The Hill News

Outspoken Republican congressman Louis Gohmert (Texas) blasted President Obama Tuesday night for riding around the country in a "Darth Vader bus."

Obama has used his three-day bus tour through the Midwest as an opportunity to criticize Congress for what he calls putting party ahead of country, for example in deadlocked negotiations over the debt-ceiling.

Although Gohmert said the government needs to get "out of the way" in order to fix America's problems, he slammed Obama for promoting tax hikes on the wealthy while on his tour and firing crowds up with what Gohmert called "hateful rhetoric."

"He's out there acting like the evil emperor," Gohmert told Fox Business Network's Lou Dobbs, continuing the Star Wars theme by comparing Obama's behavior on his bus tour to that of the evil Emperor Palpatine in the sci-fi movie series.

"The guy has got to lighten up," Gohmert said. "[He's] saying, 'Allow the hatred to flow through ! your veins, hate your neighbor. If you see they have something, then you ought to want it. If you see they're paying taxes and they've got too much money, you ought to take it.' We need love and affection coming around this country, not that kind of hateful rhetoric."