Senator John McCain has referred to Tea Party Republicans as "Hobbits" and called the stonewalling tactics and the idea of a balanced budget amendment "foolish" and "bizarro."
Sen. John McCain's floor speech on Wednesday denouncing the negotiating tactics of some tea-party-aligned members of Congress raises the question of whether the famed maverick is back to his old tricks.
Here's what others are saying:
The Hill, thehill.com: Eating their own
The fight to bring conservatives on board for a debt-ceiling increase will be remembered as the moment when the top blew right off the boiling hot kettle of long-simmering tension between Tea Party purists and the old guard. This week the fight broke out into the spotlight from behind closed doors and Republicans began to eat their own again with gusto.
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Washingtonexaminer.com: What does a 'Tea Party Hobbit' look like? Lord of the Rings photo mashups appear online
Sen. John McCain's angry reference to 'Tea Party hobbits" earlier this week, has sparked several photoshopping memes that are spreading across the internet as Tea party supporters mocked his comments that were drawn from a Wall Street Journal editorial.
Newsbusters.org: After the 'Great' John McCain Bashes the Tea Party, Chris Matthews Gushes: He Can Guest Host for Me!
Chris Matthews' infatuation with John McCain has returned. The day after the Republican senator bashed his own party, knocking "Hobbit" Tea Partiers, the Hardball anchor on Thursday lauded him as "great" and even suggested McCain as a MSNBC guest host: "...He can substitute for me some night with that kind of talk!"
Valley Fever, Phoenixnewtimes.com: Head of Phoenix Tea Party Hobbits Stands By Phoenix Mayoral Candidate Wes Gullett
Wes Harris, the leader of those beloved, hairy-footed small people who live in Middle-earth Phoenix, is backing Wes Gullett, a former McCain operative and Phoenix mayoral candidate.
Dispatches from the Culture Wars, scienceblogs.com: The GOP, the Tea Party and the Debt Limit
One thing that has become crystal clear during this standoff over raising the debt ceiling is that the grownups in the Republican party are struggling mightily to control the far right whackos.
Mother Nature Network, mnn.com: The debt ceiling and your money
Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) blasted members of the Tea Party (also Republicans) for their stance on the debt ceiling issue, going so far as to read an OpEd piece that called the Tea Party members of Congress hobbits.
Today, Tea Party darling Rand Paul (R-KY) continued the Lord of the Rings theme saying that he’d rather be a troll than a hobbit. Honestly, the themed banter between members of Congress is really starting to annoy me. Stop throwing out pop culture references and get down to business and solve this issue.
