'Tea Partiers Are Fairly Mainstream'

[HalfLotus]

Apparently the mainstream narrative that the Tea Party is an extremist, right-wing, fringe movement isn't accurate.

'Tea Partiers Are Fairly Mainstream in Their Demographics

PRINCETON, NJ -- Tea Party supporters skew right politically; but demographically, they are generally representative of the public at large. That's the finding of a USA Today/Gallup poll conducted March 26-28, in which 28% of U.S. adults call themselves supporters of the Tea Party movement.
...
In several other respects... age, educational background, employment status, and race -- Tea Partiers are quite representative of the public at large.

Four in 10 Tea Party members are Democrats or independents

Four in 10 Tea Party members are either Democrats or Independents, according to a new national survey.

The findings provide one of the most detailed portraits to date of the grassroots movement that started last year.
...
It isn’t a “purely homogeneous” group, said Winston.

[giblets]

The US has a lot of extreme right wingers who aren't necessarily Republican.

[Guynemer]

Hardly a surprise, given that, generally speaking, ********* are fairly mainstream in America today.


Also: 4/10 being D/I is hardly representative, as that implies that 6/10 are Republicans. Last I heard about 20% of the population call themselves D, 20% R, and 60% I.

So, in summation: fail.

[DaShi]

People are always surprised at who turns out to be serial killers in their neighborhoods.

Anyway, they are asking the wrong questions.

[Dinner]

28%, huh? That just about coincides with the old Bush 30%. Almost exactly. The same idiots who thought Bush was doing a great job all the way up to the end are now tea baggers yelling racial epitaphs at black congressmen, shouting nonsense like "keep away from my medicare!!!!!!" (medicare is the government run health insurance for the elderly), claiming they're going to kill people who disagree with them, and generally being lead around by the nose by Republican funded organizations. Yep, that's not stupid or extremist. Not at all.

Why don't you go back to talking about conspiracy theories claiming the moon landings were faked or that 9/11 was done by the Jews? It suits you better.

[Hauldren Collider]

3 filterless retards shout epithets on Capitol Hill, and now every fiscal conservative is a racist, violent extremist?

And a handful of people commit violent crimes, so therefore everyone who shares their general beliefs with respect to the economy is an extortionist?

Not to mention that you aren't being led around by the nose by a Republican-funded organization that you, as a republican, funded, which many of these people are.

And why do you assume it's the same ~30%?

[giblets]

3 filterless retards shout epithets on Capitol Hill, and now every fiscal conservative is a racist, violent extremist?

I have trouble understanding why reasonable people would associate themselves with a movement that is mostly known for doing ridiculous things.

[Riesstiu IV]

The only thing I'm getting from all the statistics that 1/2 Lotus has provided us with is that we have a lot of retarded people in this nation.

[Hauldren Collider]

Mostly known != mostly responsible

[HalfLotus]

The only thing I'm getting from all the statistics that 1/2 Lotus has provided us with is that we have a lot of retarded people in this nation.

Very true.

I posted these polls to show a little more scientific breakdown of TPers, since all we get from the mainstream is nonsense similar to what Oerdin posted.

[DanS]

The tea partiers are awesome.

[Berzerker]

regardless of who is in power there's always a group of anti-tax, anti-govt protesters, usually with varied libertarianesque views. When the Repubs get unelected because they deserve worse, some join or co-opt the anti-govt movement. Think of liberal Democrats trying to co-opt or join more radical elements, like Obama and his Chicago church. When the Repubs get re-elected the Dems will let the more leftist groups beat the war drums.