But check this out:
While half the nation has a favorable opinion of last Wednesday’s events, the nation’s Political Class has a much dimmer view—just 13% of the political elite offered even a somewhat favorable assessment while 81% said the opposite. Among the Political Class, not a single survey respondent said they had a Very Favorable opinion of the events while 60% shared a Very Unfavorable assessment.I think it's a little soon to gauge the implications of the tea parties, although if the planned tea party events for July 4th demonstrate a sustained level of popular anger at government, it'll be clear that this grassroots movement may have substantial implications going into the 2010 midterm elections. As Chris Cillizza notes this morning, the "battle between growing and shrinking government" is likely to be the main axis of partisan division going into next year.
One-in-four adults (25%) say they personally know someone who attended a tea party protest. That figure includes just one percent (1%) of those in the Political Class.
Michael Van der Galien has some thoughts on the poll's "good news" for Republicans:
I think Michael needs to write a follow-up post to his comments here: How can we reconcile that large bloc of independents supporters with the attacks on the tea parties by some "conservatives" as "really deranged stuff."While 83% of Republicans and a plurality (49%) of unaffiliated Americans have a favorable view of the tea party protests, only 28% of Democrats say the same.
Republican voters and Independents sympathize with the anger felt and expressed by the protesters. That is great news for the Republican Party because the independent-vote is decisive in elections. If the tea parties result in more independent support for fiscal conservative government and politicians, well, the GOP could stage a grand comeback in 2010.
14 comments:
Sometime back I watched a show with an historian that said that the social and economic times we are in reminded him most of the period in France just before their Revolution.
The "Political Elite Class" might want to keep in mind what happens when the great unwashed masses get fed up with the people yelling "Let them eat cake."
I seriously doubt that anyone would reach for the rope on a guillotine, but it will still be an ugly thing to watch.
I suspect the GOP WILL make a huge comeback in 2010. One of the things I did at our Tea Party was, of course, walk around and take a lot of pictures, but it gave me a chance to talk to a lot of people. Obviously these people were all fed up or they wouldn't have been there, but they all felt very strongly that government spending is out of control.
It wasn't all Republicans either. There were quite a few Dems that I spoke with.
Our Tea Party was at 5:00 on a Wednesday; we had 5000. I am certain that at ours, and probably across the country, there were a lot of people that could not attend for whatever reason - work, other obligations, and in the case of a friend of mine - he's a civil service employee and forbidden to express political opinion publicly. (He can't even put a political bumper sticker on his private car).
The point is, I think a lot more people are fed up that what we actually saw at the Tea Parties. Time will tell.
Well, the left is already trying to show that tea parties are not really grassroots. Just for fun I visited the debate forum at wetcanvas.com where I used to enjoy irritating people there and one poster put up link after link showing how it's really just a right wing conspiracy controlled by 527s and PACs.
The more they change the more they stay the same.
Greywolfe, you almost sounded profound there, guy. Done you some learnin', huh?
Pat, that's fucked up that your friend can't express himself politically. That ain't my America.
Prediction: Republicans will not gain a majority in either house of congress in 2010 and Barack Obama will keep right on being the president. Write it down.
Well, you're certainly making the rounds today, JBW. Run out of weed?
The power of the left in America peaked in November
Actually it's my day off and I'm high as a kite, Greywolfe. This is California, we never run out of weed. It's called multi-tasking: I'm dispelling the stereotype of the lazy cannabis user by viewing porn whilest simultaneously pwning rednecks in funny hats all day.
And shoprat, you're way off, buddy. I should be peaking powerfully by the time I get to the Asian schoolgirl site...
JBW, despite the fact I find you tiresome, That last was funny as hell. I'll give you that much.
DD, sorry about the hijacking of your post. I'm done after this, I promise.
JBW, you should go on the road, you'd make a killing at standup.
Cheers, Greywolfe. In her heyday here, Grace Explosion told me many times that I reminded her of Dennis Miller (pre-9/11, I hope).
Great post, Don (I didn't actually read it but that's what we're all supposed to say, right?).
JBW: We never have to read the posts. This is the basic message to every. single. post.:
Liberals = bad, stupid, arrogant, media controlling, elitist, atheist, nihilists, America haters, evolutionist
Conservatives = loved by God, smart, true Americans, good people, traditionalists, new Earthist
EUREKA!!!! see timmy can be taught! There's hope for the world.
I think you're speaking Greywolfe's language, Tim. Try not to get too multi-syllabic or you'll lose him.
Yeah, I try to read the posts but you're absolutely right: it's pretty much all boilerplate. There are very few surprises. People like this guy are why I come here now: for the sport.
Greywolfe: Are you perhaps familiar with Donald's father-in-law? He's the only one to call me "Timmy."
He's also a life-long Republican, but I don't hold it against him.
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