A CBS poll of those who support the Tea Party movement reveals that 52% of respondents feel their taxes are fair.
So who is the “cut taxes” theme at their rallies appealing to? Are they out of touch? Does this bode poorly for their impact in the November elections?
Well, we’ve already established the teapartiers are poopy-pants, but did you actually read the article you linked to? Note the difference between “supporters” and “activists”. A “supporter” could anyone who thinks he aligns with their message, whether or not he even knows what the movement is about.
My questions are concerned with supporters, because they are the much larger group, which presumably will have a bigger effect in the election than the much smaller activist group. Who do you think the activists are appealing to, anyway?
Did you actually read the article?
Their whole point, aside from racism, hurting poor people, and liking god and guns is that taxes are unfair. This is like a very slim majority of active NOW members thinking abortions should be legal. Or a slim majority of active NRA members favoring looser controls on firearms.
So what? This is a disjointed, unorganized movement with ill defined goals. But the OP is trying to say that most don’t even want lower taxes, which isn’t true.
Did you read my OP? Most say their taxes are fair. I thought that was interesting in light of one of the primary themes of the Tea Party. I made no untrue statements.
I’ll thank you for not misstating my position.
Are you seriously trying to say that one of their ill defined goals isn’t that taxes are too high? What do you think they mean when they say their taxes are fair if not that they don’t even want lower taxes?
Yes, it is. But its main focus is supposed to be taxes.
Depending on how you define the group, yes, it appears to be true. More than half of self-identified supporters said their taxes were fair. About 40 percent of activists, the people who were supposed to be whipped up into a fury, also think their taxes are fair. I do find that a little surprising, but I already thought taxes were a fig leaf. I see the Tea Party thing as a prolonged national tantrum. But even if you wouldn’t put it that way I think you’re right about the conclusion: it’s a disjointed movement that doesn’t really have goals. It’s a lot more about the psyche of these people than their political views. This is something we already knew.
Most what? “Supporters” is a meaningless demographic. We have no idea if these people even no anything more about the tea partiers than that they are anit-Obama.
I don’t even know about that. They seem to have been galvanized around the bailout-- ie, the spending part of the equation. From wikipedia:
We know they self-identify with the movement, however they define it. The activists would like to appeal to them. Yet they have chosen a theme which less than half personally identify with. I think that may shed some light on the potential for the influence of the Tea Party in the mid-terms.
I don’t think you have it righ. They’re mainly anti-Obama, anti-HCR, anti-stimulus, anti-bailout. I don’t really see them demanding tax cuts so much-- more like fear of tax increases, or policies they seem to think will raise taxes.
The bailout was approved in October 2008 and they didn’t get around to protesting until February 2009. They’re opposed to the bailout but they sure didn’t move in it very quickly.
So which is it? Do we have no idea what they know about the Tea Party, or are they mostly anti-Obama, etc? Seems like you can’t make up your mind…
:rolleyes:
The first is about the ill-defined “supporters”, and the second is about the better defined, but still disparate, “activists”. Two groups, two different characterizations.
But I’ll also point at that you have not established that the tea party movement has tax cuts as its dominant theme. My cite about their positions and goals never even mentions tax cuts.
Well, you missed the anti-Obama part. And it was in Feb 09 that Rick Santelli made his famous comments about the mortgage bailouts. Again, from wikipedia:
That was just a weird coincidence. It took them a while to get going, dontcha know <wink>
What, aside from their name? What do you recall about reason for the original Boston Tea Party?
Your Wikipedia cite? The one that says this?:
Yeah, they clearly aren’t concerned with taxes. :rolleyes:
Look, I’m not the one hanging his entire argument on a Wikipedia page, but you don’t get to selectively quote from a page and claim there is nothing about taxes there.
Taxation without representation is not the same as tax cuts. Where’s the part where tea partiers claim their dominant theme is tax cuts? In fact, maybe this poll tells you why it isn’t.
I didn’t say it wasn’t about taxes. I said they seem to be saying that Obama’s policies are going to increase spending and taxes. Again, not the same as calling for tax cuts as their dominant theme.
Here’s the link to Tea Party Nation’s web site. Pretty much says exactly what I was saying. I don’t see anything about tax cuts there. But it does have a lot to say about fear of tax increases: