If we could all just put the predetermined narrative down for a moment...

Erik Mesoy

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Poll Finds Tea Party Backers Wealthier and More Educated

:lol: Cue disbelief. :p

Tea Party supporters are wealthier and more well-educated than the general public, and are no more or less afraid of falling into a lower socioeconomic class, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.
This is what I believe is called a statement against interest.

The 18 percent of Americans who identify themselves as Tea Party supporters tend to be Republican, white, male, married and older than 45.

They hold more conservative views on a range of issues than Republicans generally. They are also more likely to describe themselves as “very conservative” and President Obama as “very liberal.”

And while most Republicans say they are “dissatisfied” with Washington, Tea Party supporters are more likely to classify themselves as “angry.”

The Tea Party movement burst onto the scene a year ago in protest of the economic stimulus package, and its supporters have vowed to purge the Republican Party of officials they consider not sufficiently conservative and to block the Democratic agenda on the economy, the environment and health care. But the demographics and attitudes of those in the movement have been known largely anecdotally. The Times/CBS poll offers a detailed look at the profile and attitudes of those supporters.

Their responses are like the general public’s in many ways. Most describe the amount they paid in taxes this year as “fair.” Most send their children to public schools. A plurality do not think Sarah Palin is qualified to be president, and, despite their push for smaller government, they think that Social Security and Medicare are worth the cost to taxpayers. They actually are just as likely as Americans as a whole to have returned their census forms, though some conservative leaders have urged a boycott.

Tea Party supporters’ fierce animosity toward Washington, and the president in particular, is rooted in deep pessimism about the direction of the country and the conviction that the policies of the Obama administration are disproportionately directed at helping the poor rather than the middle class or the rich.

The overwhelming majority of supporters say Mr. Obama does not share the values most Americans live by and that he does not understand the problems of people like themselves. More than half say the policies of the administration favor the poor, and 25 percent think that the administration favors blacks over whites — compared with 11 percent of the general public.

They are more likely than the general public, and Republicans, to say that too much has been made of the problems facing black people.

Asked what they are angry about, Tea Party supporters offered three main concerns: the recent health care overhaul, government spending and a feeling that their opinions are not represented in Washington.

“The only way they will stop the spending is to have a revolt on their hands,” Elwin Thrasher, a 66-year-old semiretired lawyer in Florida, said in an interview after the poll. “I’m sick and tired of them wasting money and doing what our founders never intended to be done with the federal government.”

They are far more pessimistic than Americans in general about the economy. More than 90 percent of Tea Party supporters think the country is headed in the wrong direction, compared with about 60 percent of the general public. About 6 in 10 say “America’s best years are behind us” when it comes to the availability of good jobs for American workers.

Nearly 9 in 10 disapprove of the job Mr. Obama is doing over all, and about the same percentage fault his handling of major issues: health care, the economy and the federal budget deficit. Ninety-two percent believe Mr. Obama is moving the country toward socialism, an opinion shared by more than half of the general public.

“I just feel he’s getting away from what America is,” said Kathy Mayhugh, 67, a retired medical transcriber in Jacksonville. “He’s a socialist. And to tell you the truth, I think he’s a Muslim and trying to head us in that direction, I don’t care what he says. He’s been in office over a year and can’t find a church to go to. That doesn’t say much for him.”

The nationwide telephone poll was conducted April 5 through April 12 with 1,580 adults. For the purposes of analysis, Tea Party supporters were oversampled, for a total of 881, and then weighted to their proper proportion in the poll. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points for all adults and for Tea Party supporters.

Of the 18 percent of Americans who identified themselves as supporters, 20 percent, or 4 percent of the general public, said they had given money or attended a Tea Party event, or both. These activists were more likely than supporters generally to describe themselves as very conservative and had more negative views about the economy and Mr. Obama. They were more angry with Washington and intense in their desires for a smaller federal government and deficit.

Tea Party supporters over all are more likely than the general public to say their personal financial situation is fairly good or very good. But 55 percent are concerned that someone in their household will be out of a job in the next year. And more than two-thirds say the recession has been difficult or caused hardship and major life changes. Like most Americans, they think the most pressing problems facing the country today are the economy and jobs.

But while most Americans blame the Bush administration or Wall Street for the current state of the American economy, the greatest number of Tea Party supporters blame Congress.

They do not want a third party and say they usually or almost always vote Republican. The percentage holding a favorable opinion of former President George W. Bush, at 57 percent, almost exactly matches the percentage in the general public that holds an unfavorable view of him.

Dee Close, a 47-year-old homemaker in Memphis, said she was worried about a “drift” in the country. “Over the last three or four years, I’ve realized how immense that drift has been away from what made this country great,” Ms. Close said.

Yet while the Tea Party supporters are more conservative than Republicans on some social issues, they do not want to focus on those issues: about 8 in 10 say that they are more concerned with economic issues, as is the general public.

When talking about the Tea Party movement, the largest number of respondents said that the movement’s goal should be reducing the size of government, more than cutting the budget deficit or lowering taxes.

And nearly three-quarters of those who favor smaller government said they would prefer it even if it meant spending on domestic programs would be cut.

But in follow-up interviews, Tea Party supporters said they did not want to cut Medicare or Social Security — the biggest domestic programs, suggesting instead a focus on “waste.”

Some defended being on Social Security while fighting big government by saying that since they had paid into the system, they deserved the benefits.

Others could not explain the contradiction.

“That’s a conundrum, isn’t it?” asked Jodine White, 62, of Rocklin, Calif. “I don’t know what to say. Maybe I don’t want smaller government. I guess I want smaller government and my Social Security.” She added, “I didn’t look at it from the perspective of losing things I need. I think I’ve changed my mind.”

So what's going on here? Is it a case of the stereotype of the left consisting of the permanent underclass and a small number of academicians, and the right consisting of everyone else?
 
But in follow-up interviews, Tea Party supporters said they did not want to cut Medicare or Social Security — the biggest domestic programs, suggesting instead a focus on “waste.”

Education != political awareness. All the poll is saying is that they're rich and comfortable enough not to be high school dropouts... cruising through some tertiary education degree doesn't make you smart or sensible or politically aware. The idiotic and directly contradictory beliefs expressed in the article just confirm this.

(also your URL is broken)
 
What what now?? :confused:


Their responses are like the general public’s in many ways. Most describe the amount they paid in taxes this year as “fair.” Most send their children to public schools. A plurality do not think Sarah Palin is qualified to be president, and, despite their push for smaller government, they think that Social Security and Medicare are worth the cost to taxpayers. They actually are just as likely as Americans as a whole to have returned their census forms, though some conservative leaders have urged a boycott.
So all these people are simply confused? They seem to be in agreement in spirit with a lot of the things Obama argues for (with the health reform being the main exception it seems)...

“I just feel he’s getting away from what America is,” said Kathy Mayhugh, 67, a retired medical transcriber in Jacksonville. “He’s a socialist. And to tell you the truth, I think he’s a Muslim and trying to head us in that direction, I don’t care what he says. He’s been in office over a year and can’t find a church to go to. That doesn’t say much for him.”
...

You know what, I'm gonna blame these people for being almost sole responsible for this mess:
 
They are more likely than the general public, and Republicans, to say that too much has been made of the problems facing black people.
Asked what they are angry about, Tea Party supporters offered three main concerns: the recent health care overhaul, government spending and a feeling that their opinions are not represented in Washington.
Losing the election does that to you. And sure they might be dissatisfied with Reps as well, but somehow I'm not so sure that with McCain as prez, we'd have seen them
“The only way they will stop the spending is to have a revolt on their hands,”


They are far more pessimistic than Americans in general about the economy. More than 90 percent of Tea Party supporters think the country is headed in the wrong direction
That's what you get when more people have voted for another direction.

Ninety-two percent believe Mr. Obama is moving the country toward socialism, an opinion shared by more than half of the general public.
See, this is the crux. They might be intelligent people, loving mothers and fathers and all-around American good people, but they're clueless on that one issue at least. They've been having their head filled with Fox News BS, who took advantage of them. It's not their fault, and it's a perfectly normal human reaction.

Anyone who says: Mr. Obama is moving the country towards socialism, is out of their fruitloopy mind.

His policies are more left wing than you'd like to be, but they be still capitalistic as hell, just like about any Country in Europe.
“I just feel he’s getting away from what America is,” said Kathy Mayhugh, 67, a retired medical transcriber in Jacksonville. “He’s a socialist. And to tell you the truth, I think he’s a Muslim and trying to head us in that direction, I don’t care what he says. He’s been in office over a year and can’t find a church to go to. That doesn’t say much for him.”
Clueless.

The nationwide telephone poll
Hold that bus and pull over to the pedestrian side of the road. I've been spending time on this?

Goddamnit.

edit: Bah, read on anyway:

“That’s a conundrum, isn’t it?” asked Jodine White, 62, of Rocklin, Calif. “I don’t know what to say. Maybe I don’t want smaller government. I guess I want smaller government and my Social Security.” She added, “I didn’t look at it from the perspective of losing things I need. I think I’ve changed my mind.”
Typical example I'd say. Probably been listening to Fox only who have one narrative only, hearing the same BS being repeated over and over again, and when faced with another line of thought, they get confused.

Politics, not as easy as you might have thought.
 
Harvard is expensive.
 
Oh my God I just realised someone is saying these opinions are those of the educated.
 
If they are so smart, why do they have such stupid ideas?
Bigotry, provincialism, and intolerance aren't the exclusive province of the undereducated or the less affluent. Nor is being a good loser.


Link to video.

It is a compliment. But I wish just somebody had the facts right.
 
The 18 percent of Americans who identify themselves as Tea Party supporters tend to be Republican, white, male, married and older than 45.
Eighteen percent? One in six Americans is a tea party supporter? I find that hard to believe.

Whatever. It remains the fact that the stances (to the extend that the TP has any coherent set of 'stances') of the tea party are reactionary, uninformed, and foolish.

“I just feel he’s getting away from what America is,” said Kathy Mayhugh, 67, a retired medical transcriber in Jacksonville. “He’s a socialist. And to tell you the truth, I think he’s a Muslim and trying to head us in that direction, I don’t care what he says. He’s been in office over a year and can’t find a church to go to. That doesn’t say much for him.”
Oh boy...
 
Other result from the poll:

Code:
THINK PRES. OBAMA WAS BORN IN THE U.S. OR ANOTHER COUNTRY:
                                   Tea Party               All
U.S.                                  41%               58%
Another country                       30                20
Don't Know                            29                 22
Maybe educated but at least 59% of them are certifiably nuts, if we all agree that the birfer movement is tin-foil hat territory. (Which it is).

The Poll (raw data)
 
and they say Obama is an elitist...
 
"...He’s been in office over a year and can’t find a church to go to. That doesn’t say much for him.”
And why is this a problem? Either Obama has a private worship time, or maybe he doesn't. Maybe he's atheist and sees no need to go to church. Maybe he uses his Sunday mornings to do some work, or maybe he takes that time to spend with his wife and children. Or maybe he sleeps in.

WHO CARES?!

Most of the time I don't even know what religion our Prime Minister is, unless some mention gets made in the news. And even then it's usually a case of the PM not letting his personal beliefs dictate his public actions or legislation. Granted, we did have the Wafergate scandal some time back, but that was just more silly nonsense associated with Stephen Harper, rather than an indictment on his entire (in)ability to govern.
 
Asked what they are angry about, Tea Party supporters offered three main concerns: the recent health care overhaul, government spending and a feeling that their opinions are not represented in Washington.

As Ziggy already said, losing an election will do that to you. Welcome to democracy, Tea Partiers.

But this happens almost like clockwork whenever Democrats get into power. Loony right wing extremists start talking about the horrors to come. In the 1960s, it was Communism, in the 1990s, it was the "black helicopters" controlled by Bill Clinton and his murderous drug ring, and in the 2010s it's the Muslim socialist.

And regarding the OP -- "educated" people can still be low-information voters.

Cleo
 
I guess ignorance and intelligence aren't mutually exclusive. :)
 
There were folks who thought Kennedy was evil because he was *gasp* Catholic.

Today, people think that Obama is a Muslim and that's bad, because the US doesnt have freedom of religion or anything.
 
You have to admit that Kennedy acted completely like he was a pawn of the Pope, just as the tea partyers of the time claimed would happen.

And I find it ironic that Americans who realize they cannot publicly condemn Obama anymore for merely being black as they once could, still think it is perfectly acceptable to do so because they mistakenly believe he is Muslim.
 
You have to admit that Kennedy acted completely like he was a pawn of the Pope, just as the tea partyers of the time claimed would happen.

Are you implying that the pope told Kennedy to send troops to Vietnam and sleep with Marilyn Monroe? :p
 
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