GOP Outraged At Pfeiffer's Terrorist Label

Republicans are reacting with outrage after White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer likened them to terrorists and arsonists for their strategy of fighting Obamacare and seeking spending cuts in the government spending and debt ceiling debate.

"We are for cutting spending," Pfeiffer said on CNN's The Lead, Thursday. "What we’re not for is negotiating with people with a bomb strapped to their chest. We’re not going to do that."

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He said Republicans are the ones refusing to negotiate. "What the House Republicans are not asking for is a negotiation," Pfeiffer 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.'"

As for the Republican response, "Extreme & over the top," Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer wrote on Twitter. " apology needed."

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

Brad Dayspring, spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, had a similar response.

Senior White House adviser: Republicans have 'bomb strapped to their chest... " Radical accusations new norm in WH. http://t.co/x8PORhE3EI
— Brad Dayspring (@BDayspring) September 27, 2013

Conservative talkshow host Hugh Hewitt asked why Pfeiffer still had a job.

"Republican Congressmen As Suicide Bombers": http://t.co/36Hvg1UwJJ @pfeiffer44 still employed? Denounced by @Moning_Joe?
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) September 27, 2013

But Pfeiffer hit back, pointing to Republican Rep. Blake Farenthold saying he had also talked about "blowing up the economy."

@jonkarl "Asked bluntly if using the limit for leverage risked blowing up the economy, Rep Farenthold (R-TX) paused...'Yes'"
— Dan Pfeiffer (@pfeiffer44) September 26, 2013