White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer on Thursday compared Republicans to terrorists and arsonists because of their tactics surrounding the debt ceiling and attempt to defund ObamaCare.
Speaking on CNN’s "The Lead," Pfeiffer was asked why President Obama wouldn’t negotiate with Republicans by accepting some spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt limit.
“We are for cutting spending,” Pfeiffer said. “What we’re not for is negotiating with people with a bomb strapped to their chest. We’re not going to do that.”
Pfeiffer called the House GOP’s list of items it wants in exchange for raising the country’s borrowing limit “ransom demands.”
He said the GOP was trying to force the president to implement “the Romney agenda,” and threatened to “blow up the economy” if they don’t get their way.
Pfeiffer also blamed Republicans for not negotiating over the looming government shutdown.
“What the House Republicans are not asking for is a negotiation,” he said. “It’s a negotiation if I’m trying to sell you my house and we are debating the price of it. It is not a negotiation if I show up at your house and say, ‘Give me everything inside or I’m going to burn it down.’”
The blowback from conservatives on Twitter came quickly.
Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer called Pfeiffer’s comments “over the top.”
Extreme & over the top - Senior WH official @pfeiffer44 compares @GOP in congress to terrorists on @jaketapper @TheLeadCNN - apology needed
— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) September 26, 2013
National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Brad Dayspring also weighed in.
Should senior Obama officials really be comparing those who disagree politically to suicide bombers?
— Brad Dayspring (@BDayspring) September 26, 2013
