Tea Partiers' concerns are virtually identical to those of Republicans, poll shows

[TomCADem]

Source: Washington Post

For some time now, the Post's E.J. Dionne has been valiantly making the case that the Tea Partiers, rather than representing some new political phenomenon, are essentially just right-wing Republicans. The only new thing about them, Dionne suggests, is the ham-handed revolutionary garb and the signs of Obama as the Joker.

Now we have some striking new data from Gallup that strongly supports this case.

* * *

It's striking: Tea Party supporters and Republicans are almost in lockstep agreement on what constitute the biggest threats to America's well-being: The size of the Federal debt; the power of the Federal government; terrorism; and illegal immigration. The percentages are almost the same on all those issues.

Similarly, Tea Party supporters and Republicans are also in close agreement on the things that don't constitute serious threats: Unemployment; discrimination against minorities; and the power of large corporations.


Read more: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/07/poll_tea_partiers_concerns_are.html

---

A new Gallup establishes a fact that we on DU have known for quite sometime, but which is suppressed in the corporate media. The Tea Party is just the same old GOP with the same old ideas.

[LearnedHand]

1. I think maybe they're the same as post-1994 Republicans

Somehow, I just can't see, say, Richard Nixon holding any truck with these people. Nor Gerald Ford. And certainly not pre-Reagan Republicans.

[eShirl]

4. then don't you mean post-1980 Republicans?

[Politicalboi]

2. Teabaggers are

Repukes. They only change their title when the Repukes look bad. And I mean "really" bad. Oh and kick in racism because now they feel like they are anonymous and untouchable. Kinda like terrorist. Catch us if you can. Then they morph back to being Repukes.

[TomCADem]

18. ...the astroturf arm of the right wing media.

Remember, the Tea Party supposedly began due to anger with Wall Street, but then they disappeared during the debate over financial reform. What happened to all that anger?

[eShirl]

3. filing under "no shit, Sherlock"

[area51]

12. +1 (n/t)

[mzmolly]

17. LOL

Joining you in your filing methods. ;)

[niceypoo]

5. I guess that explains their spewing of GOP talking points

lol

[PSPS]

6. Obviously. The "tea party" began as a "Fox News" media stunt with 'tea bags.'

Hence, the term "teabaggers."

[TomCADem]

9. Actually, CNBC's Rick Santelli Staged The Tea Bag Rant, Then Fox Stole It...

If you recall, after the TARP, the Obama administration started trying to arrange for partial loan forgiveness for individual home owners. Well, this was just too much for Rick Santelli who engaged in this rant against individual homeowners calling them losers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp-Jw-5Kx8k

Yes, this was the genesis of the Tea Party. A Wall Street reporter calling individual homeowners who are underwater losers.

[KurtNYC]

15. part of the whole "War on Culture" thing /eom

[tom_paine]

7. The Tea Baggers have always been a Bushpublic PsyOp

They were never meant to pose any kind of real threat to Busho-Republicon Power.

They were meant to further tilt the playing field to the right, by using (as usual) the Corporate M$M to over-cover them while further censoring and marginalizing criticism from the Left by under-coverage, as it was during the Health Care Debate, and damned near everything relse for the past 12 years.

They were always meant to be fully reabsorbed into the Republic Party at election time. They are a complete artificial construct of the RW Power Elite.

Ironic, isn't it, because many Teabaggers are at least beginning to notice that something is terribly wrong. They just can't figure out what it is and so are lead to the same old usual suspects and scapegoats. (Liberals, gays, intellectuals, minorities, and so forth)

But non of that really matters because, as usual, with the Corporate M$M now pretty much fused with the RW Lie Machine, the TeaBaggers PsyOp has been a grand success AND poses no electoral threat to it's Bushie Puppetmasters.

[lunasun]

8. Bet they all 'go away' if repukes get back in power too ,,n/t

[toopers]

10. There is a big difference between Tea Baggers and Repubs . . .

the tea party members are highly motivated, pissed off people. They are willing to vote out an incumbent republican for unproven, new blood that they feel will actually represent their positions in government. They are tired of electing the least worst candidate.

[Enrique]

11. say it ain't so!

[w4rma]

13. But not the Republican leadership's concerns. (nt)

[superconnected]

14. Wonderful! Let them divide the Republican voters - hope it ends up even

half for the tea party, half for the GOP! :)

Since the Tea Party is outspoken and has it's own candidates now, I doubt they'll sit down and let the republicans take all the votes and I doubt the republicans will successfully convince their extreme to stay with them and not go to the Tea Party. Love the fact that the tea party is outspoken!

If I didn't know better I'd say some alternate-universe-democrat-karl-rove invented this :). Beautiful! Driven by their hate and the belief that the GOP isn't doing enough, and divides the gop from their voters, keep it!

[superconnected]

16. BTW this reeks as Republican party propaganda.