Americans Believe GOP Should Consider Tea Party Ideas: Half of Republicans are Tea Party...

Gallup ^ | January 31, 2011 | Lydia Saad

[neverdem]

Half of Republicans are Tea Party supporters; 5% are "opponents"

PRINCETON, NJ -- About 7 in 10 national adults, including 88% of Republicans, say it is important that Republican leaders in Congress take the Tea Party movement's positions and objectives into account as they address the nation's problems. Among Republicans, 53% rate this "very important."

These results are from a USA Today/Gallup poll conducted Jan. 14-16, prior to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.

Although few Democrats (6%) are supporters of the Tea Party or even have a favorable view of it (11%), more than half say it is important that the Republican Party take the Tea Party's positions into account. Why this is the case is unclear, although Democrats may simply feel that the opposing party should pay attention to all of its constituencies.

Perhaps underscoring the same principle, Republicans overwhelmingly feel their leaders should take the Tea Party's positions into account, even though barely half are self-identified as Tea Party supporters.

Despite Americans' willingness to have Tea Party voices heard, it is not clear that the Republican Party benefits when Tea Party leaders publicly overshadow its own. Indeed, the GOP confronted that issue last week when Rep. Michele Bachmann's Tea Party-sanctioned response to Obama's State of the Union address seemed to draw attention away from the Republican Party's official response given by Rep. Paul Ryan.

The Republican Party has a somewhat more favorable image nationally than does the Tea Party, and by the widest margin seen over the past year. In the poll, 47% of Americans had a favorable opinion of the Republican Party compared with 39% holding a favorable view of the Tea Party movement...

[JaneNC]

Yes, they need to pay attention or pay the piper

[drypowder]

And the piper be “KICKEN ROAD APPLES”

[hosepipe]

Not all republicans are republicans..

[SWAMPSNIPER]

If they pay attention with the mentality evident now they will try to patronize us some more, and continue on their merry road to leftist Hell.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

Here’s the dirty little secret that the anti-GOPers don’t like to hear, however. Nearly 90% of Tea Partiers are either Republicans, or former Republicans who left the party because they moved too much to centre, but who generally still agree with and vote for the GOP. Very few Tea Partiers are libertarians or “true” independents.

[Sparky1776]

Bookmark

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks neverdem.

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• National biased radio

[Homer_J_Simpson]

It appears that the never-ending, sneering, howling, mocking, lying, and otherwise over the top anti-Teaparty campaign in the MSM is not working.

[neverdem]

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Some noteworthy articles about politics, foreign or military affairs, IMHO, FReepmail me if you want on or off my list.

[Wonder Warthog]

"Very few Tea Partiers are libertarians or “true” independents."

Proof, please. I'm a "true" independent and have been since I first qualified to vote almost fifty years ago. And I'm as big a supporter of the Tea Party as exists. I see no reason why independents shouldn't break for the Tea Party roughly as they break for "liberal/conservative" leanings.

[sauropod]

precisely.

[GOPJ]

Thanks for the ping.

[GOPJ]

There are democrats joining the Tea Party - to cause problems... think ‘troll’...

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

Proof, please. I'm a "true" independent and have been since I first qualified to vote almost fifty years ago. And I'm as big a supporter of the Tea Party as exists. I see no reason why independents shouldn't break for the Tea Party roughly as they break for "liberal/conservative" leanings.

The proof

You shouldn't assume that just because you, personally, are a "true" independent, that everyone else who also is necessarily leans the exact same way as you do. However, I tend to think that you and I are defining "true independent" a bit differently.

[Wonder Warthog]

"Back in February, a CNN survey found that on the first party question, 44% of Tea Party activists identified as Republicans, 4% as Democrats and 52% as independents. However, as I reported in a column last month, when CNN asked the traditional follow-up, nearly all the independents leaned Republican. Thus, with leaners included, 88% of CNN's Tea Party activists were Republican, 6% were Democrats and only 5% fell into the pure independent category."

I think the article linked supports my position more than it does yours. An independent who is conservative but "leans" Republican is still an independent...NOT a Republican. My own contention is that independents tend to "break" more conservative than liberal.

My definition of "independent" means registered to vote with my state as "no party" (since the term "independent" seems to be anathema to registrars of voters).

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

I think the article linked supports my position more than it does yours. An independent who is conservative but "leans" Republican is still an independent...NOT a Republican. My own contention is that independents tend to "break" more conservative than liberal.

My definition of "independent" means registered to vote with my state as "no party" (since the term "independent" seems to be anathema to registrars of voters).

That's the rub - the definition of "true independent" you are using is different from the one that I (and the article I linked) am using.

By "true independent," I am referring to someone who not only has no "official" party affiliation, but also refuses to state a typical voting preference for one party or the other. Obviously, most conservatives who are not registered with any party still typically tend to vote Republican, and fall into a separate classification in these polls - they are not "independents" in the sense that is being used in the polls, they still typically tend to exist within one party or the other's orbit - even if they don't officially sign on. You would most likely fall into that category, even though by your own definition of "true independent," you would not like to think of yourself that way.

[1010RD]

This graphic is where the money's at:

This is something to pass around. Conservatives need to show this to every fence-sitting RINO.

Note that they hammered away at the TEA Party themes heavily all the way into the elections, November 2010. Obama pulled out all the stops - racism, totalitarianism, parsimony, etc.

Yet, the best they got was 30% and it's fallen 16.7% down to 25%.

Favor is holding steady around 30%. The enormous block of 46% represents those taking a "wait and see" position.

This is an enormous and good opportunity to fix things. If we win on the economic issues we can control Congress for decades.

Liberal's won't be able to defeat a coalition that can draw a potential 76% support base.

[Wonder Warthog]

"By "true independent," I am referring to someone who not only has no "official" party affiliation, but also refuses to state a typical voting preference for one party or the other. Obviously, most conservatives who are not registered with any party still typically tend to vote Republican, and fall into a separate classification in these polls - they are not "independents" in the sense that is being used in the polls, they still typically tend to exist within one party or the other's orbit - even if they don't officially sign on."

Sorry, but ridiculous. Being an independent means not belonging to a political party, period. That one or the other party happens to match my preference is irrelevant. For the most part, the Republicans are not conservative enough for my taste. I tend to vote for them as much the lesser of two evils. I think a lot of folks (that much-denigrated "silent majority") agree with me, and I think the "Tea Party" is an expression of that. Frankly, I think if the 'Pubbies don't get their heads out of their asses this electoral cycle, they will be replaced, just like the Whigs were in the early days of the Republic.