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Tea Party Movement Looks Stalled; Half Like it Less as they Hear More
ABC ^ | 4/15/12 | Gary Langer

Posted on 04/15/2012 12:33:49 PM PDT by Only Sane Man

Wither the Tea Party?

A major force in the 2010 midterm elections, the movement has stalled in public popularity, its support well below a majority and decidedly lukewarm. And Americans by a broad 23-point margin say the more they hear about the Tea Party movement, the less they like it, rather than liking it more.

That negative buzz has worsened from a 9-point gap in an ABC News/Washington Post poll as the movement was gathering speed two years ago. And its avenues for resurgence may be limited: Interest in learning more about Tea Party is down 7 points from spring 2010....

These views have grown more negative particularly among young adults, seniors, women, moderates and people in the $50,000 to $100,000 income range, all with 10- to 17-point increases in “like it less” responses as they hear more about the Tea Party movement....

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2012electionbias; abc4islam; abc4obama; abc4romney; abccontrivance; abcfakenews; abcfraudagain; abcmadeupstuff; abcvsamerica; boycottdisney; dnctalkingpoints; polls; teaparty; yellowjournalism
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To: FlingWingFlyer

At our last local TEA Party meeting the theme was “Stay below the radar until you are in range of the target”. A few were claiming it is “Up Periscope” time, but were told stick around till things get interesting.

Many active duty military, not in uniform though, were present. They were likely acting as the messenger for their fellow servicemen. I spoke with a few of them personally. It was reassuring to note there are likely a lot more TEA Party sympathizers in the military than anyone anticipated. They must have had to take a vow of silence, as their activites are monitored. For sure within the Army, and now with the Marines.


21 posted on 04/15/2012 12:53:28 PM PDT by libertyhoundusnr
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To: Only Sane Man

More than half the country has become the “Tea Party,” as the majority of Americans can’t stand Maobama’s policies.


22 posted on 04/15/2012 12:53:37 PM PDT by AAABEST (Et lux in tenebris lucet: et tenebrae eam non comprehenderunt)
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To: Only Sane Man
I was in Florida visiting family when the primary was taking place and remember watching a Tampa news broadcast covering the primary, focusing on what they were calling the 'fringe' of the party: the Tea Party and the Ron Paul supporters.

Their last two interviews were with someone they called a Tea Party leader and with another guy who supported Ron Paul.

The Tea Party leader was an older, overweight, tan-less, balding guy in a wheelchair in front of his mobile home in the trailer park, all filmed outside in the harsh, bright Florida sun.

The Ron Paul supporter was very upscale yuppie-type in his very nice, upper middle-class home, middle school age girls in the background, the lighting soft and warm.

You don't have to be an expert in marketing, product staging and creating first impressions to see what they did there.

23 posted on 04/15/2012 12:53:37 PM PDT by GBA (America has been infected. Be the cure!)
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To: Only Sane Man

Because the movement was infiltrated just like everything else. It now does not stand for anything out of the norm. Yes there might be a few small groups here and there that are genuine, but they are over shadowed by the big players.


24 posted on 04/15/2012 12:55:39 PM PDT by Revel
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To: ScottinVA
So Americans like the Tea Party less, the more they hear about it? So is OWS and its criminal nature more to their liking?

Nope, OWS polls just as bad or worse.

The problem is, generally speaking, the American public tend to like the politicians who offer the "can't we all just get along" oratory. You hear it all the time and poll after polls shows this, people always say they want politicians to get along and do bipartisan things - then they get upset when the very same politicians break their campaign pledges to appease that very attitude. This is why it is so important to be a happy warrior like Reagan.

What is very popular here - aggressive, confrontational attacks on Hussein tends to be, unfortunately, much less popular among the general population (particularly in the "center"). I think Newt wasn't able to catch on for just that reason. I'd watch him give great speeches taking on the media, establishment, etc, and show them to many otherwise conservative friends only to have them say Newt sounds angry, too opinionated, etc.

Some politicians seem to be able to get away with the plain spoken approach. Governor Christie is one of those. But for the most part, independents/moderates tend to view confrontational politicians and organizations fairly negatively.

25 posted on 04/15/2012 12:56:41 PM PDT by Longbow1969
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To: Artemis Webb
The contention of the article has some merit.

I agree it doesn't matter how desperately some want to believe otherwise.

HOWEVER, that doesn't mean the individual tea partiers aren't still out here trying to decide what our next move should be in the face of two political parties seeking our destruction.
26 posted on 04/15/2012 1:03:10 PM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: Only Sane Man

The Tea Party has definitely not received a lot of media attention of late, which, to ABC, naturally indicates that it is losing favor with voters. I doubt it. It wasn’t the TEA Party that people voted for in 2010. They voted for Republican candidates that would oppose Obama and they’ll get the opportunity to vote against Obama, directly, in 7 months whether or not the TEA party is a force in the election. People that may have voted for him in 2008 are fed up and/or disappointed. Add to that (significant) number traditional Republican voters as well as conservatives that have to, once again, hold their nose and vote for a RINO (Romney) who, as usual, is ‘better than the Democrat alternative’. The result: Obama loses.


27 posted on 04/15/2012 1:03:38 PM PDT by Jim Scott
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To: Only Sane Man

ABC declares victory in the media campaign against the evil Tea Party movement. That’s basically what the media do, is declare things. Their problem is that there’s a big difference between declaring victory and winning one.


28 posted on 04/15/2012 1:04:16 PM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: Arm_Bears

Oh sure...we’ve stalled! Only in your wet dreams ABC.

What a bunch of turds!


29 posted on 04/15/2012 1:07:24 PM PDT by Artcore
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To: Only Sane Man
Lord only knows who the heck they actually talked to...

METHODOLOGY – This ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted by telephone April 5-8, 2012, among a random national sample of 1,003 adults, including landline and cell-phone-only respondents. Results have a margin of sampling error of 4 points for the full sample. The survey was produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates of New York, N.Y., with sampling, data collection and tabulation by Abt-SRBI of New York, N.Y.

.

30 posted on 04/15/2012 1:07:24 PM PDT by TLI ( ITINERIS IMPENDEO VALHALLA)
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To: Only Sane Man

“Stay below the radar until you are in range of the target”
Great strategy. It bothers me not at all to be underestimated.


31 posted on 04/15/2012 1:07:44 PM PDT by Pat4ever
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To: Billthedrill

Yes, and Ronald Reagan was losing to that wonderful success named Jimmy Carter by 25 points in the “polls” at this time of the year in the presidential election year of 1980. ABC “news” and the other naysayers really got to enjoy Carter’s second Administration, didn’t they?


32 posted on 04/15/2012 1:07:57 PM PDT by laconic
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To: Only Sane Man
ABC...home of George Stuffingenvelopes and Valerie Jarrett,among many others.In other words,NO credibility.
33 posted on 04/15/2012 1:09:26 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Unlike Mrs Obama,I've Been Proud Of This Country My *Entire* Life!)
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To: libertyhoundusnr

“Stay below the radar until you are in range of the target”
Kudos to your group. We’ll spread your idea around.


34 posted on 04/15/2012 1:10:36 PM PDT by Pat4ever
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To: Revel
Because the movement was infiltrated just like everything else. It now does not stand for anything out of the norm. Yes there might be a few small groups here and there that are genuine, but they are over shadowed by the big players.

Also true. I have first hand experience with a fake GOP official trying to organize our little informal local group. He wanted one of us to "be a leader" and wanted names for contact lists and fundraising purposes. We all got the impression that he was poking around to get a sense of who could be bought but we're an informal group which means no leader to co opt. He himself was a Mitt Romney fan and wanted to drive the crazies out.
35 posted on 04/15/2012 1:12:45 PM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: JudyinCanada

Seven months before the election things are slow.....

The Tea Party is just laying low for a couple of months.

The All Baraq Channel wishes that the Tea Party was gone.


36 posted on 04/15/2012 1:14:29 PM PDT by Ouderkirk (Democrats...the party of Slavery, Segregation, Sodomy, and Sedition)
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To: laconic

Yep, and they don’t like to lose. Remember Sam Donaldson’s “The American people have just had a tantrum”? But it wasn’t a tantrum, Sam, it was a spanking. :-)


37 posted on 04/15/2012 1:18:20 PM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: Arm_Bears

What a bunch of nonsense. The Tea Party is not dormant, but is working diligently behind the scenes in preparation for this summer and the fall elections. They are still meeting reularly and are influencing candidate selections and also working on rallies for religious freedom.

The reason the MSM writes things like this is that they are so very much out of the main stream of American thinking, they do not ever cross paths with true conservatives.


38 posted on 04/15/2012 1:20:32 PM PDT by Gumdrop
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To: Only Sane Man

The Tea Party missed the boat this time by neglecting to form into a coherent party and endorse a candidate. They stuck to local candidates.

The many debates and candidates did not help but fractured the field further.

Since they are mainly an economic-issues group, maybe they could get together behind Paul Ryan for vice president and some of the more conservative senators and congressman running.

If they don’t take a stand behind a candidate, they are nowhere, and it is no wonder their numbers have diminished in this report and their enthusiasm is reported to have cooled. They are still out there and wanting change but have nothing to coalesce around except wanting Obama out. That’s not enough for some people—they need a person, an image.

Or there’s still time for them to coalesce around Gingrich.


39 posted on 04/15/2012 1:25:08 PM PDT by firebrand
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To: Only Sane Man

How the TP “looks” to dedicated Marxists should be of interest to nobody. When the time comes, people who are busy as hell working to make a living will reappear.


40 posted on 04/15/2012 1:25:16 PM PDT by Attention Surplus Disorder (A conservative, a liberal and a moderate walk into a bar. Bartender says "what'll it be, Mitt?")
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