Former Republican US Senator Alan Simpson, quoted in an interview by the LA Times in reference to "tea party-inspired Republicans":

He reserved his greatest contempt for the tea party-inspired Republicans who equate compromise with capitulation and view obstruction as progress. "Some of them," he said, "are as rigid as a fireplace poker, but without the occasional warmth."

He leaned forward, stabbing a bony finger into a wood conference table. "Let me tell you something, pal: If you are a legislator and you can't learn to compromise an issue without compromising yourself, get out of the business. In fact, don't ever get married, either. You don't want any part of that."

Compromise is the only way anything has ever gotten done, he went on, going back to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, both of which amounted to more give than take. "They don't like that," he said of the tea partyers’ unwillingness to bargain. "They get nasty. They smell bad. They've got b.o. and heartburn and gas. They're seethers."

HT to Fec for the link.