"Will Armey's on-air misogyny affect his chances of being invited back to "Hardball"? I seriously doubt it."
The way our conservative corporate media works it will help him to gain more spinvitations...

Dick has always been a classless buffoon with a permanent Man-Tan, and typical of the Gramm/Delay Texas school of "let them eat shit" prickism. I recall seeing Armey long ago on my teevee saying that poverty wasn't an economic problem, it was a moral problem. He wasn't speaking of the immorality of our wealthy society to tolerate such suffering, but the immorality of the poor who have all these children but refuse to work for a living.

Like I said, always a classy guy.

For his part, Matthews said, "Dick Armey ... I like the guy but I think he went way overboard going after Joan."

Herbert called for the apology in the segment after Walsh and Armey. Matthews seemed to take the attitude that it was no big deal to him. It was only after then next commercial break that he made the above comment. I'm guessing someone had to tell him to address it. Sensitivity is not one of Matthew's assets, and he would have made a lousy politician.

Salon has the video. It is great!

However, I think conservatives are doing a much better job of getting their viewpoint out. I heard Mika Brzezinski on Hardball yesterday repeat several times that the New Deal did not create any jobs! Clearly she has heard the right wing spin that is based on stats that deliberately omit any jobs created directly by WPA or CCC (as if those people did not create value for the economy with the things they built and services they delivered.)
Meanwhile Democrats, as usual, are failing to explain clearly to the public what a stimulus is and why it is needed instead of tax cuts for businesses that will not spend if demand is so low. The public is still being bamboozled by supply side, free market propaganda with little counter argument being heard.

It may be that Matthews, as well as most of our press corps, was one of those kids who got through high school by appeasing the bullies who would otherwise give them another wedgie.

Tim Russert always reminded me of a bullied kid who got an assistant principal's job and used his invulnerability to lash out at anyone who reminded him of a kid who'd ever despised him--that is, everyone.

So when a bully like Armey does his thing, Matthews laughs nervously. Herbert, on the other hand, probably took a beating or two in return for not taking shit--probably the better bargain.

Danp is correct. Matthews let the whole incident slip by with no response. He got showed up by Herbert, and that's what got Matthews' attention.

It's a pretty freewheeling show, and Matthews can't police every comment, but Armey was way out of line and Matthews let his viewers down. He needs to make it clear that Armey won't be invited back. Armey and Matthews both owe Walsh an apology.

PLEASE o ye Fates, let the stimulus package show some results before the mid-terms! That way we will be able to witness the unseating of even more GOP bad guys. And I'm not talking just about bad ideology, but bad, nasty, racist, sexist people who deserve firing because they're A-holes (aside from being Republicans, which is not necessarily the same thing).

Well bernie sometimes I think we should just let the republicans lead us literally to a second dark age and they can tuly get what they want-feudalism. But I've got a daugter that deserves better so I believe we have to fight their little wave of ignorance at every turn.

The Republicans are winning the spin cycle, and cranking up the volume to make up for the reduced numbers. I don't believe for a moment that this was a slip. Instead, this is exactly what they did following '92, and it worked. The solution is not more bipartisanship and a softer approach from Democrats. Bullies are not deterred when they get you lunch money every day, they need to bleed.

The longer we let the Republicans set the terms on which stimulus programs are debated the more fixed in the public mind will be their frame. Pushing back, and setting the public exchange within a realistic set of expectations for effects (schedule, numbers of jobs, etc) is absolutely essential right now.

While the comment about Walsh revealed Armey's dark side, he also admitted that Bush's tax cuts were a Republican wealth redistribution program.

I think that once he recognized what he had done he had to distract from the real news he had made. It worked.

Armey is sexist. he's a/or THE voice of the Conservatives. Therefore if the formula works all Conservative are sexist. How's that for a broad brush. No pun intended. It's what they do. They say whatever they want and dorks like matthews let them. It's why an ass hole like Armey won't go on Olberman's or Madow's shows. They'll be sliced and diced by intellects that people like matthews doesn't own. Matthews has always been a dork (more or less). Walsh needed to stop Armey in his tracks and call him a sexist. I am so sick of these make-believe pundit shows. Sick.

I think Armey was drunk.

Hell....Matthews himself has a proud record of misogyny:

Here's the first of many many items that pops up when you combine his name with that phrase:

http://mediamatters.org/columns/200804160002

Are you kidding, conservatives might talk a good game about about civility and old fashioned virtues but any thought that Armey owes Joan an apology for his outrageously uncivil -- stupid -- and yes sexist behavior will be greeted by most of the Right as another example of politically correct, free-speech hating Nazis on the "Angry Left" who need to get a life.

Dick is blind to the luxuries he's enjoyed his whole life! -Kevo

There's not a woman anywhere in America who hasn't had the very same experience. Watching it live and in living color literally made me nauseous.

HA! Matthews (like the rest of our on air media) is all about ratings and increasing HIS personal wealth and importance...ANYONE can come on his program and be interrupted or lectured by him (he of all knowledge - perhaps he should get together with RUSH who has the answer to a "quick economic recovery")...Along with the ridiculous mess this country finds itself in is the fact that there is no confidence or trust in the media who have completely SOLD their obligation to investigate and truthfully inform the public for the benefit of ALL! There is a decreasing pool of people able to think critically (just the way the REPUG wingnuts want it) and given that we receive information that is of little or no value it becomes increasingly challenging to even attempt to discern what the situation is and what the alternative possibilities for improvement might be. We are ALL SCREWED!!!!!

Barry Walden has it right. Armey was hammered.

Will Armey's on-air misogyny affect his chances of being invited back to "Hardball"? I seriously doubt it.

I suspect it will increase both the chance and frequency of future invitations, and not because Matthews is a misogynist himself though that may be a factor too. Armey was controversial, and controversy draws TV ratings.

Barry Walden has it right. Armey was hammered.

I was going to say, "How could you tell?" Then I watched it--he's definitely drunk.

I dunno what's happened to the Republican party. They seem to be devolving before our very eyes.But as long as they get air time, the positive reinforcement rewards bad behavior.

Anyone remember Dick Armey's flat tax initiative?

It exempted the first 30,000 of income.

It died a quick silent death when Republicans crunched the numbers and realized most of their base would get a tax hit. Shocker, the rich do NOT pay their fair share.

I kind of have a soft spot for Armey for screwing up that way.

Now the poor blighter's on the same track as Specter, McCain, and Benning.

Did anyone ask him how long he and his ilk had expected Bush's tax cuts to take before producing the humming economy promised in 2001?

Eight years and counting, Senator. How long?

Once in a while, a politician drops the pretense and lets his true colors come through. In this brief interview, Dick Armey, perhaps best known for calling his then-colleague Barney Frank "Barney Fag," showed just what he's made of, before a national television audience.

With that incident with Frank, my immediate thought was that a man who chose to be called "Dick" (not Richard, not Rich, not Rick nor Ricky) Armey lacked sufficient self-awareness to insult others.

Funny about the "hammered" comments - For years, I have believed Armey was half smashed, whenever appearing on TV. Have known a few "functional" drunks, who, had progressed beyond being functional. Calling Ms Walsh a "political hack" was beyond the pale and very ironic.

Lives up to his name, DICK.

Keep in mind, Armey isn't just some random nut from right-wing radio. He's a former [Republican] Majority Leader,

This seems to be distinction without a difference.

Tweety is giving Armey a blowjob as we speak.

I'd like to second what MissMudd said earlier. This is not an uncommon experience for women. I've certainly had it happen to me. I think it interesting that the focus of discussion here has been about Armey and how this affects his chances of getting back on TV, rather than about how misogyny affects Joan Walsh's (and other women's) chances of getting on TV.

I'm a guy and I've seen what MissMudd and Sherri are describing. It almost always comes from gray-haired men who believe themselves to be "gentlemen" but just can't get around the idea that women can and do work outside the home. They have to put the women into the only role that makes any sense to them: "the wife." And then he shudders at the thought of having made the mistake of marrying a woman with an opinion.

Unbelievably sexist and ignorant. And he would have never said that about Sarah Palin.

It almost always comes from gray-haired men who believe themselves to be "gentlemen" but just can't get around the idea that women can and do work outside the home.

Often, but I wouldn't say "almost always." It also comes too frequently from younger men who are newly arrived on our shores and having trouble adjusting to the larger role women play here compared to their home countries. People who live in large multicultural cities with substantial populations of new immigrants see this happen around them not infrequently.

Just talked to a friend who follows this, and he thinks Armey's been a semi-functional alcoholic for years. Apparently it progressed some time ago to the point where he started repeatedly going on the air hammered.