House Dem: Tea Party is the 'real enemy'

Democratic members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) are ramping up anti-Tea Party sentiment this week, with one congresswoman calling the movement "the real enemy" in Florida on Monday night.

"Let us all remember who the real enemy is. The real enemy is the Tea Party," Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) said at a Miami town hall, according to a report by the Miami Herald. "The Tea Party holds the Congress hostage. They have one goal in mind, and that's to make President Obama a one-term president."

Wilson's comments follow incendiary remarks about the Tea Party from another member of the CBC on Saturday.

“This is a tough game. You can't be intimidated. You can't be frightened. And as far as I'm concerned — the Tea Party can go straight to hell,” Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) said at a town-hall-style meeting in California.

Waters, who also attended the town hall in Miami, doubled down on her previous remarks, although she refused to repeat the "hell" line because the meeting took place in a church.

"We're not afraid of the Tea Party," Waters said. "In this struggle, we have to define who we are, what the president is doing and not let our voices be overshadowed by the Tea Party."

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, also participating in the town hall, compared the modern Tea Party movement to opposition to the civil-rights movement. "The Tea Party is a new name on an old game," he said. "Dr. King fought a 'tea party' in Alabama."

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