Posted on 08/08/2011 2:23:04 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
A majority of voters reject the depiction of Tea Party activists as “terrorists,” a new Rasmussen poll shows … but not a terribly large majority, given the ridiculously demagogic attack it represents. Fifty-five percent say that the Tea Party didn’t act like “economic terrorists” during the negotiations over the debt ceiling and deficit spending, while 29% — more than one in four voters — see equivalency between the Tea Party’s use of representative government and, say, al-Qaeda:
Democrats and their media friends have charged the Tea Party with being economic terrorists during the congressional budget debates, but most voters don’t see it that way.
Fifty-five percent (55%) of Likely U.S. Voters, in fact, say members of the Tea Party are not economic terrorists. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 29% believe Tea Party members have been terrorists during the budget debates, while another 16% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Perhaps tellingly, while 53% of Democrats view Tea Party members as terrorists, 57% of voters not affiliated with either major party disagree, as do 74% of Republicans.
Interestingly, despite the 29% who claim that the Tea Party is a terrorist organization, only 43% think that they made the situation worse in the negotiations. That mostly comes from Democrats (7/73), while Republicans are supportive of their role (53/17). Independents are split evenly at 37%, with 14% saying no impact and 12% unsure. That doesn’t indicate too much danger for the GOP sticking to Tea Party principles in the fight over spending and debt.
On the sales pitch for the Tea Party as a form of economic terrorism, Democrats seem to be ringing up mainly a No Sale. They get a majority among self-described liberals, but not a terribly impressive one (55/31) and almost an even split among black voters, their most loyal constituency (45/42). Independents reject it in almost the same ratio as the general sample, 21/57, as do self-described moderates, 29/50). The negative gets a majority response in every age demographic, and majorities or pluralities in every income demographic, even the <$20K category (31/45).
The fact that they can even get 29% to agree that pursuing policy changes through representative government is akin to “terrorism” is depressing, but it has a silver lining. It looks like Democrats and self-professed liberals are marginalizing themselves fast in this media meme du jour.
On that note, here’s a video from a friend of mine in the Twin Cities area. Sunny’s production needs a little tweaking, but she captures the disconnect between this meme and reality, and the impossible nature of the sales pitch:
Peaceful protesters who simply want fiscal responsibility from their elected officials are “terrorists”, but actual Muslims who bomb, behead, amd otherwise kill innocent people are not?
The MSM loves to cover up Islam’s sins by “not rushing to judgement” and we are constantly told we need to be more tolerant...
But have the left been tolerant of regular people who want to stop the maddening spending? What acts of violence have we caused? It’s the left who intimidate peaceful tea party rallies and the constant name-calling from the media, I thought they called for civility after Gifford’s shooting? Why are they allowed to spew violent comment in their speech and violent references but no one else?
Huh?! What kind of liberal spin is this? The poll numbers show 55% don't and 29% do ... that's almost 2:1!
The real question is how do we uses this to undermined their confidences in the soundness of using Government as a vehicle for their socialist enterprise.
Just think about it, if we could convince the left’s rank in file that the Government is not as stable and reliable a vehicle as they had supposed they might start to think twice about getting themselves and everyone else depended upon it.
Our case for greater individual freedom and self-reliance is only bolstered by an unstable and unreliable Government. That is what I think really bothers The Democrats and Obama specifically about the debt ceiling debate.
Their utter shock at the prospect that the Federal Government won’t always be stable.
I guess this means that according to the same liberal logic, that since tea partiers are terrorists and that since terrorists are freedom fighters, therefore tea partiers are freedom fighters.
very nice play on liberal logic, ari.
That’s the 29% that are riding the “Freebie” wagon at the taxpayer’s expense.
DUdirtbags and dimocrats do not SHOOT anyone. They are anti gun. If we are now terrorists in their eyes, then we are safe.
29%?
I’ll bet that equates pretty well with the percentage of people who get their news from MSNBC, CNN, the alphabets, the NY Times, WaPo, etc., etc.
The most damaging was Kerry, I thought. The dummies heard him talk trash about the T.P.ers and got to thinking, “Hey, that guy ran for president in 2004. He must know what he’s talking about.”
Sound ridiculous? A former business partner-—from Boston-—told me exactly that.
13% of the 29% are black fools and tools.
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And the other 12% probably can’t even do math or spel.
Terrorizing big government tyrants since the 18th century.
We will never get out of this mess we're in until we discover a cure for stupidity, or introduce a minimum intelligence requirement for voting.
The “non-profits” and “do-gooder” always have ads for campaigners and bloggers.
You make an important point in that the left inflates their perceived numbers through their mouth pieces.
AND, i generally believe conservatives are conservative even in their communication. mho, most believe in rules, voting, and that people will behave. The left knows how to hoist us by our own petards.
And, in spite of that civility and constraint, people came out by the tens of thousands to Tea Parties.
When you have 99.9 % of the media telling people 24 hours a day the Tea Partiers are terrorists,,,when you have members of Congress telling people Tea Partiers are terrorists,,,when you have the Vice President of the United States telling people Tea Partiers are terrorists,,,yes, more and more people will start to believe it.
Tea Party people quietly protest and clean up after their gatherings. The Liberals rage and leave their dis-guarded garbage for others to clean up. There is a difference between the two, and most people aren’t blind. Unfortunately 29% are either blind or they are part of the rage crowd.
That’s consistent with the theory that ~ one-third of the country is hopelessly ignorant. It’s been that way since the beginning.
I resemble that remark! I am in the People’s Republic of Massachusetts... I attended all 3 Tax Day Tea Parties.. and have videos on youtube from each of them 2009, 2010, 2011 my channel name is “bluesmovers”. 2009 - started from just a few people up to about 2,000 by the end of the day. 2010 - Glorious. 10,000 people, all media outlets present and Sarah Palin speaking. 2011 - Disgusting disruption by the School Bus Driver’s Union and the “alternative lifestyle activists” who were allowed to disrupt our rally with bullhorns (4 of them) until the batteries ran dead and stand IN FRONT of the speakers blocking them with a large highly offensive sign on a sheet. The Boston Police Dept made SURE they were able to do this. I prevented at least one fight and documented the event on youtube, as NONE of the local TV stations (who were there in force - you can see their cameras on my videos) would do it. There are TEA Party Patriots in Massachusetts
The only TERROR the tea party creates is when it strikes fear into the heart of the Washington D.C. legislative status quo!
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