Chris Matthews Grills Rick Barber: 'Are You A Metaphor... Or A Real Candidate?' (VIDEO)

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Chris Matthews played hardball Wednesday with Alabama congressional candidate Rick Barber.

Matthews and Barber — a tea party candidate whose founding fathers ad drew lots of attention last month — went head-to-head over Barber's call to eliminate the federal income tax in favor of a consumption tax, with the "Hardball" host demanding that Barber give a rate for his proposed consumption tax.

But Matthews also grilled Barber on the language used in his campaign ad, during which he references taxation "without representation" and a George Washington character says "gather your armies."

When Matthews asked who Barber intended to gather his armies against, the candidate claimed it was a metaphor for "political armies."

"He's wearing a military uniform and says 'gather your armies' and you're saying that's a metaphor?" Matthews asked.

"Chris, do you know what a metaphor is? Do you know what hyperbole is?" Barber shot back.

"Are you a metaphor for a guy running for office?" Matthews asked. "Or are you a real candidate?"

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