MUST READ -Teabaggers are ReTHUGS - Crashing the Tea Party

[malaise]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/17/opinion/crashing-the-tea-party.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Robert%20Putnam%20and%20David%20Campbell&st=cse
<snip>
Polls show that disapproval of the Tea Party is climbing. In April 2010, a New York Times/CBS News survey found that 18 percent of Americans had an unfavorable opinion of it, 21 percent had a favorable opinion and 46 percent had not heard enough. Now, 14 months later, Tea Party supporters have slipped to 20 percent, while their opponents have more than doubled, to 40 percent.

Of course, politicians of all stripes are not faring well among the public these days. But in data we have recently collected, the Tea Party ranks lower than any of the 23 other groups we asked about — lower than both Republicans and Democrats. It is even less popular than much maligned groups like “atheists” and “Muslims.” Interestingly, one group that approaches it in unpopularity is the Christian Right.

Our analysis casts doubt on the Tea Party’s “origin story.” Early on, Tea Partiers were often described as nonpartisan political neophytes. Actually, the Tea Party’s supporters today were highly partisan Republicans long before the Tea Party was born, and were more likely than others to have contacted government officials. In fact, past Republican affiliation is the single strongest predictor of Tea Party support today.

So what do Tea Partiers have in common? They are overwhelmingly white, but even compared to other white Republicans, they had a low regard for immigrants and blacks long before Barack Obama was president, and they still do.

More important, they were disproportionately social conservatives in 2006 — opposing abortion, for example — and still are today. Next to being a Republican, the strongest predictor of being a Tea Party supporter today was a desire, back in 2006, to see religion play a prominent role in politics. And Tea Partiers continue to hold these views: they seek “deeply religious” elected officials, approve of religious leaders’ engaging in politics and want religion brought into political debates. The Tea Party’s generals may say their overriding concern is a smaller government, but not their rank and file, who are more concerned about putting God in government.
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So they are the same old ReTHUG racist social conservatives.

[SpiralHawk]

1. "Smirk. Sneer." - RepubliBaggers Against America

[malaise]

2. Great toon

:hi:

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

3. Typical Tea Party member

This one has slightly greater brain case material than the norm, however.

[malaise]

4. Way too brown

:rofl:

[malaise]

5. Tweety is going to discuss this shortly n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Here from the end of the editorial

On everything but the size of government, Tea Party supporters are increasingly out of step with most Americans, even many Republicans. Indeed, at the opposite end of the ideological spectrum, today’s Tea Party parallels the anti-Vietnam War movement which rallied behind George S. McGovern in 1972. The McGovernite activists brought energy, but also stridency, to the Democratic Party — repelling moderate voters and damaging the Democratic brand for a generation. By embracing the Tea Party, Republicans risk repeating history.

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In real life I hear disgust at these types

[malaise]

9. The ReTHUG right wing base dressed up

Same group for the last 50 years says Joan Walsh - I want a copy of this study.
Same old racist, anti-immigrant scumbag RETHUGS.

[Remember Me]

7. What I want to know is

just what percentage of elected GOP leaders -- federal and state -- are aware of just what a monster they created and continue to allow to more or less flourish? The image I'm getting is Frankenstein for sure.

[malaise]

8. Who knows

Tweety has Campbell and Joan Walsh on discussing now