Bill Moyers decided Friday evening to defend community activist figure Saul Alinsky from Newt Gingrich’s constant attacks on him on the campaign trail.

Going a little more in depth than Bill Maher’s colorful portrayal last weekend, Moyers expressed how Republicans such as former House Majority Leader Dick Armey and even Gingrich himself have used some of Alinsky’s ideas.

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“Maybe that’s why Newt Gingrich has been slandering Alinsky’s name,” Moyers said. “Maybe he’s afraid. Afraid the very white folks he’s been rousing to a frenzy will discover who Saul Alinsky really was. A patriot, in a long line of patriots, who scorned the malignant narcissism of duplicitous politicians and taught every day Americans to think for themselves and to fight together for a better life. That’s the American way, and any good historian would know it.”

WATCH: Video from PBS, which was broadcast on February 3, 2012.

Bill Moyers Essay: Newt’s Obesession with Saul Alinsky from BillMoyers.com on Vimeo.