Poll: The sagging popularity of the tea parties

[cali]

A new Washington Post/ABC News poll includes questions about the tea parties that have the nascent movement's popularity slipping badly. Overall, since the last poll, the percentage of Americans who hold an unfavorable view of the movement has jumped from 39 percent to 50 percent. The leading edge of that has been a collapse in support from 18-29-year-olds. In March, they had a positive, 43-38 view of the tea parties. They've swung hard to a negative view, 27-60.



One result that surprises me: a seeming tumble in tea party support from white Southerners. In March, only 30 percent had an unfavorable view of the movement. Now, it's 45 percent.

I don't think this is really a sign of anti-incumbent anger ending -- the results on voter views of incumbents dispel that notion. Since the last poll, however, we have had two months of news about tea party-identified Republicans winning their primaries or leading in them, which has started to diminish the independent brand of the movement. We had, in Rand Paul, a candidate nationally identified as a "tea party" icon, who quickly identified himself and the movement with philosophical but politically toxic ruminations about whether America still needed anti-discrimination laws. The dip in support is not intense -- it's mostly from people with newly "somewhat" negative views.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/right-now/2010/06/poll_the_sagging_popularity_of.html

[Lone_Star_Dem]

1. I'm kind of bummed about this

Sure they're all nuts, but they were entertaining nuts and they were one hell of a thorn in the side of the GOP. Now it appears the Republicans are getting a hold on their base again. :(

[thereismore]

3. I hope Orly Taint wins the primary. Should be fun. nt

[DJ13]

2. Popularity aint the only thing sagging in the tea party

[NC_Nurse]

5. HA! Good one.

:D

[BrklynLiberal]

4. Does this mean that there may still be some remnants of sanity out there???

[BeyondGeography]

6. Lots of potential reasons...They hitched their wagon to Princess Palin and vice versa

How's that working out for ya, teabaggers?

Plus, maybe it's sinking at some level in that our problems are serious and the only thing they are serious about is subverting government. Until there's a crisis, of course (see "Jindal, Bobby").

[Kalyke]

7. White Southerners are only considered stupid and racist,

en masse, on DU.

In the real world, we white Southerners actually have brains. If we could ever get a chance to hear or read real news (as opposed to the oligopolic right-wing spew we usually get from our local media), we can make some pretty good decisions.

It's not surprising to me: maybe my brethren are finally growing weary of being lied to by Faux and Rush and local-nutjob-rightwing radio host.

[Liberal_in_LA]

8. people woke up

[the sad red earth]

9. Debate with Tea Partiers

As it happens, I've been having an ongoing series of debates, "The Open Mind" with the conservative/libertarian blog ShrinkWrapped. Many of his readers/commenters are Tea Partiers or sympathetic. In fact, the previous, sixth, installments was specifically about what racist elements and incitement to violence there was in the movement and rallies. The latest installment, "The Open Mind VII - the One and the Many, is posted now at my site and SW's, with comments on this first of four posts made at my blog, the sad red earth. SW has had many more conservative commenters than I have had liberal, and they all think they're pretty damned smart - liberals not so much. I'd love to add more liberal voices to show them otherwise. So - you're all invited to the sad red earth. Come visit and say a word or thirty: http://sadredearth.com/the-open-mind-vii-the-one-and-the-many/.

There'll be biscuits and gravy! Well, not really...