Comedians and folks on the political left have probably seen the Tea Partiers as an unwashed rabble, not unlike the groups that formed around the world in the 1930s. But the survey finds something quite different.
A comparison of the Tea Party members to a national sample of Americans shows that the movement is made up of people who are slightly wealthier and better educated than Americans as a whole. They are predominantly white, Republican, male, married and older than 45.
Two thirds of the Tea Party members “usually” or “always” vote Republican, and 95 percent are white.
Many members profess that their views align with the views of a majority of Americans. Eighty-five percent of the members claim that the movement “reflects the views of most Americans.” Twenty-five percent of the national sample of Americans agreed.
Still, any of the views of Tea Party activists are surprisingly unremarkable and differ little from those of average Americans. While they are very negative on the Democrats, 43 percent claim to be “unfavorable” toward the Republicans, too. The non-Tea Party sample reported to be 53 percent “unfavorable” toward the Republicans. That isn’t much difference, when you consider that the Tea Party activists are mostly Republican Party loyalists.
When asked if the “country needs a third party,” 52 percent of movement members said “no,” as did 48 percent of the broader public. That’s not much difference.
The Tea Party members generally rail against government programs, but 62 percent of them, and 76 percent of the national sample, agree that Social Security and Medicare are “worth the cost.” Roughly a third of the Tea Party group is retired.
Fears that the Tea Party movement might become violent are not supported by the polling data. Asked whether people are ever “justified in taking violent action against the government,” 71 percent of Tea Partiers and 79 percent of the national sample said “no.”
While several of the responses above indicate that Tea Partiers are not much different from other Americans, there are also many among the hundred-plus responses in the poll where the movement stands out. The favorable/unfavorable figures for President George W. Bush are a case in point. Fifty-seven percent of the movement members felt favorable and 27 percent unfavorable toward Bush. The total sample was a mirror image, with 27 percent favorable toward Bush and 58 percent unfavorable.
Another contrast appears from a question about who receives the blame for deficits. Results show that 39 percent of Americans blame Bush, and 8 percent blames President Obama. Among movement members, 6 percent blame Bush and 24 percent Obama.
It is clear that the movement members don’t like Obama. Comparing the Tea Party members to the national sample, twice as many “disapprove of Obama’s handling of the economy” (91 percent compared to a national 46 percent). Twice as many (33 percent to 14 percent) say “the economy is getting worse.” And again, twice as many (51 percent to 24 percent) believes that global warming will have “no impact.”
Another large gap appears when both sets of respondents are asked, “Should the federal government spend to create jobs, even if it adds to the deficit?” Fifty percent of Americans agreed, compared to only 17 percent of Tea Party followers. (Of course, a third of the movement members are retired and don’t need a job!)
Most of the questions above addressed opinions and judgments. But one question can actually be compared to objective facts. All the respondents were asked: “Has Obama increased taxes?” Of the Tea Party group, 64 percent responded “yes,” compared to 34 percent of the national sample.
The truth? Taxes have been reduced substantially. One-third of the stimulus bill is tax cuts. Add to this a dozen tax write-offs and subsidies, and you end up with the second-lowest tax rate of the past 50 years.
The Times-CBS Poll gives us our first solid glimpse of what the members of the Tea Party movement believe.
In many cases, they seem little different from the rest of Americans. In others, their perceptions are at odds with reality.
• Mickey McGuire, a retired high school social studies teacher, is among a select group of local residents with columns in the Tracy Press.
I completely agree with ya but would add that we shouldn't fergit th bottom half of Matthew 25 either.
recently I saw May 1st march and surprizingly they seemsed to be made up mostly of laTINOS first generation foreigners and many not in this country legally. also they seemed to be much more threatening than anything I have seen from the Tea Partys.
Let's take a page from there play book and start talking this issue up. tell your friends, tell your neighbors, they the person at the checkout stand to get involved in this issue and standa for the rule of law. and most of all pray for these illegals to see the light 1 Peter 2:13 Romans 15:1-2, 2 Timothy 2:5
She probably grew up on Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody an got stuck on th lyrics, "Anyway th wind blows doesn't really matter, to me."
Didn't Nanci Palosy accuse the DOJ and the DOD of lying? I don't see how you can have it both ways.
I recently found out that I could save money by not purchasing medical insurance and vision insurance since it costs the same price for my prescription glasses anyway.
However, under the bill Jerry and Nancy rubber-stamped I will be forced to pay for ALL. Including the glasses, prescription, exam, and the insurance.
Thanks Mr. Congressman, for raising the cost of living. I suppose that's why you had the "phone-y meeting"?
Congress has fallen to " an all time low of - 25 percent."
The people in Congress have become nothing more than spokespersons for special interest groups. The smooth talking car sales types.
And they sure sold a lemon to Americans.
All kidding aside why would one post verifiable links when it's much easier, and more fun, to simply respond with emotional spontaneity?
Here's another view:
According to a recent Pew survey, Americans have negative views of large institutions - banks, financial firms, Congress, large corporations, the national news media, federal agencies, the entertainment industry and labor unions.
The same respondents were evenly divided on the Obama administration, with 45% being positive and 45% negative.
Republicans have been actively encouraging this groundswell of distrust on the theory that it is bad for the free market, inherent freedoms, and judgments perceived by 'The Founding Fathers'.
Additionally the Pew Research Center showed a significant plummet given the public's trust of the federal government.
Only 19% say they are "basically content" with the government, while 56% are "frustrated" and another 21% describe themselves as "angry."
While the Democratic Party has plunged to 38% approval, the problem is the Republican Party has fallen to 37%. And Congress with an all time low - to 37 percent.
Enter the Tea Party.
Your article does accurately match statistical data on Tea Party age, race, education, and gender but if you really step back and look at it, "the movement," seems full of contradictions not only in substance but to it's actual agenda...
As you say, the group is middle age and above. And while most polls showed favoritism towards some kind of health care reform (as lobbyists focused on government controlled health insurance) their rallying cry became "hands off my medicare."
'The right to bear arms' seems another controversy surrounding the Tea Party.
Ironically few cited Mr. Obama for signing a Bill proclaiming the ability to legally and openly carry firearms into federal parks.
Firearms sales and gun stores have since flourished and as of late no protester or Tea Party member has been arrested for displaying weapons (even within a close proximity to the White House).
The notion that this group is above average in education is curiously surprising since this is highlighted by 'birthers' who still believe some how President Barack Obama was born in another country. (DOD and DOJ both confirmed Obama's citizenship as-far-back-as the Democratic National Primaries).
The overhyped Tea Party phenomenon is more about symbolism and hysteria fueled daily by spin-jockeys and half governors devoted merely to their own political and financial gains. The tendency is to exploit the distrust, dissatisfaction, and anger of the very same Americans -they claim to represent.
This letter is so lame. Why does the author fret over who to blame and focus on what is being done. Or in this case, what is NOT being done.
Wasn't this the same author who tried to write a letter fudging the healthcare and economic numbers? If so, I'm not surprised at more of the same from the likes of it.
I wanted to asked McNoby where in the Constitution does it say the the Federal Government can force my to buy something I don't want, but he gave his little speech and skeetered out of down.
We have to remove this Socialist from office and get new leaders that are pro growth, pro Liberty and most importantly, Pro Constitution.
Bye Jerry.. Maybe Obama will put you in as an ambassador someplace so you don't have to get a real job.
Today the president says people are struggling in the worst economy since the great depression. I will not sugar-coat it.
The TEA Partiers are simply waiting for the other shoe to drop, and you know it Mr McGuire. The draft 2011 budget from Pres Obama from February and the budget proposals in the Senate Committee this week all have huge tax increases. This includes allowing Bush tax cuts to expire, which the Democrats and the complicit mass media will not refer to as a tax increase!
So Obama's 95% tax cut for all Americans (unless you are a smoker, then the increase in cigarette taxes offset much of it) which amounted to $800 for a family, or enough for a trip to McDonalds once a week, is going to be glorified while the Congress will fail to do any work on the deficits in the budget which are killing American jobs right now.
They instead deferred the dirty work to a deficit commission, whose findings are not binding on anyone, to determine what needs to be done.
Conveniently, their work will take all year and we will get the result AFTER the 2010 November elections
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-debt_28bus.ART.State.Edition2.4c20b43.html
Meanwhile, Moodys, the leading debt rating firm, states that US debt could start riots - to quote:
“Preserving debt affordability” — the ratio of interest payments to government revenue — “at levels consistent with Aaa ratings will invariably require fiscal adjustments of a magnitude that, in some cases, will test social cohesion.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/16/business/global/16rating.html
They are already rioting in Greece, so when a TEA Partier says they fear for our future, you will know what they mean.
Reading this article, it appears overall, the viewpoints of the Tea Party are not that different from the general public. When the Poll points out that Tea Party members are generally older, better educated and wealthier than the general public, that's merely facts. When the Poll points out that Tea Party members are 95% white, that's a fact.