Tea Parties More Popular than GOP!

Some very interesting polling data from the highly credible Rasmussen polling organization has come out showing that when asked the question “Suppose the Tea Party Movement organized itself as a political party. When thinking about the next election for Congress, would you vote for the Republican candidate from your district, the Democratic candidate from your district, or the Tea Party candidate from your district,” respondents chose the tea parties over the Republicans.

According to the story, the response of all those who were polled was Democratic 36%, Tea Party 23% and Republican 18%. Further, the poll found that independents are more inclined to vote for a tea party candidate over Democratic or Republican candidates. It shows that not only are the tea parties not “tools” of the Republican Party, but that Republicans have a long way to go before they achieve the credibility that the upstart tea party movement has garnered.

I’m pleased to have led a 2 hour training session on Sunday afternoon with the wonderful folks at the Albuquerque Tea Party. It was quite impressive to see 70 or so activists, not getting paid, concerned about their country and its out-of-control government, show up for training on a Sunday afternoon.

Notably, if Republicans do wake up and realize that they should re-embrace limited government like the tea parties have, the Republican/Tea Party movement defeats the Democrats 41% to 36%. The bad news is that the Republicans have already proven exceedingly capable of bungling elections.

Only time will tell whether the Republican Party re-embraces limited government. It is clear that in the form of the Tea Parties a major constituency exists.