Tea Party Sparks More Antipathy Than Passion

[SpartanDem]

More Americans consider themselves strong opponents of the Tea Party movement than strong supporters, by 20% to 14%, and the ratio is a similar 22% to 15% among registered voters. When factoring in those who support or oppose the movement but not strongly, the opposing groups are more evenly matched, with 25% of Americans in total classified as Tea Party supporters and 28% as opponents. About 4 in 10 Americans as well as registered voters say they neither support nor oppose the Tea Party.

Gallup has previously measured support for the Tea Party movement, but this is the first time it asked a follow-up question that probes intensity.

One of the more striking findings of the Aug. 4-7 USA Today/Gallup poll is that nearly half of self-described liberals, 48%, consider themselves strong opponents of the Tea Party, significantly greater than the 30% of conservatives calling themselves strong supporters. Similarly, by 39% to 31%, there are more strong Democratic opponents than strong Republican supporters. Among independents, 14% are strong supporters and an equal number are strong opponents

Adults 35 and older are slightly more likely to call themselves strong supporters of the Tea Party movement than are those 18 to 34. Also, consistent with racial differences in party identification, whites are more supportive than blacks of the Tea Party. Gallup finds little difference between men's and women's relationship to the movement.








http://www.gallup.com/poll/148940/Tea-Party-Sparks-Antipathy-Passion.aspx

[glowing]

1. Surprise, surprise older white people who are pukes and independent/ libertarian people r

strong supporters of tea party. Young people and minorities see them for who they are old, white racists. I'd actually like to see the number for older break down... I wouldn't be surprised to see that most support comes from the +50 white crowd in rural, southern an mid/ western states. Basically the same crowd that wore sheets in their heads not so long ago, are now wearing tea bags in their hats. Faces full of rage and hate. All sitting on their govt Medicare scooters creaming about socialism and keeping hands off their entitlements because there is a black man as the president and they are scared that their evil, vile reprehensible actions will come back to bite them in the ass. And they don't want to think that someone like that is in power when their lives suck so badly. That's why they don't care if the govt falls apart, except for the parts that they enjoy. They would rather destroy the nation rather than let someone like that make laws for them. They are anialists.

[SpartanDem]

2. Most of the tea party caucus is from the south

or border states and most polls I've seen show that that their strongest support is from people over than 45 It's a demographic that vote consistently and heavily which in part explain their disproportionate strength


The four states with the most Tea Party representatives in Congress are all former members of the Confederate States of America. The states with the greatest number of members of the House Tea Party caucus are Texas (12), Florida (7), Louisiana (5) and Georgia (5). While California is in fifth place with four House Tea Party members, the sixth, seventh and eighth places on the list are taken by two former Southern slave states, South Carolina and Tennessee, and a border state, Missouri, each with three members of the congressional Tea Party caucus.

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/08/02/lind_tea_party