The Tea Party Terrorists Award

“We don’t have proof yet that this was political, but the odds are that it was. She’s been the target of violence before....Her father says that ‘the whole Tea Party’ was her enemy. And yes, she was on Sarah Palin’s infamous ‘crosshairs’ list. Just yesterday, Ezra Klein remarked that opposition to health reform was getting scary. Actually, it’s been scary for quite a while, in a way that already reminded many of us of the climate that preceded the Oklahoma City bombing....Violent acts are what happen when you create a climate of hate. And it’s long past time for the GOP’s leaders to take a stand against the hate-mongers.”

Salon’s Joan Walsh: “These people, the Tea Partiers and their friends and their enablers and their corporate friends like Dick Armey, they have created this shrieking on the right....They’re paying the lowest taxes in 50 years — more than 50 years, more than my lifetime — and they are still complaining. And some of them aren’t complaining. There are some good business people who know this game of chicken, in particular, is deadly and it’s wrong and it’s hostage-taking. And you shouldn’t negotiate with hostage-takers.”

Host Chris Matthews: “I agree with you. I agree with you. I agree. It’s terrorism.”

“You know what they say: Never negotiate with terrorists. It only encourages them. These last few months, much of the country has watched in horror as the Tea Party Republicans have waged jihad on the American people....For now, the Tea Party Republicans can put aside their suicide vests. But rest assured: They’ll have them on again soon enough.”

“If sane Republicans do not stand up to this Hezbollah faction in their midst, the Tea Party will take the GOP on a suicide mission.”

“There’s a nihilist caucus which is, ‘Listen, we want to burn the place down.’ I mean, they’re not, they’ve strapped explosives to the Capitol and they think they are immune from it. The Tea Party caucus wants this crisis, and do we want to do this again six months from now?”

Pat Buchanan: “They [conservatives] say, ‘This is the wrong way to go. We don’t believe in it. We’ve committed against it. We can’t do it, Mr. President, you’re asking us to break our word and do something we think is not going to work, and we’re not going to do it, sir.’”...

Co-host Mika Brzezinski: “So, I think the, what was the answer to my question that who the hostage taker is, Willie?”

MSNBC’s Willie Geist: “Sounds like Pat’s boys. Pat’s boys are holding the hostage.”

Newsweek editor-in-chief Tina Brown: “I think they’re the suicide bombers in all of this.”