There is finally a survey which reveals the true nature of the Tea Party movement. It turns out that the movement really is a fring movement. It turns out that only a small portion of the group is composed of Independents or Democrats. More than 75 percent of these folks are Republican, almost 2/3's are Birthers. And not suprisingly, most all of these folks get their news from Fox and are very misinformed on all the issues. Tea Partiers are mostly older white people. Most of them want to keep their government entitlement programs (federal, state and local pensions, Medicare, Social Security, etc.). But they don't want government funded healthcare....which is exactly what Medicare provides them. And they don't want government forced insurance, which is exactly what Social Security is....kind of odd these Tea Partiers are. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! http://mediamatters.org/research/201004150062 http://mediamatters.org/research/201004150062 "They do not want a third party and say they usually or almost always vote Republican. The percentage holding a favorable opinion of former President George W. Bush, at 57 percent, almost exactly matches the percentage in the general public that holds an unfavorable view of him. Dee Close, a 47-year-old homemaker in Memphis, said she was worried about a “drift” in the country. “Over the last three or four years, I’ve realized how immense that drift has been away from what made this country great,” Ms. Close said. Yet while the Tea Party supporters are more conservative than Republicans on some social issues, they do not want to focus on those issues: about 8 in 10 say that they are more concerned with economic issues, as is the general public. When talking about the Tea Party movement, the largest number of respondents said that the movement’s goal should be reducing the size of government, more than cutting the budget deficit or lowering taxes. And nearly three-quarters of those who favor smaller government said they would prefer it even if it meant spending on domestic programs would be cut. But in follow-up interviews, Tea Party supporters said they did not want to cut Medicare or Social Security — the biggest domestic programs, suggesting instead a focus on “waste.” Some defended being on Social Security while fighting big government by saying that since they had paid into the system, they deserved the benefits. Others could not explain the contradiction. “That’s a conundrum, isn’t it?” asked Jodine White, 62, of Rocklin, Calif. “I don’t know what to say. Maybe I don’t want smaller government. I guess I want smaller government and my Social Security.” She added, “I didn’t look at it from the perspective of losing things I need. I think I’ve changed my mind.” Marjorie Connelly, Dalia Sussman and Marina Stefan contributed reporting" New York Times It is funny how quickly these people can change their minds once they understand the situation and the issues. It is also clear how damaging the abandonment of the Fairness Doctrine has been to our political system.
Poll finds Tea Party supporters wealthier and more educated Just an interesting little article, though truly, I do not like to say that any side is necessarily "more intelligent" than th e other, because there are idiots on both sides, and educated people on both sides. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/us/politics/15poll.html
Joe, what the hell is your point? So what if they are old and white? Are you a racist? And clearly most of them will be Republican, since the movement is primarily conservative and there are more conservative Republicans than conservative Democrats. Not to mention the countless libertarians and others that support the tea party. And so what is your point intending? Even if there are some morons in the movement, the point remains that the movement's goal is still noble: reduce government and bring back liberty.
This is not hard to believe- the real 'Tea Party' is being strategically taken-over by GOP- Palin is a great example of that... The 'Tea Party' that I'm familiar with started with the Ron Paul campaign, and those guys were not GOP loving Republicans- some may be 'republicans' but they hated Republican policies which they created by action- most of the supporters of RP at that time had no respect for Fox News either, and they still don't... Anyhow screw the GOP... Peace be unto you Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Nice of you to copy my post, but Tea Partiers are only more educated than the average Joe by a few percentage points....nothing to write home about. What is clear, is that they are also more misinformed than your average Joe.
From the article, it looks like Tea Party supporters are just Republicans who don't think the Republican party is far enough to the right for their liking. Combine that with some nutty beliefs (e.g. Obama is Muslim).
Well, since you're not an American and have no idea what you're talking about, I'm not sure how seriously to take you. The Tea Party movement was put into place originally by Ron-Paul Republicans and Libertarians; both are noble and true Americans. Remember, James, classical liberalism is the moral ideology, not left-liberalism; and classical liberalism is a key tenet of modern day conservatism. So if you truly stand for justice and liberty, then I dare you to explain how you can possibly support a person like Obama who wishes only to further centralize and expand government, infringe on states' rights and personal privacies, and infringe on the fruit of every man's labor. Please explain.
So we can remember this the next time we are subjected to some kind of "wealthy people earn their money with superior intelligence and grasp of real life" and "rich people spend their money a lot more productively than government ever could" and so forth. There are a lot of ignorant, crazy, shameless, and (we might point out) none-too-bright rich people out there, and they can make a lot of noise with their money.
More than 80% of millionaires are self made, and the wealthy contribute more to charity than anybody else. So, you're wrong. Let's also not forget that you need money in order to even create the very factory that employees the proletariat.
Norsefire: It does not follow that since I'm not American I can't possibly understand or follow American politics. You are naive to make such a stupid assumption. And so...? No. Neo-liberalism is the key tenet of modern-day Republican conservatism. I don't see the value in "state's rights" in the abstract. Maybe you can explain that for me. In what ways is Obama infringing on personal privacy and the fruit of every man's labor?
You don't understand that American politics are simply different. The environment here is different. Democrats here are still much more conservative than democrats in Aussie; people here are different. You're an extremist leftist by American standards. So virtue should win, shouldn't it? You say Republican; I didn't. Republicans have hardly stuck to their values, have they? So it's no use discussing parties. Ideology is the talking point, and libertarianism and conservatism both revolve around classical liberalism. And classical liberalism is the MORAL ideology and the ONLY moral ideology, so you either support what is proper and moral or you are not a good person. See, America is split between 50 states; each maintains their own sovereignty in a Confederation of states called the United States (hence States in the plural); each state has every right not delegated specifically to the federal government. Why is that? Well, it's simple: it's to counter centralization. Each state has its own unique history and identity; thus, the residents in each state will be happiest if they are allowed more control over their own state and have minimal outside regulation. Are you seriously saying you want a centralized government? Remember, centralized means less choice, more arguing, and more impersonal government. Who wants that? I want to give people the maximum liberty by allowing them to govern at a more local level (state level) gives them this. Why have one centralized government making the decisions when you have many different provinces? Hmm, just to name a few: More government control of industry Nationalization of industry Less choice Mandating the purchase of things Higher taxes and more spending More centralization and less localization maintaining the PATRIOT Act Extreme debt Corrupting American values Hurting private property rights
Norsefire: Different to what? I doubt you know much about Australia. In what way do you consider American Democrats conservative? No. Only by your standards. Are you holding these people up as noble saints who ought to be emulated in all ways, then? That's an extremist position. There are many moral theories and ideologies. Maybe you ought to find out about some other ones before you start criticising people like me. Clearly you have no idea. Australia has essentially the same system. Yes. In fact, if you want to eliminate a level of government, state governments would be the logical ones to get rid of. Keep national and local, cut out the middle man. Centralised means better planning, putting resources where they are needed, avoiding unnecessary duplication of services, etc. Which industries have been nationalised? Which choices are less? Which purchases are mandated? Which values are being corrupted? Which private property rights are being hurt? It's all very vague. And you throw in a few things that Obama is not responsible for. You might like to look back to your last President's administration for some of those.
That doesn't help the fact that they are ignorant, crazy, and shameless. And their "charity" is how they make their noise.
No that is not true. It was started by the news media for the news media and promoted and sponsored by Fox News. I just love the tapes of Fox News people out there leading the tea partiers in cheers Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement
I have little interest in how they live, and have expressed no opinions on the matter. You need a hobby you know something about, if you are going to put this kind of repetitive effort into it.
Well one thing the New York Times poll does it clearly demonstrates that the Tea Party movement is not main stream as it has been represented to be by Fox News. It is clearly a small segement of American society....and not the popular insurrection as its membership would want people to believe.
People want government funded SS and MediCare BUT at the same time think other people should go without Welfare and Healthcare ?!?! Yes, the Republic can only take one so many morons and then will collapse. I'd say Jodine White, 62, of Rocklin, Calif. is the staw that breaks the camels back...
