These numbers ought to be a piercing and painful clarion call to the national Republican leadership to get back quickly to the core conservative principles of (1) strictly limited government interference and (2) a strong fiscally conservative approach to the economy and never stray from them again.
In a nutshell, Republicans: Adapt to the clear will of the people, or die.
Tea Party Tops GOP on Three-Way Generic Ballot
Monday, December 07, 2009Running under the Tea Party brand may be better in congressional races than being a Republican.
In a three-way Generic Ballot test, the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds Democrats attracting 36% of the vote. The Tea Party candidate picks up 23%, and Republicans finish third at 18%. Another 22% are undecided.
Among voters not affiliated with either major party, the Tea Party comes out on top. Thirty-three percent (33%) prefer the Tea Party candidate, and 30% are undecided. Twenty-five percent (25%) would vote for a Democrat, and just 12% prefer the GOP.
Among Republican voters, 39% say they’d vote for the GOP candidate, but 33% favor the Tea Party option.
For this survey, the respondents were asked to assume that the Tea Party movement organized as a new political party. In practical terms, it is unlikely that a true third-party option would perform as well as the polling data indicates. The rules of the election process—written by Republicans and Democrats--provide substantial advantages for the two established major parties. The more conventional route in the United States is for a potential third-party force to overtake one of the existing parties.
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The standard Generic Congressional Ballot shows Republicans holding a modest lead over Democrats. It appears that the policies of the Obama administration and the Democratic Congress are currently enough to unite both those who prefer Republicans and those who prefer the Tea Party route.
Data from the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll shows that just 55% of conservatives nationwide consider themselves Republicans. Recent polling shows that 73% of Republican voters believe their leaders in Washington are out of touch with the party base.
Republican voters are paying a lot more attention to the Tea Party movement than anyone else. Forty-three percent (43%) of GOP voters are following news about the movement Very Closely. Another 30% are following it Somewhat Closely. Just 12% of Democrats are following stories about the Tea Party movement Very Closely.
Seventy percent (70%) of Republican voters have a favorable opinion of the Tea Party movement while only seven percent (7%) offer an unfavorable view. Interestingly, 49% of Democrats have no opinion one way or the other.
Among unaffiliated voters, 43% have a favorable opinion of the Tea Party efforts while 20% say the opposite.
Forty-one percent (41%) of all voters nationwide say Republicans and Democrats are so much alike that a new party is needed to represent the American people. Republicans are evenly divided on this question, while Democrats overwhelmingly disagree. However, among those not affiliated with either major party, 60% agree that a new party is needed, and only 25% disagree. Men are far more likely than women to believe a new party is needed.
As for the voting preference, the Tea Party bests the GOP among both men and women and in all age groups except those over 65.
The Tea Party candidates are the first choice among political conservatives. Among moderates, the Tea Party candidates are more popular than Republicans. However, nearly half of all moderate voters prefer a Democrat.
Among the Political Class, not a single respondent picked the Tea Party candidate.
However, among those with populist or Mainstream views, 31% prefer the Tea Party, and 26% are undecided. Twenty-three percent (23%) pick a Republican candidate, and 19% are for the Democrat (See more on the Political Class-Mainstream divide).
Good post - The Tea Party Conservatives (a much larger movement than is acknowledged by the mainstream media) represent more or less independent voters. Most of them are TIRED of lies and business as usual, which expands government and government spending without restraint.
ReplyDeleteWhether the Republicans take notice or not, there will be change in Washington.
Yes! That's why I support Eric Dondero's Libertarian Republican movement...
ReplyDeleteNice catch LA!
The Republican leadership had better read this, and learn from it. I've been a Republican for a long time now. I, and MANY others, are tired of the party leadership blowing smoke up our posteriors at election time, and growing government once they're elected. Many of us, myself included, are going to vote on ideology, not party. The candidate might be independent, libertarian, or whatever...as long as they are correct on the issues. If they fail to deliver, we'll replace them.
ReplyDelete