What is the Tea Party?
Political parties are collective enterprises in which every individual participant finds their own rewards for their own motivations. Statistical sample surveys of self-identified Tea Party supports reveal that they are mainstream and traditional in their beliefs, as well as in their demographic parameters.
A CBS NEWS/NEW YORK TIMES POLL released Wednesday, April 14, 2010 (6:30 PM EDT) reported these findings.
FEELINGS TOWARDS GOVERNMENT IN WASHINGTON
Tea Party All
Enthusiastic 1% 5%
Satisfied 4 26
Dissatisfied 41 48
Angry 53 19
WHAT ARE YOU MOST ANGRY ABOUT?
(Tea party members angry with Washington)
Health care reform 16%
Not representing the people 14%
Government spending 11%
"When supporters of the Tea Party are asked to volunteer what they like least about the President, the top answer is they just don’t like him, mentioned by 19%. This is followed by 11% who say he is turning the U.S. more toward socialism, his health care reforms (10%), and that he is dishonest (9%)."
Favorable TEA PARTIERS: VIEWS OF…
Sarah Palin 66%
Glenn Beck 59%
George W. Bush 57%
John McCain 35%
Ron Paul 28%
Unfavorable TEA PARTIER VIEWS OF...
TEA PARTIERS: VIEWS OF…
Sarah Palin 12%
Glenn Beck 6%
George W. Bush 27%
John McCain 37%
Ron Paul 15%
Never Heard of (or Unsure)... TEA PARTIER VIEWS OF ...
Sarah Palin 21%
Glenn Beck 34%
George W. Bush 15%
John McCain 27%
Ron Paul 56%
Does the US Need a Third Party?
Yes 40%
No 52%
PROGRAMS LIKE SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE WORTH IT?
All Tea Party
Yes 62%
No 33
PROGRAMS LIKE SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE WORTH IT?
(among Tea Party supporters who receive HH Medicare or Soc.)
Yes 72%
No 22%
A CBS NEWS/NEW YORK TIMES POLL released Wednesday, April 14, 2010 (6:30 PM EDT) reported these findings.
FEELINGS TOWARDS GOVERNMENT IN WASHINGTON
Tea Party All
Enthusiastic 1% 5%
Satisfied 4 26
Dissatisfied 41 48
Angry 53 19
WHAT ARE YOU MOST ANGRY ABOUT?
(Tea party members angry with Washington)
Health care reform 16%
Not representing the people 14%
Government spending 11%
"When supporters of the Tea Party are asked to volunteer what they like least about the President, the top answer is they just don’t like him, mentioned by 19%. This is followed by 11% who say he is turning the U.S. more toward socialism, his health care reforms (10%), and that he is dishonest (9%)."
Favorable TEA PARTIERS: VIEWS OF…
Sarah Palin 66%
Glenn Beck 59%
George W. Bush 57%
John McCain 35%
Ron Paul 28%
Unfavorable TEA PARTIER VIEWS OF...
TEA PARTIERS: VIEWS OF…
Sarah Palin 12%
Glenn Beck 6%
George W. Bush 27%
John McCain 37%
Ron Paul 15%
Never Heard of (or Unsure)... TEA PARTIER VIEWS OF ...
Sarah Palin 21%
Glenn Beck 34%
George W. Bush 15%
John McCain 27%
Ron Paul 56%
Does the US Need a Third Party?
Yes 40%
No 52%
PROGRAMS LIKE SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE WORTH IT?
All Tea Party
Yes 62%
No 33
PROGRAMS LIKE SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE WORTH IT?
(among Tea Party supporters who receive HH Medicare or Soc.)
Yes 72%
No 22%
I wonder what the percentage would be for non-Tea Party members. I wonder what percentage of the country supports the Tea Party.
The survey is almost four years old. I wonder if things have changed.
"OUR CORE PRINCIPLES
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY means not overspending, and not burdening our children and grandchildren with our bills. In the words of Thomas Jefferson: “the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity [is] swindling futurity on a large scale.” A more fiscally responsible government will take fewer taxes from our paychecks.
CONSTITUTIONALLY LIMITED GOVERNMENT means power resides with the people and not with the government. Governing should be done at the most local level possible where it can be held accountable. America’s founders believed that government power should be limited, enumerated, and constrained by our Constitution. Tea Party Patriots agree. The American people make this country great, not our government.
FREE MARKET ECONOMICS made America an economic superpower that for at least two centuries provided subsequent generations of Americans more opportunities and higher standards of living. An erosion of our free markets through government intervention is at the heart of America’s current economic decline, stagnating jobs, and spiraling debt and deficits. Failures in government programs and government-controlled financial markets helped spark the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Further government interventions and takeovers have made this Great Recession longer and deeper. A renewed focus on free markets will lead to a more vibrant economy creating jobs and higher standards of living for future generations."
http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/poll_t...
When I have heard the basic desires of the Tea Party, as described above, it all seems clear to me and makes sense. But, perhaps polls are supposed to tell us what to think(?)
Here is the CBS news link:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/tea-party-su...
Here is the New York Times link
http://documents.nytimes.com/new-york-ti...
In other words--if it weren’t for the ACA, the Tea Party would fade into the annals of history, (like the Whigs did.)
The Tea Party isn’t a cohesive party as far as having a well-defined platform that all Tea-Partiers would gather around. When Congress passed the ACA, many people felt the government had taken a step too far and want something to believe in that will stop the government from further intruding into our everyday life.
The many factions of the Tea party fall under a large umbrella that wants to stop the projection of the “Life of Julia" by government.
There is simply disappointment and anger at what our government has become and the arrogance of the political and bureaucratic class. Poll questions are simply going to run up against that wall and the nuances aren't going to get around it.
I think we're witnessing a sea change in the expressed attitudes of the American populace. I think it began under Reagan, but Tea Partiers have finally realized that just sitting back and waiting on another to appear isn't going to work and that those with the so-called conservative label have used them and lied in order to get their votes, but basically don't support what America is really about.
It's not 'the' Tea Party those elitist need to fear, it's the combination of those with Libertarians, Constitutionalist, and right leaning Independents that is revolting against the status quo and the loss of America.
welcome to fly over world
THE TEA PARTY MOVEMENT: WHO THEY ARE April 5-12, 2010
"18% of Americans say they are supporters of the Tea Party, but many have yet to become fully involved in the movement. Most have not donated money to the group, nor attended a rally. Supporters’ connection to the Tea Party is mainly from television and web sites; most get their television news from Fox News. Politically, most Tea Partiers say they’re more interested in shaping policy than electing candidates. More than half identify as Republicans."
"Supporters say that the main goal of the Tea Party movement is to reduce the role of the federal government (45%), far outdistancing other goals such as creating jobs (9%), cutting the budget (6%) or lowering taxes (6%). Only 7% of Tea Partiers say the movement’s goal is to elect their own candidates."
Have you…?
Donated money 2%
Attend rally or meeting 13
Both 5
Neither 78
Visited Tea Party web sites
Yes 31%
No 68
Source of TV political news
Fox News Channel 63%
Other 20%
MAIN SOURCE OF TEA PARTY INFO
TV 47%
Internet 24%
Newspapers 8%
Email 4%
Meetings 1%
Phone calls 1%
Other 11%
37% are college graduates compared to 25% of all Americans.
29% are over 65 years of age
75% are over age 45
Northeast 18%
Midwest 22%
South 36%
West 25%
Attend religious services weekly 38%
Gun in household 58%
q109 Are your children currently enrolled in public school, or private school, or parochial school?
** AMONG THOSE [Tea Party Supporters] WITH CHILDREN UNDER AGE 18 **
Public 65%
Private 10%
Parochial 5%
Public & other 3
Not school age (vol.) 12%
Home schooled (vol.) 5%