Stuff You Need To Know About The Tea Party People
Feb 23rd, 2010 | 36 responses
This is one of those no, but, stories. I’m no great fan of polls. Too often the questions are rigged to prove a point. Often, the methodology is flawed or the demographics selected biased. I take polls for what they are: A flashpoint that may or not reflect a trend.
And now the proverbial but.
The Economist, published by our Brit friends across the pond, publishes a poll that indicates 34% Americans believe the national economy is getting worse compared to 62% last year. I bet the naysayers didn’t know that. A quarter of the public say the economy is getting better compared to 5% last year.
That’s the meaty stuff. Then the questions really get cool as the Economist explores the inner-sanctums of the Tea Party movement. Among the findings:
* 20% Americans, half Republicans, consider themselves part of the tea party movement.
* 88% tea partiers think Americans have a favorable view of them.
* 38% tea partiers say the economy is the most important issue while 23% say the budget deficit. Tea partiers more than any other group blame government spending as the cause harming the economy.
* More than 60% tea partiers rate Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck with the highest approval.
* 78% tea partiers do not like President Obama as a person while 9% favor his job performance.
* 85% tea partiers believe Obama is a socialist compared to 60% Republicans and 34% of all Americans.
* 20% tea partiers want their state to secede from the union while only 7% Americans would consider it.
On other issues:
* 14% of Americans say Obama is a “racist who hates white people” while 25% Republicans agree.
* 15% of Americans take the view that Obama should be impeached while 36% of Republicans and 44% of tea parties share that view.
What I gleamed from the poll is that almost nine of 10 tea partiers are pretty full of themselves.
The poll was conducted before Palin told them they must decide to join either the Republican or Democratic Party if they wish to exert any political clout. Makes you wonder if they still approve her by a 60% margin.
36 Responses to “Stuff You Need To Know About The Tea Party People”
“85% tea partiers believe Obama is a socialist compared to 60% Republicans and 34% of all Americans.”
As much as being a comment on Obama, this result is a comment on definition of socialism. By now, it must be pretty clear that Tea Parties are about small government, decreased spending, tax cuts. The entire movement began in response to the Porkulus and the gigantic budget which were passed in the first weeks of Obama's Presidency. A group which is heavily focused on limited government has a different definition of “socialism”, i.e. a more easily accessible line of demarcation for “socialism”, than groups which are not heavily focused on limited government.
Some of it IS about Obama himself: his grandparents were Marxists, his mother was Marxist, his father was Marxist, his stepfather was Marxist, his surrogate father – Frank Marshall Davis – was Marxist, Rev. Wright is Marxist, William Ayers is Marxist, Alice Palmer is Marxist, when Obama first ran for office – he was one of the few candidates to be involved with and supported by the Marxist “New Party”. Smoke. Fire. Suspicion is not unreasonable.
Still, separate from such suspicion, and strictly on a policy level: Tea Partiers are naturally aggressive about defining socialism. I agree with them.
“88% tea partiers think Americans have a favorable view of them”
That is just flat out delusional.
combine that with…
“20% Americans, half Republicans, consider themselves part of the tea party movement.”
That is a lot of people with delusions of grandeur.
Obama is a socialist…marxist…he hates white people….
This whole movement is getting scarier and scarier.
I guess my group's an unusual one.
“* 14% of Americans say Obama is a “racist who hates white people” while 25% Republicans agree.”
It's worth pointing out that 25% of Republicans is most probably a smaller number than 14% of all Americans. The difference is being made up by… whom?
And let's not overlook this little nugget from the math above…….self-identified Republicans constitute…what…34% of the American population? So, if only 60% of that 34% think Obama is a socialist, that means 20% of the American population that thinks Obama is a socialist is sourced from Republicans. That leaves 14% of non-Republican Americans who also think that. That's certainly enough to change a national election.
Quite a lot of people in Texas also believe that The Flintstones basically happened because the bible says so. People in America also believe they have guardian angels.
Opinions don't have normal distributions, unlike height. People in general suck quite a lot, be they Chinese, European or American.
So the main focus should be on making sure that meritocracy and other important values of society are protected from people in general. We all say we need to protect people from governments, but who ensures that people are protected from people? Well, America used to have this pretty important document laying down the rules, but lately people have decided to whittle down its importance and value.
And that 14% is almost entirely comprised of 'independents', who were Republicans until recently.
There are people who are independents because the Republicans are too liberal for them.
I guess my group's an unusual one.”
I really hope so. We need some angry people out there pointing out that the King has no clothes and the congress (Rs and Ds) don't either. Too many Philiberts will spoil the effort to get politicians to fear the public (currently, the only thing they listed to).
Question, Jerry. Assuming that each TP group is different, how do we know if the survey hit some of the Prof's type groups and not the nuttier ones. (Makes a better story, perhaps.)
My favorite poll along these lines was the one about the Obama voters who voted for him thinking he was the antichrist.
Closer to the second coming. Oops, that just slipped out. — Jer
We'll put you in the 12% that aren't crazy
Probably members of state militias. The kind that don't play paintball….
Gotta love a good sense of humor!
*thumbsup*
One interesting tidbit I found on this poll.
When the question was asked:
“Last February, Congress passed President Obama’s $787 billion economic stimulus bill. Do you think the stimulus bill has helped the economy?” 55.2%of democrats said yes, 21.7% of democrats said no, and 23.1% were unsure. Then again, maybe it was the word February that made the difference… =P
When the next question
Do you think the stimulus bill WILL help the economy?
25.1% of democrats answered yes, 38.4% answered no, and 36.6% weren't sure.
Gee, take Obama's name out and get very different results it seems, at least among democrats, Republican change was only from 87.2% to 83.7% and independents from 55.3% no, to 60.2% no.
wait. so. these tea partiers who worship ronnie like a saint… care more about the budget deficit which generally swells under republican presidents…?
head hurts.
This makes no sense. When were these questions asked?
The first question seems to have been asked recently. The second question seems to be referring to a time before the stimulus was passed.
Gee, maybe if this was logical and well written, it might make a modicum of sense. Might.
The majority of these Teabaggers are flat out idiots. This poll proves it without a doubt. Uninformed, uneducated and dangerous.
Of course, if they are idiots and they still outmaneuver you in recent elections, where does that place you in Darwin's hierarchy?
“The majority of these Teabaggers are flat out idiots.”
Their notoriety includes serving as the objects of a lot of agitation and hatred on the Left.
The last info I read showed the Tea Party consists of a lot of highly educated people and a lot of very stupid people. So you have people like Prof that understand the purpose of the party…and you have a bunch of retards that hate Dems and have a problem black people.
I think the light Fox shined on the party has been attracting more retards than intelligent people. The party may grow, but it's purpose will get diluted.
Recent elections? I have yet to see Senate Bob (T). There are a lot of R's that have tried to attach themselves to the movement, but I don't know of any elected Tea Partiers in Congress.
If the Teabaggers have their way, we'll have “literacy” tests before people can vote.
If I had my way, we'd have “dumbass” tests before people could vote. That would take care of most Teabaggers.
By the way, who's that in your avatar? Is it Samuel Johnson? That's me and Jayne Cobb in mine. We're not too smart, but we could surely kick Sam Johnson's butt.
If I had my way, we'd have “dumbass” tests before people could vote”
Would you also apply that standard to posting on TMV. If so ………………
It's okay, I think you'd still be allowed to post.
We might have to make a special exception, but I'm sure it could be done.
Impeach Obama now – Run Sarah Run!
Vote Jeb Bush Lez Cheney in 2012
During Obama's failed Presidency
The record of the Obama years in office:
Worst Terrorist attack in American History (Xmas day Detroit bomber) CPAC -> Dick Cheney
Implementing Communist Economic Policies -> Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Fox News
Muslim, born in Kenya -> Lou Dobbs, CNN, MSNBC
Bailing out lazy, shiftless Detroit autoworkers
Penalizing hard working Wall Street Bankers (Bonus Taxes)
Attacking poor, hapless Japanese managers at Toyota for the sloppy, crap work of their american workers
It is clear that Hussien needs to be removed by the Military and then the Supreme Court can appoint Jeb Bush President (circa 2000). Jeb is a family values guy, so we expect him to make Lez Cheney his VP, where she will fight to keep the Gays out of the Military!
Contact your Congressman, do not allow the Bush Tax Cuts for the Wealthy to expire, it's that important!
Yes, by all means, Vote Lez Cheney in 2012.
Ladies and gentlemen, Exhibit A, in the Teagbaggers are Dunces category.
VeratheGun,
That “BushCheney2012″ person is a leftist who is trying to make conservatives or Tea Party people look bad. False flag operation. Happens all the time. Look at BushCheney2012's comments again, and you will see it. If s/he is an exhibit of anything, it is that persons on the left can be uninformed and deceptive. Don't fall for it. You are doing yourself wrong – are willfully and detrimentally immersing yourself in fantasy world – if you fall for the propaganda that the right and/or Tea Partiers are uniformly idiotic. Fantasy is comforting, yet ultimately harmful.
But…but…I like my fantasy world.
In my world, someday there's going to be more FIREFLY.
You mean…that's not real?
*crying in a corner*
gcotharn -> Are you a Godless liberal? Probably a “Secular Humanist”. Seriously, W. and Bush Sr. are great AMERICAN Born heroes. Both were wartime fighter pilots who faught to defend their country! Not community organizers! Jeb will follow in their footsteps! He needs to be made President now to stop all this Big Government shennagins. And Lez will make a fine legacy to the Cheney family tradition, she is strong on defense and is not afraid, like her father, to send our brave troops into harms way. I saw on Fox News Sunday that she proposed invading Iran. Most importantly, we can not allow the Bush Tax Cuts to expire, and I am not ashamed to say they favor the Wealthy, and if you were a true conservative, you'd feel no shame either. There is a reason the rich have money and the poor don't, so lets not go re-distributing the Wealth, ok Barry?
Some of your stuff is good fun. I ought have mentioned that.
gcotharn -> Fun is all we have some times! have a good night!
We might have to make a special exception, but I'm sure it could be done.”
Better check with the Queen. You guys are good at exemptions and exceptions. (I'm not a union member.)
Vote Jeb Bush Lez Cheney in 2012″
Bizarro world still exists.