White House: Tea Party 'Terrorists' Criticism Inappropriate

The White House said on Tuesday that the use of the word “terrorists” to describe Tea Party Republicans is inappropriate and the “product of an emotional discussion” about the debt ceiling.

On Monday, Politico reported that, during a meeting between Vice President Joe Biden and House Democrats ahead of the House's vote on the debt ceiling deal, Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) argued that Democrats “have negotiated with terrorists.”

Sources told Politico that Biden responded that the Tea Partiers “have acted like terrorists,” but Biden's office denied that he had used the term.

"I did not use the terrorism word," Biden told CBS Evening News' Scott Pelley.

"What happened was there were some people who said they felt like they were being held hostage by terrorists," Biden said. "I never said that they were terrorists or weren't terrorists, I just let them vent."

"I said even if that were the case, what's been happening when you now have taken and paid the debt and move that down so we can now discuss, the nuclear weapon's been taken out of anyone's hands," Biden continued.

Asked by a reporter whether President Barack Obama thinks the use of the term “terrorists” is appropriate discourse, White House spokesman Jay Carney said at Tuesday's White House briefing: “No he doesn’t, and neither does the vice president.

“I think it was a product of an emotional discussion, very passionately held positions in this debate,” Carney said.

“But that does not mean that it’s appropriate, and it’s not -- the vice president doesn’t think so; the president doesn’t think so. Any kind of comments like that are simply not conducive to the kind of political discourse that we hope to have.”

Comments

[JohnBryansFontaine]

01:37 PM on 08/05/2011

Wash. Times' Kuhner Hypocritically Denounces Violent Rhetoric
by Chelsea Rudman

http://mediamatters.org/blog/201108050012

[natureman44]

09:07 PM on 08/04/2011

Thats one goofy looking photo of Joe Biden in the article, but always having your foot in your mouth will cause one to look perpetually stupid. But its only fitting his looks should match his intellect. What a waste of space.

[roydoe]

02:29 PM on 08/04/2011

Ok how about hostage takers? That's what they are.

[owldimeola]

01:59 PM on 08/04/2011

Conservatives ARE America. Libruls had their chance and they blew it. America is sick of 0'bama and we want a regular president.

[BoscoTheTerrible]

04:39 PM on 08/04/2011

Can you seriously not spell "liberals"? And what do you mean by "regular president"? Oh, I get it. You mean one that's white.

[owldimeola]

08:29 PM on 08/04/2011

Another librul rac.ist.

[RickfromDetroit]

10:00 AM on 08/04/2011

The Tea Party is definitely a terrorist organization and so is the Republican Party. They condemn foreign countries for human rights violations while they cut their own citizens off of basic necessities like housing, food, health care, and education.

[owldimeola]

01:56 PM on 08/04/2011

LOL! NEXT!

[natureman44]

09:13 PM on 08/04/2011

Hey RickfromDetroit, name one republican bill that has eliminated or cut citizens off of basic necessitie­s like housing, food, health care, and education.

[Pediego]

11:50 PM on 08/03/2011

Bush Cheney and the GOP have done more damage to the American economy and in the loss of lives and treasure if you care to add up the figures. With the TP wanting more of the same they outdo the terrorists by far.

[tttt9erfan]

01:42 PM on 08/04/2011

It is so much easier to name call and say the right is just of bundh of meanies who hate poor people than it is to understand the other side, isn't it? I see this as the biggest weakness of the left. They haven't a clue what the other side is doing and why. They never seek any understanding but resort to name calling instead. I suppose this makes for an easier debate and sounds good to other liberals. Problem is, it keeps you so in the dark about what and why things are happening the way they are. It does however allow to hate anyone and everyone who dare disagree with you. Aftterall, how can you not hate someone who wants to take food out of the mouths of poor people?

[Frog in a pot]

10:32 PM on 08/03/2011

Who takes hostages?
Mitch McConnell ,Republicans and TERRORIST do.

Mitch McConnell, hostage taker

“I think some of our members may have thought the default issue was a hostage you might take a chance at shooting,” he said. “Most of us didn’t think that. What we did learn is this — it’s a hostage that’s worth ransoming. And it focuses the Congress on something that must be done.”

, it’s rather bizarre for Republicans to complain about being equated with terrorists. As Dave Weigel noted yesterday, “If you don’t want your opponent to label you a hostage-taker, here’s an idea:

" Don’t take hostages.”

Political Animal - Mitch McConnell, hostage taker
www.washingtonmonthly.com/.../mitch_mcconnell_hostage_taker031287. ..7 hours ago – "Mitch McConnell admitted, out loud and on the record, that his party took the full faith and credit of the United States hostage, ...

[Vincent Knaus]

08:54 AM on 08/04/2011

The GOP and Mitch McConnell meant to take a hostage and they did. Now they are getting their knickers in a twist because they don't like being give a title that they lived up to?

A rose by any other name...

[Pamela King]

09:41 PM on 08/03/2011

OT - It is extremely irritating for forums like this to be pre-moderated. Most of us come to HP to discuss issues and when you have to wait 15 minutes - hours for your comment to be posted there's no way to have a discussion.

If you can't moderate threads like this the way they are normally moderated then why even allow comments on the article in the first place?

[tttt9erfan]

01:46 PM on 08/04/2011

Your bio should read "Raising kids to hate half of America for simply daring to disagree."

[Frog in a pot]

08:33 PM on 08/03/2011

They ARE economic terrorists.Democrats should call them what they are and stop caring about hurting their widdle feeeewings..sniff.

[itiswhatitmaybe]

07:38 PM on 08/03/2011

ter·ror·ism
–noun
1. the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes.
2. the state of fear and submission produced by terrorism or terrorization.
3. a terroristic method of governing or of resisting a government.

This is one of the reasons why democrats are perceived as weak. NO BALLS to tell it like it is translates to ineffectual, lame, and incoherent leadership. For the love of god, when will the democratic party fight for the people instead of appeasing EFFING terrorists?!

[judibluiz]

06:30 PM on 08/03/2011

If the name fits...
Terrorism. the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion.

Here on HP and in our own lives we witnessed people with their retirement invested in the market, seniors and people on SS disability scared out of their wits. If that isn't terrorism I don't know what is.

[Gaspar Ramsey]

05:52 PM on 08/03/2011

Okay, so the White House thinks it's inappropriate to call T-Nuts "terrorists". I don't. They're terrorists.

[MisteRational]

05:51 PM on 08/03/2011

Well, hmmm, in recent years, who has predominantly engaged in extortion and hostage taking? I'm not saying, I'm just saying. Thugs and bullies are thugs and bullies no matter what they like themselves to be called or take offense to!

[me the z]

08:14 PM on 08/03/2011

I agree with you. I don't like referring to anybody as a terrorist unless I'm 100% committed that their motive is terror, but I got called out for saying they were holding the world hostage. I got accused of being a "typical dem always referring to people you don't like as terrorists. . ." I found it insulting- to herself- that she would be that dumb. She doesn't know me, and therefore has no idea how I am registered. She accused me of calling them terrorists- I didn't. Hostage was a very appropriate word for what they were doing. She said it is a typical trick of "dems" to "play the terrorism card". I'm not sure what planet she's been on for the past 10 years.

I wanted to say, "I never used the terrorism word. That came from your head, but if the shoe fits. . ." Ignored her though. It's absolutely a waste of breath to try and negotiate with terr, er, irrational people. :)

[ron ray]

02:26 PM on 08/03/2011

like al gore 'saying' he invented the Internet, this will go down as a fictious statement that is repeated again and again by GOPers trying to raise money from the minions. with the press totally complicite.

this is a Biden 'quote' attributed to unnamed 'sources' when not only is it not on record in any form, but there's not a single on the record source saying Biden said it.

the Politico writer who came up with this should be working for the National Enquirer.

[Darlie Brewster]

03:17 PM on 08/03/2011

The Tea Party are terrorists.

[tttt9erfan]

01:50 PM on 08/04/2011

Clearly, you know so little about about tp but you talk like a good liberal should. Repeating the liberal narrative may convince other liberals but it doesn't turn fiction into fact no matter how many times you say it.

[Schalaine]

01:30 PM on 08/03/2011

I just love Joe Biden. Sometimes the truth smarts a bit.