Sarasota GOP Chairman Slams Joe Biden's Tea-Terror Comment

Joe Gruters, chairman of the Sarasota County Republican Party, is blasting Vice President Joe Biden's rhetorical attack on the tea party.

"This rhetoric is not just insulting, inappropriate and dangerous, it is simply embarrassing to hear coming from the first person in the presidential line of succession," Gruters said.

Biden, during a closed-door Democratic Party caucus on Monday, was quoted as saying tea party Republicans "... have acted like terrorists."

Noting that Democrats have previously criticized GOP statements and complained about "cross hairs" on election maps, Gruters said Biden "could not have been more ignorant with his choice of words."

"I have spoken to hundreds, if not thousands, of so-called 'tea partiers,' and one thing has been proven time and time again -- they are not terrorists, they are incredible American patriots," Gruters said.

Thus far, there has been no comment either way from the normally talkative Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, a Florida congresswoman who chairs the Democratic National Committee.