mediocre school? No. Tearing down an unfavored politician doesn't mean you have to trash every place he or she ever lived or passed through.
posted by raysmj at 9:01 AM on December 11, 2001

Dick Armey is one of the most pig headed, dishonest, despicable, embarassing, talking out the back of his neck, cooking the books, corporate tit-sucking assholes ever to serve in the U.S. Congress. If I never hear from him again it will be soon enough.
posted by Ty Webb at 9:29 AM on December 11, 2001

Armey told reporters this morning that he would make a speech tomorrow on the House floor at approximately 10 a.m. EST, so those interested can watch it on CSPAN.
posted by thescoop at 10:03 AM on December 11, 2001

Thanks for speaking up for my alma mater and academic department, ramsmj. Two of those journalism alumni are Bill Moyers and Bob Schieffer. Another is Buddy "The Quigmans" Hickerson.

No, you're right, he sounds neato. I wish he would beat me up some time.

I would be surprised if the offer still stands, since Armey is the Denton County Judge.
posted by rcade at 10:20 AM on December 11, 2001

na na NA na
na na NA na
hey HEY hey
good-bye
posted by jpoulos at 10:47 AM on December 11, 2001

I would be surprised if the offer still stands, since Armey is the Denton County Judge.

Well, maybe, but it is Texas.
posted by Skot at 11:07 AM on December 11, 2001

Anyone else wondering what it is *they* have on this Dick? Remember newt gingrich 'quitting'? The truth will come out later, but I believe somethings up.
posted by Mack Twain at 11:29 AM on December 11, 2001

I pray this is true.

Now if we could get rid of our own local Republican moron.

No one will even run against him, so he ain't gonna go away any time soon.

That's supposed American democracy for you. :)

Still, I'd miss his always clueless letters. . .
posted by zeb vance at 5:41 PM on December 11, 2001

No one will even run against him,
So run already!
posted by thirteen at 7:41 PM on December 11, 2001

Isn't Dick Armey the guy who, when speaking about (former?) Mass Senator Barney Frank, who is gay, said something like "Barney faggot Frank" in an interview?

Or was it Cheney? D'Amato?
posted by chiheisen at 8:54 PM on December 11, 2001

chiheisen: see "House Leader Armey in [Another] Anti-Gay Joke Flap"
posted by Carol Anne at 3:51 AM on December 12, 2001