A movement, sure, but where’s it going?

If you haven’t seen the New York Times/CBS News poll
from today on the Tea Party, you will want to check this out. The Tea Party
remains a conservative movement, supporters tend to be more conservative than
the average Republican and 84 percent of them have an unfavorable view of
President Obama. A staggering 96 percent of them disapprove of the Congress.
According to the poll, they are wealthier and better educated than the general
public and more than half of them say the policies of the Obama administration
favor the poor. A quarter of respondents said they think the administration’s
policies favor blacks over whites, compared with 11 percent of the general
public that shares the same view.
 
Most of those Tea Party members polled said they didn’t want a third party and
usually or always vote Republican. They believe, in large numbers, that the
president is a socialist and that the country is headed in the wrong
direction. But in follow-up interviews many said they didn’t want to cut
entitlements they said they deserved and hoped that cuts in waste would be
enough. Catch this quote from a Tea Party supporter from California — “I
don’t know what to say. Maybe I don’t want smaller government. I guess I want
my Social Security,” said Jodine White, 62, and added, “I didn’t look
at it from the perspective of losing things I need. I think I’ve changed my
mind.”
 
Can’t wait for the exit polls on Nov. 2.
 

WILL REPUBLICANS SUPPORT REGULATORY REFORM? Ask A.B. returns Tuesday, April
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