After mocking the Tea Party while discussing the ongoing debt ceiling negotiations Wednesday, Sen. John McCain, R-Az., is being pummeled by freshman members of Congress and activists for the remarks.The former Republican presidential candidate called activists associated with the movement "tea-party hobbits" while dismissing the possibility of a Balanced Budget Amendment passing the Senate.It's a wisecrack that didn't set well with Tea Party favorites, including Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who told Politico: "I’d rather be a hobbit than a troll." (h/t FatLip)Ouch!"I think in reading the books, the hobbits were the heroes. They overcame great obstacles, and I think I’d rather be a hobbit than a troll," Paul continued.Other freshman GOP lawmakers have added their criticism, such as Congressman Joe Walsh, R-Ill., who said McCain represents the old guard of the GOP and that the Vietnam POW has "no clue" what the average American thinks.From CNN:"Folks like Sen. John McCain have been in this town for too long and they're the ones who have gotten us into this mess year after year after year," the Illinois congressman said Thursday on "CNN Newsroom." "Folks like him … have no clue as to the troubles Americans are going through right now. They don't understand this crisis anymore."
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"I ran as a guy who lost his home and had had financial struggles, like a lot of Americans," Walsh said. "This is where a lot of Americans come from right now. It's why they sent so many of us to Washington to do something about this because we're living this experience."
And not to be outdone, former U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle, another Tea Party favorite, blasted McCain Thursday, calling him "Lord of the TARP."For what it's worth, McCain also blasted Democrats in his speech, criticizing Majority Leader Harry Reid's plan for being "full of smoke and mirrors," adding President Barack Obama is leading "from behind" by not offering his own plan to solve the debt crisis.