temper tantrum

The Tea Party was born in 2009. It is now two years old. All parents know what the "terrible twos" look like. What's happening now on Capitol Hill is unmistakable: the Tea Party is throwing a tantrum. When they first arrived in Washington, the Tea Party freshman class was fawned over and adored. They were given seats on powerful committees. They took special classes about the Constitution and spent a lot of time talking about what they thought was in it. They held votes to stick it to their least favorite things -- women's health care, environmental protection, and public radio. But then something happened. The Tea Party discovered it couldn't get everything it wanted.

which is as good an interpretation of the present situation as i've seen