New poll shows 'Tea Party' more popular than Republican Party
 

New poll shows 'Tea Party' more popular than Republican Party

A new Rasmussen poll finds that the tea party movement's popularity is growing, so much so that it garners more support than the Republican party on a generic Congressional ballot. The poll hints that the burgeoning discontent among conservatives within the GOP threatens to splinter the party at a time when the popularity of President Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress are waning as we head into an election year.

The tea party movement was conceived out of antipathy for President Obama's economic stimulus plan and cultivated by groups like Freedom Works and conservative commentators such as Glenn Beck. Its guiding principals are centered around opposition to tax increases and the expansion of federal government spending. The movement rose to prominence when it organized highly-publicized protest gatherings across the country on April 15th of this year.

As reported by Talking Points Memo, the respondents to the Rasmussen poll were asked the following question:

"Okay, suppose the Tea Party Movement organized itself as a political party. When thinking about the next election for Congress, would you vote for the Republican candidate from your district, the Democratic candidate from your district, or the Tea Party candidate from your district?"

The response of all those who were polled was Democratic 36%, Tea Party 23% and Republican 18%. Further, the poll found that independents are more inclined to vote for a tea party candidate over Democratic or Republican candidates.

While some Republicans have expressed dismay over the emergence of the tea party movement, others have suggested that the GOP should embrace the group and its issues.

Tea party sympathizers recently proposed a resolution to make the RNC withhold its endorsement and funding unless candidates pass an "ideological purity test." The movement will hold its first national convention this January in Nashville, and Glenn Beck has indicated that he intends to stake out a more activist role in politics going forward by holding seminars across the country to educate conservatives on how to run for office without the support of a major political party.


But the Republican party has yet to determine whether or not they can harness the energy emanating from the right wing without being pulled out of the mainstream. This dilemma was highlighted by the GOP's November loss of a congressional seat it had held since the 1800s, after a tea party-supported candidate pressured the establishment Republican out of the race. That race suggested something rather striking: while the GOP may not be able to win without the support of the tea party movement, they might not be able to win with it running the show either.

-- Brett Michael Dykes is a contributor to the Yahoo! News Blog

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl1017

Haha, I assumed this was an Onion article when I saw the title.

I've had the odd feeling that a new party would rise, lately. Didn't expect them to pick sure an ingenious name.

No, more 'Tea Party' people sit around all day, collecting disabled checks and answering surveys.

It's essentially a party based on ignorance.

So why are they gaining strenght? I don't think they are criticized enough openly. Calling out stupidity is the only way to stop it.

They're backed by Glenn Beck of all pundits.

Their hide is thick.

I've finally found the party for me! :D

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/0..._n_186834.html

These fools are dangerous. Why would you want to be a part of them? They're just a new-century version of the KKK.

D3V, have you seen the South Park when the town is divided about the war in Iraq - it's the one where Cartman has a flashback and is in colonial times? It actually has a somewhat ...odd... but revealing message.

I'm not conservative or republican, if you want my political opinion to try and gauge my bias, then I'd wager on a scale from -10 to 10 (with -10 being completely liberal and 10 being completely conservative), I float around -1 or -2. I digress.

On this one I have to agree with the republicans, it seems like the story is propaganda that bashes the right wing and makes anything they do start to seem 'extremist.' You support gun laws? You're an extremist now. Mad about foreclosure rates? Extremist. Want to start up a group that shares the same ideas? Extremist Group!

Maybe to see where I'm coming from here, I would suggest you read Fahrenheit 451, and watch the similar movie Equilibrium. I'd say some of the reason I don't fall further to the left on that scale presented above, is because I believe deeply in personal freedoms and also the 2nd amendment. If anyone here thinks that any civilized nation isn't at jeopardy of having their liberties stomped on by a government regime, you may want to take a history lesson from Germany circa 1933-1945.

I've rambled on long enough, and I will leave you with a quote that a very wise man once said, "He who would trade liberty for some temporary security, deserves neither liberty nor security."

I'm glad you think that way, but here are some recent stories within the last year related to radical right-wing extremists that have caused havoc in America.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/nwheadlin...in_washin.html

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09095/960750-53.stm

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.s..._with_gre.html

I don't agree with taking guns away, I just disagree with the attitude of people that currently own them and the tone of the tea party movement is all. They are trying to incite 'revolts' and 'revolutions'. We're in 2010 now, we don't have to pillage other villages and towns like we did in the 1800's to get our way, this barbaric way of thinking is what my issue is all about. Nothing more, nothing less.


Oh, and here's one of the Tea Party leaders.

Because the name is funny. Why else do I do anything? I'm like a drugged up shock-rocker. I do crazy stuff just to piss people off, but my real intentions aren't even close to what my displayed are.

That makes absolutely no sense.

And you... were expecting it to?

No wallow, I wasn't.

Then why do you seem so disappointimated?