FishPoolDC: Our Insider's Notes from Today's Press Briefing

“The Tea Party People”: While Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has avoided directly addressing the tea parties currently sweeping the nation in protest of taxes and big government, hundreds gathered across the street in Lafayette Park this Tax Day helped put the issue back in the briefing room. As Gibbs repeated that Obama had cut taxes for those making under $250,000, CNN’s Ed Henry noted that many attendees were hard-hit by the cigarette tax. “People make a decision to smoke,” Gibbs argued, adding later: “I guess that depends on the individual consumption of nicotine habits involved in those at tea parties around the country.”